Decoupage Treasure Box

Create a one of a kind, personalized treasure box using postage stamps, paper ephemera and everyday craft tools to transform an old cigar box into a personal keepsake. Let ReCraft Creative Reuse Center guide you in up cycling forgotten objects into treasures.

• Wooden Cigar Box
• Paper Ephemera: Old Postage Stamps, pages of Old Magazines or Books to cut out, Personal Memorablia such as ticket and postcards, of Craft or Scrapbooking paper scraps
• Thick White Craft Glue or Decoupage Medium such as Mod-Podge , a Foam Brush for glue application and an old plastic jar lid as a dispenser
• White Craft Acrylic paint and a Flat Craft Brush
• Everyday Craft Tools such as scissors, a black marker and a ruler
• A few sheets of regular white Printer Paper or the blank backsides of used printer paper
• Your Imagination!

Optional Materials :

Wax Paper or Freezer Paper to protect work surface and allow a safe drying space for the project

(ReCraft Creative Reuse Center provides a Decoupage Treasure Box Kit comprising of all the above materials. Clean, safe, usable craft supplies are collected and redistributed locally. For more information, visit www.recraftgvl.org, or email info@recraftgvl.org.)

Before We Begin:

Disclaimer:

These instructions are for a beginner level crafter or hobbyist. They aim to be simplistic, safe and kid friendly and stress on reuse of materials that can be up cycled. The end product is not weather proof and archival.

Safety Precautions:

Working in a well ventilated space is advisable. Budding kid creators should be supervised by an adult when using scissors and working with decoupage medium.

• Prepare the cigar box for decoupage by dusting it inside and out with a clean, damp cloth and letting it dry completely.
• Optionally, add a single coat of white craft acrylic paint to all or some surfaces of the box. This will help in concealing pre existing print, stickers or blemishes and marks on the box.
• Choosing to leave some or all surfaces as they are can add to the character of the treasure box. Perhaps the box has untarnished surfaces or surfaces of desired colour. Perhaps leaving it as it is would add a vintage, distressed or aged look.

• Lay out on the work surface all the available stamps, book or magazine pages of interest and any personal ephemera you would like to work with. This will provide a visual representation of all available colours and textures that can be used.
• Select larger sized papers such as book or magazine pages, maps or even a handwritten piece of paper as a background for the top face of the box. Optionally, you can also choose other large pieces of paper to line the inside of the box and the inner side of the lid.
• Cut the selected papers into correct sizes to match the surfaces they would be pasted on.
• Work with one piece of paper at a time. Spread thick school glue or decoupage medium with the help of a foam brush and cover the wrong sides of the selected background paper. An old plastic lid can be used as a glue dish to dip the foam brush into.
• Carefully lay the background paper, glued face down, onto the surface it has been cut for. Exert gentle pressure with fingers and move from the centre of the paper outward towards the edges. This will help prevent creases in the paper. Remember, the glue or decoupage medium is forgiving enough to allow moving the paper while the glue is still wet. In case an adjustment is required, gently peel away the glued paper and reposition. Attempting to do this after the glue has turned tacky will result in the paper tearing or leaving a partial layer behind.
• Once the background paper has been correctly positioned, cover it with another layer of glue. The glue appears denser and slightly opaque when applied but will dry clearly and provide an isolation layer.
• Be careful to avoid spreading glue on those parts of the sides of the lid and the body of the box that come in contact with another surface of the box while being opened or closed.

Stamps and other personal ephemera can be arranged in different ways on the prepared surfaces of the cigar box. One way of imaginatively using stamps can be sorting them by colour. Alternatively, stamps can be selected at random and affixed directly on the background and ephemera can be arranged alongside these. There are no rigid rules for creating a collage that is personally appealing.

The following steps illustrate how colour sorted stamps can be arranged on the backgrounds to create geometric designs.

• Sort available stamps into different colour groups.
• Glue each colour group together on regular white printer paper or blank backsides of used printed papers or junk mail.
• Roll a layer of glue on top of affixed stamps and allow sufficient time for the arrangement to dry.
• Next, using simple everyday objects such as plastic lids, a school ruler and a black marker, draw basic geometric shapes on top of every separate group of stamps.
• Cut out individual shapes from each coloured stamp group. Each shape now serves as a building block of a beautiful formation that can be laid out, tried for size and then pasted on to the background papers.

The geometric shapes created from colour-sorted stamps can be arranged on the cigar box faces in various combinations. Before committing to any particular design, arrange the cut outs on the box and view from a distance for a different perspective. Some shapes could also be used to decorate the inside, sides and edges the box. Any leftover stamps, coloured paper from books and magazines and other personal ephemera can be combined to create interesting designs.

• Once you find a design or combination you really like, glue the elements on the box surfaces.
• If required, quickly reposition the elements to your satisfaction.
• Cover the top surface of the glued shapes with glue so as to seal the deign and provide an isolation layer.
• Check to make sure that there is no glue on surfaces that touch each other when the box is closed. (See earlier step for details)
• Allow twenty four hours for complete drying. In case the inside of the box has been worked on, keep the box open to ensure complete drying of all surfaces.

Your treasure box is now complete!

You now have a beautiful and personalised treasure box (made entirely from reusable materials) to house your own treasures or gift a loved one!