Keepsake Christmas Ornament Box
by Rachel Paxton

Description: How to make a decoupage box to store keepsake Christmas ornaments in.
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I love handmade Christmas ornaments. Throughout the years I have collected a number of them, made by myself and several family members. These ornaments will make great keepsakes for our children and grandchildren.

I have been looking for a creative way to store these keepsake ornaments. In the past I have stored them with all my other tree ornaments, but I wanted a special place to store them, especially my daughter's ornaments that we have been collecting for her throughout the years. After purchasing about $20 in supplies and spending a couple of hours working on the project, I ended up with a beautiful keepsake ornament box that I hope my daughter will cherish for years to come.

To complete this project, you will need:

- Unfinished wooden box with lid
- Modge Podge (for decoupaging)
- Christmas cards
- Scissors
- Paint brushes
- Craft paint (optional)
- Acrylic sealer/finisher spray

All of the above items can be purchased at a craft store. The craft store I went to had a variety of boxes to choose from. I chose a small box that was $12.99. It was just what I was looking for!

The box I chose has a raised border around the edges that looked like it would be difficult to work around with decoupaging, so I chose to paint it instead. I painted all the borders with several coats of red acrylic paint.

Next I went through a big pile of old Christmas cards to find suitable images to decoupage onto the box. This was the fun part! Not only can you cut out pictures, you can also cut out holiday sentiments from friends and family members. Just in the past couple of years, several members of our extended family have passed away, and projects such as this keepsake ornament box are a great way to remember lost loved ones. Cut the cards into a variety of sizes and shapes.

Using a paintbrush, apply Modge Podge or a similar decoupage medium to the back of your cut out, then place the cut out on the box. Paint a coating of Modge Podge over the cut out. Continue pasting cut outs to the side of the box until it is covered, then go over the entire side again with another coating of Modge Podge. After the box is completely dry, you can apply another coating for good measure.

After the box is complete (and dry), you can spray an acrylic sealer/finisher spray over the entire box to protect the artwork and eliminate the tackiness of the decoupage.

That's it! There is no limit to the possibilities of decorating this beautiful ornament box. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to line the inside of the box with felt to give it a more finished look.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

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