Week 19 Craft: Decorative Box

This week's craft inspiration if from one of my very first pins.  It's a decorative planter box from Woman's Day magazine.  I always thought this box was so cute, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Fun and functional, right?  We LOVE fun and functional!  Here's my interpretation:

And here's how you do it. 

1.  For box dimensions and construction details click here.   Full disclaimer: my hubby was sweet enough to put this box together for me.  However, he said it was super easy and only took him about half an hour.  

2. Once your box is put together you can fill the nail holes with wood putty and sand smooth.  Or not...I won't judge.

3. Decide what design you want to put on your box.  I liked the idea of stars and stripes, but wanted something a little more muted than the red white and blue, so I went with shades of ecru and bluish grey.  

4. Paint your entire box in the color your want your star to be (I just used leftover paint from our baseboard trim).  I did two coats and let the paint dry thoroughly.

5. Using painters tape mark off the area where your star (or whatever shape you choose) will be.  Do this on both sides.

6. Mark your star shape with a sharpie.  I used a ruler with an exacto knife to make sure I kept my lines straight.  

7. Remove the excess tape.

8. Next you want to measure down three inches and place tape at that mark all the way around the box (including over the star).

9. I was going for a weathered look so I used a dry brush to paint the lighter color above the tape line.  Remove the tape, but make sure you do NOT remove the star tape.

10. Tape again only this time on the other side of the three inch mark all the way around the box and paint on the darker color.  

11. Remove the tape, this time removing the star tape as well.

12. If you are looking for an even more distressed look feel free to take some sandpaper to the box and sand in some additional "distress"; it's also fun to take both sides of a hammer to the wood in random spots.  It really gives your box a timeworn look and helps get out some pent up aggression. 

13. On your box ends mark the spot where your handles should go; I chose the intersection of the stripes.

14. Drill your holes and add your handles.  Place rubber stops on the bottom of the box so it won't scratch your surface.

You are now ready to add whatever you like to your box.  Use it as a utensil caddy, place some herbs in it (in pots and make sure you remove them to water them)...whatever you like.

Imagine the possibilities with this, paint it in baby room colors and fill with onesies for a shower gift, or use Christmas colors and fill it with cider and cookies for a hostess gift.