Glitter Gift Boxes

The holidays are almost over, and as you may have noticed, I have had quite the hectic month and have not been able to post as often as I would have liked. My apologies, but if you are a crafter like me, I promise I’ll make it up to you.

You see, the true reason I have been MIA all December is because I have finally taken some time to wind down and get back into crafting… also I moved into a new apartment and have had crazy work schedule, but those aren’t as important. I love making crafts because it is so satisfying to make something beautiful for your home, and because they make great gifts. I love the feeling of knowing that someone truly enjoys something I made just with them in mind. That is why every Christmas I opt to make my Christmas gifts instead of buying them. It is a tradition I started back in college when I had more time than money, but now that I am in the opposite situation, I chose to buy everyone something I thought they would like, and also make them something small that would be one of a kind.

I have had a lot of fun making t-shirts for my nephews in recent years and will share those photos and directions in a post in the near future. However, this year I have been on a glitterizing kick ever since I found some blogs about how to breathe new life into old shoes by covering them in glitter. I tried it and it was awesome, so naturally I did what any crafter with a new glitter obsession would do, I glitterized everything I could from picture frames to earrings to candle holders. My “aha” moment came when I decided to incorporate my new technique into this year’s batch Christmas gifts.

Almost every year, I make a box of candies for my three sisters, full of different flavored truffles and chocolates. In the past, I have used tins, wooden boxes, paper-mache boxes and wanted to do something different. I had been toying with the idea of using something that could be reused such as clay flower pots, but when I came up with the idea of glittered boxes, it seemed like the perfect pretty, reusable box.

My materials consisted of plain white paper boxes, three different colors of acrylic paint, multi-colored glitter, Modge Podge decoupage glue, some paintbrushes, and a few single earrings in need of re-purposing.

First, I mixed my decoupage glue and glitter in a plastic Solo cup. I didn’t have exact measurements, I just tried to aim for the consistency of glitter nail polish, without getting to goopy.

I painted the lids with a thin coat of my glitter paint and let them dry completely. I repeated the process until the entire lid was covered with glitter. Once I was satisfied with the overall result, I went back and touched up any sparse spots.

While I was waiting for the lids to dry, I painted the bottoms of the boxes with acrylic paint, using one or two coats on each. I love acrylic paint because it dries so quickly and streak-free, and it usually provides good coverage with just one coat, but if the paint is a bit on the sheer side, I just tint it with some white paint and it does the trick pretty well.

I had these three great earrings which all happened to be in the shapes of flowers. I had lost one from each pair and had been holding on to them, just in case I happened to find them somewhere or I thought of something else to do with them. Their day had come to be free from the bottom of my purse and becoming the finishing touches to my chocolate boxes.
I measured my boxes and found the center point, poked a hole in the mark, and glued the earrings in place, bending the spokes that poked through the bottom of lid.

My sisters loved their boxes, and I had a blast making them, unfortunately I can’t say the same for their contents. My back is still stiff from all the work I put into those candies, which is why I only make them once a year.

Look out for my other crafty posts coming soon! Domino keychains, ombre candle holders, and paint and bleach t-shirts are coming your way.

Wishing you a sparkly New Year!
Cris

P.S. my glittered shoes cracked and peeled after the first time I wore them out, so I don’t suggest this technique for heavy wear items. Does anyone have a better technique to apply glitter to shoes? I was very excited about them and hoped to do it to more shoes in the future.