Valentine's Day Favor Boxes Tutorial

January 16, 2010

I made a collection of favor boxes made from recycled packaging, which will soon contain small candy bags, for Jayn's dance class friends. I had so much fun, that I thought a tutorial was in order.

The boxes are either single serve cereal boxes or other oblong food packages cut in half to be small and cute.

1. Tape any box bottoms that are insecure with masking tape. Paint the boxes with two or so coats of white craft paint. I like to make the paint a bit thick, allowing dimensional brushstrokes to stay visible.

2. Decoupage the boxes with a selection of tissue papers. I used some leftover polka dotted wrapping papers, commercial decoupage tissues, and some of my own tie dyed paper towel sheets in pastel and gelato colors - for a range of boxes.

3. I stamped gold hearts at random, then aged the boxes with a wash made from brown acrylic and stain medium. Once the age wash was dry, I went back over with translucent pink glitter paint from, of all places, Ikea. The color is very light, but the glitter is sparkly.

4. I cut out heart shapes from corrugated cardboard, covered them with several sheets of spare white tissue and a final layer of red decoupage paper. I aged the hearts by dry brushing gold craft paint.

5. Using an attractive retro font I printed a sheet of Valentine's Day phrases on to parchment - although I could have used plain paper because I also aged the words after affixing them with matte medium. I outlined the words with glitter glue. Dimensional paint would work too.

Here's my scattered work surface!

6. I hot glued and stapled ribbon handles and trim around the top edge, then hot glued the hearts to the other side. It would be possible to glue something like a lace trim to inner rim also. It is worthwhile turning the stapler to put the flat side of the staple inside, or cover the staples with some masking tape.

7. Finally I finished the boxes with some buttons or ribbon flowers glued as desired. This would be a good time to use other kinds of ephemera - I was thinking that some old keys ("key to my heart") would be charming too.

8. Tissue paper in a coordinating event appropriate color finishes the boxes very nicely. I think small cellophane bags of pink candies or wrapped chocolates will be appreciated - and the boxes can be reused or regifted.