Dr. Seussian Tiny Boxes

The little boxes in this project have been an idea in my head for a few years now but had never been done before now. I decided to make four tiny little boxes for two reasons... first, so I could try out different ways to finish them and two because I was on vacation at my brothers house so I had to work with what I could find. I figured I could come up with at least one worth publishing here!
As it turned out, I’m quite pleased with them all! I hope you will be too.

Minimum for this project:
Several different colors of plain construction paper
A bottle of regular craft glue
Scissors (or cutting blade)
Wood clamps
A drill with a Forstner bit is ideal but a countersink bit will work too, which is what I used here.
A saw. I used a miter saw AND a hand saw.
A wood rasp
120 grit sandpaper
Clear polyurethane spray

Cut the construction paper into small squares approximately 3 1/2 x 5” each. Stack them so that the colors seem randomly distributed. (I chose this size because I knew I wanted to make small boxes and this allowed for the possibility of trying out different ideas on each box.)

Glue each page on top of the other. Be sure to spread the glue in a thin layer that coats the entire page from edge to edge.

The taller you want your box, the more construction paper you’ll need to use.
Once it’s all glued, place it all between to hard surfaces. I used 6”x6” marble tiles.
Now clamp it all together and let it dry well. Be sure the clamps are distributing the pressure evenly.

Using a miter saw for this step is easiest but a hand saw will do. Cut the edges off so they are sharp and defined.

Using a hand saw or knife, cut off what will become the box top. Once you get it started you will probably be able to pry it apart.

For this project I cut the block in half now then cut it again after drilling the inside.
First cut it in half so you have two blocks approximately 2 1/2” x 3 1/2”

Using a Forster bit or counter sink, mark with tape around the bit exactly how deep you can go without punching thru the bottom. Drill two holes even distance from the edges and each other.

Now you have 4 small boxes with lids
Note: it’s best if you tape the lids to the boxes before you cut them to size.

File and sand the edges of the lids to make it sort of domed shape. This will show off all the colors best!