Handmade Gifts – Decoupage – Idea #4

Remember decoupage from camp? No? Well basically it is gluing printed paper to something.  You can get a fancy or simple as you want.

I start with a rather humble cigar box and a big piece of nice art paper, I buy most of mine at New York Central but most good art supply stores have a decent selection.  You could probably use newsprint, wrapping paper or just about anything else large enough to wrap the box.  I trace the bottom of the box onto the center of the paper & then flip it & trace each side leaving little tabs to use for neat edges, make sure to trace the top & leave larger tabs there so they reach around to the inside. Measure the inside & cut paper to fit.  I use Sobo glue watered down slightly but any white glue with some water added will work.  Wait to let the outside dry before papering the inside. I add handmade felt as a bottom pad but you don’t have to!  I also like to add a decorative touch to the outside, National Geographic has been a great source of images for me.

These boxes are not only useful to corral sewing notions, pens or anything else you have floating around, I also like to use them as the “wrapping” for more diminutive gifts.  It seems so wasteful to wrap things in paper only to throw it away moments later, why not give two gifts in one?

Advertisement