Decorate Boxes

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

Decorate boxes to make cute craft storage containers!

Do you like to decorate boxes? When you add value to a previously plain, ordinary container, you are actually making an altered art project. Do you have some plain cardboard containers that look like they are going to stick around on your own craft desk? Seek them out for this project.

"Veni. Vidi. Velcroe.
I came. I saw. I stuck around".
~Anonymous

Ideas to Decorate Boxes

At the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's craft event, one of the challenges was to make an item other than a card using buttons as a decorative element. I wondered what to do. First I thought I might make a scrapbook page with some button embellishments, but that seemed like something I had done before. Then I thought maybe I would make a bracelet out of buttons.

Before I could get organised to do that, my eye lit on the unadorned cardboard box I was keeping my reinkers and various paints in. I was suddenly inspired to turn that little eyesore into something a whole lot cuter. I decided to wrap buttons all around that little unsuspecting craft container, and then I thought of a few more techniques I could use to dress it up and alter it:

First I found some pretty designer series paper and I covered the box with that. I saved a piece of the paper to line the bottom of the box.

Next I knew the container had a clear acrylic lid. I decided to use my Stazon ink to stamp some pretty little butterflies on the inside. If I had wanted to I would have painted and glittered them up (also on the inside).

Then I raided my button stash and started glueing them on to the outside of the acrylic lid in between the butterfly images where it pleased my eye. I added in a stamped shrinky-dink image as well. It's the fleur de lis 'button' you can see in one of the photos.

Do you think it turned out well? I think it definitely looks heaps better to decorate boxes than to leave them as plain cardboard especially if they are holding useful items on your craft desk.

Another cardboard container got a treatment with every Washi tape I had. I used a cardboard paper roll from a paper towel holder to thread the Washi onto it and store it in the Washi tape decorated container. That seemed appropriate to me. It didn't turn out too pretty. I need to add some decorations to the lid flaps of the box. But I can always find my Washi tape now!

Why not look around your own craft room and see if there is an undecorated surface just begging for some bling and paper and Washi tape? If you do, I hope you will feel free to share your creation with me.