Altered Valentine's Box

Hey y'all! Back at ya today with a fun project that I did for AC Moore in Greenville, SC. This was for a demonstration today to show folks how Mod Podge can be used and to show the Lovely paper line from Authentique. I really like this paper as it is nice and thick and double sided too! It's perfect for this type of project. So, anyways, here's the completed box:

 

 

Here's a close up on the lid and the inside too:

 

 

 

I have altered a couple of items in the past so I had a general idea on how to do this. This would be a really great gift and is easy to customize! These are the supplies that you'll need to complete: unfinished wooden item, Mod Podge Matte finish (you can use other finishes too), foam Brushes (any brand will do), some type of squeegee type tool (like a ruler, putty knife, bone folder, etc.), tape measure or ruler to measure the box, paper to cover your box, acrylic paint to paint your box, fine grit sand paper and paper cutter.

 

Now that you know what supplies you need, let's get started!

1. Protect your worksurface with either kraft paper or newspaper so nothing gets glue or paint on it.

 

2. For this project, my unfinished wooden box had some wood flakes on the surface. To get rid of those flakes, I took the fine grit sandpaper and ran it all over the box to make all surfaces inside and outside nice and smooth. You might not need to do this step depending on what type of object you're covering. Once sanded, wipe down the whole thing to get it good and clean.

 

3. Using the pink acrylic paint, I took my foam brush and painted the entire outside of the box. I didn't want the inside of the box to be painted so I left it unfinished. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to allow the paint to dry (time may vary depending on the type of paint you're using).

 

4. Using my ruler, I measured the lid and all sides of the box to determine what sizes I need to cut my paper. For this box, I used 3 sheets of 12 x 12 paper (the short sides of the box (not pictured) are a different design than the long sides. I used the following papers from the Authentique line: Adore, Dainty and Greetings.

 

5. Shake up your Mod Podge and remove the lid. Using a foam brush, cover the backside of your paper with a good coating of Mod Podge. If there are any "clear" spots on your paper, then you do not have enough Mod Podge. It is important that you use enough Mod Podge to get the paper to stay on the box and avoid having wrinkles/bubbles.

 

6. Place the paper on the box and smooth it flat. It is really important that you smooth out the entire piece of paper. Starting in the center of the paper, use your squeegee to get all of the excess Mod Podge to the paper's edges. Wipe up the excess using your brush so that you don't have globs on your project.

 

7. Next, I cut out some Valentine's cards from the Greetings paper. I put two of them on the inside of the box, one on the lid and one on the edge of the box. I used the same techniques on step 5 and 6 to adhere these.

 

8. After I had all of my paper on the box, I put a layer of Mod Podge on the entire box. This layer doesn't need to be as thick as you used on the paper but it needs to be thick enough to cover the entire surface. This gives the whole project a really nice "finished" look. Let it sit and dry for a good hour before doing anything else to the box. After this is complete, your box is finished (or ready for more embellishments like jewels or flowers).

 

That's it for today. Until next time, get out there and do something crafty!