Mod Podge Christmas Gift Box---Adorable and Functional!

One thing I absolutely hate about wrapping gifts---you inevitably end up with oddly shaped bits of scrap paper. I tend to keep some of this scrap paper for future art projects. (Ok, so lots!) This weekend, I used some holiday scraps to make a little mod podge Christmas gift box. This craft ended up being an easy way to make use out these odd bits of paper in order to transform a random box into a holiday container. The result was a festive and a cute way to wrap a gift!

You do not need too much for this project. I used: scissors, school glue, a little water, a box, a foam brush, holiday scrap paper, newspaper, and a matte spray.

First, I cut my scrap paper into little squares and rectangles. Then, to make the mod podge, I just mixed a little water with glue with the approximate ratio of 3 parts glue to 1 part water. I placed my box on some newspaper so I would not get any mod podge on my work surface. Next, I chose a side of the box to begin working on. Using the foam brush, I put some mod podge straight on a section of the box. Immediately after, I placed a piece of scrap paper on top and then I coated the piece with some mod podge. (Not too much, just a nice coat.) You may need to smooth out some bubbles in the paper, so watch out! I worked my way across the box, overlapping some of the pieces slightly. Once I finished one side, I would let that dry before starting the next.

After I finished covering the box, I did have to go around again and touch up some spots that did not stick well. I also had to trim a little around the edges. Once I had everything set, I sprayed the box with a little matte spray. The spray really made the project look a little more polished.

The finished product:

 

You can see that I still had a little bubbling. However, I think that it came out nice for my first try! This is an easy way to make use out of scrap wrapping paper and to create something with holiday spirit! This idea can also be applied to any occasion using different scrap paper.

Need more ideas? Check here.