Creating a Decoupaged "Memory Box"

This is something I have been wanting to do for a while, to store those keepsakes that belong to my children.  


Right now, I just have a drawer in each of their dressers that I stash those important things to keep, but not only is that not very stylish, but it is taking up valuable drawer storage space in their room.  


I looked around for far too long for the perfect "box" (I wanted something plain & cheap that I could decorate), & finally found 2 round paper mache boxes at Michael's (the last 2 as well, I must say!)  They were $10 each, but I had all the rest of the materials at home, so I figured what the hay.  


Here they are straight from the craft store:

The Other "Ingredients" Needed:

• Scrapbook Paper (you can see my tablet in the right side of the picture- which I found was the most economical way to buy scrapbook paper- for about $10-15, you have about 50 pages, which not only last forever, but better yet, they all coordinate!)
• Mod Podge (I used Matte finish)
• Paintbrush
• Craft Paints of various colors 
• Scissors (I used scrapbooking scissors to provide a decorative edge)
• Glue (craft, hot, or wood - I ended up using a combination)
• Other embellishments you might like: ribbon, scrapbooking embellishments, wooden letters, etc. 

My daughter decided she wanted to put her handiwork into it as well.

Steps to Creating Your Masterpiece:

• Select several different sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper in the color scheme & design you desire.  I was making a box for a girl & a boy, so I used pinkish toned & bluish toned paper (which thankfully, was all in the same tablet!)  
• Using scissors (plain or decorative), cut the paper into various shapes (the goal is to create a patch-work effect).  It doesn't have to be perfect, in fact, it looks better if it is not.  
• Take the Mod Podge (which functions as an adhesive also), & start adhering the paper pieces around the circumference of the box.  This is where the smaller pieces & strips of paper come in handy, they work much better following the curve of the box than a large piece would.

It still may look a little lumpy when pasted on the Mod Podge, but don't worry.  

• Continue this process until the entire box is covered, then allow to dry.
• Apply a 2 top coats of Mod Podge as a sealer, allowing to dry between each coat.

The finished box:

I wanted to place a monogram on the lid of each box, so I picked up some wooden letters I liked while I was at Michael's.  I painted each of these with craft paint.  

• For the lids, I wanted them to coordinate with the scrapbook paper, so I took some craft paint & painted 2 coats over each lid, again allowing to dry well between coats. 
• Then, I traced a circle using the lid as a template onto a page of paper to place on top of the lids.  I used my decorative scissors to cut out the circle.  Tip: if you use the outside of the lid as the template, make sure when you cut out the circle to cut on the inside of the line, otherwise your paper will hang over the edge slightly.

• The paper circle received the same treatment as the rest of the box, Mod Podge.  
• To attach the letters to the top of the box, I used wood glue, since the letters were made of wood (duh).  
• Embellish the box however else you wish, besides the monograms on top, I just hot glued some ribbon around the center of the lid edge & added a bow.  

All finished!  I was pleased with how they turned out.  

Now to go empty those drawers...


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