You may have noticed my beautifully embellished Tissue Box in my front entry hall. These days tissue boxes have some pretty nice designs but I like that with my box cover, I can buy any tissue brand (usually the cheap one!) and it is hidden under my decor-matching cover.
So when my Sister hinted how much she REALLY liked my Tissue Box Cover, I knew I just had to make her one for her upcoming birthday.
Of course, I altered the design and colours considerably compared to mine so that she had a ‘unique’ gift.
These are really easy-peasy to do, you will need one of these:
Kaisercraft Tissue Box Sqr Edge Large
(Yes, one could easily make a box like this if they really wanted to, if you had some spare time and wood laying around. I much prefer to hand over the $ and get my project done quickly)
From here on in, it is a matter of taste or preference. All paper, All paint or a mix of paper and paint; embellishments of your choice; glue and sealer (I used Mod Podge, which is both a glue and sealer).
I found these papers in the clearance section of my local tidbit shop and whilst I did purchase them to use in my Project Life Album, I loved the colour combo and chose to also use them on the Tissue Box Cover. To give more of a mix to my papers, I scoured my scraps collection and came up with a stripy number that kind of matches so used that too.
To co-ordinate I purchased this little wooden birdy ( I know the paper had a more crow-like bird but it was nowhere near as cute as this one!)
Kaisercraft Flourish – Bird Twig
Words can be added using any form of letters. In this project, I used raw chipboard large letters which I painted and smaller foam stickers.
My craft paint collection is my no means extensive and I do not buy each and every co-ordinating colour for a project as it would get really expensive, really fast. I choose to play around with mixing and come up with something remotely close to the colour I need. This is only effective 75% of the time, it would be much easier to purchase the co-ordinating colours!
For both the blue and red in this project, I had a lighter shade that I added a small blob of black and mixed to suit.
I painted three sides and the top of the raw Tissue Box. Note – quite often the raw piece is still quite dusty from out of the packet, give it a wipe over first! I also chose to paint around the edges of the front just in case any of the papers didn’t quite cover. This is not necessary if you are confident you have enough paper.
I dry fitted the paper strips and moved them around until I liked how it looked then laid them out on the table in that pattern. Painting a thin layer of Mod Podge directly to the wood, I then one by one added the paper strips to the box.
To ensure a completely smooth finish, scrape across the paper slowly with a straight edge. Here, I used a piece of chipboard I had nearby. I often use a store reward card/eftpos card. This pushes out any air bubbles that may be underneath the paper and will prevent any lifting later.
Adhere your lettering and embellishments in the same way. I then add something heavy (like my paper scraps box and the kids Achievement Folders – anything nearby and handy!) and walk away for a few hours or overnight. This will ensure the paper and embellishments fully set.
Finally, give the whole box a thin, even coat of sealer (I used Mod Podge). Now your box is wipe-able when the dust gets to it (or is that just my house?!)
Isn’t she pretty?
I have since realised, upon visiting a friends house, this is not the first tissue box cover I have gifted either … hmmm perhaps I have a thing about tissues? Well, everyone uses them, right? So even the hardest to buy for person could use one right?
Have you done one before? Please feel free to share the link below so I can check it out! I have a feeling this will not be the last time I do one …
Linking up with #mycreativespace
