beautiful individual wooden box

an inspiring treasure chest for minimalists

wooden box with découpage decoration

What I'm proposing to you today is an upcycling project. A few years ago at Christmas, I received a gift in this wine box from Italy. After a while, the contents were consumed and the wines drunk, but this pretty box remained. It collected dust in the cellar for a while and I felt sorry for it, so one day I thought that I could make something out of it. Why not turn it into a chest for all the things that would otherwise be moving around the apartment? Wooden boxes like this have always evoked the association of a treasure chest in me. I am captivated by that little moment of dreaming, wonder and hope that arises when opening a locked chest. It's the same for me as an adult, and even more so for children, of course. Apart from that, if you know me a bit, you know that I like to have everything in order, everything in its place, without sacrificing aesthetics, so a beautiful treasure chest for small items is just what I need.

First, I sanded down the box with some sandpaper and cleaned it. I still had some pretty newspaper clippings that I had used for another project (the glass bottle in this post) and I liked the idea of having something that matched.

So I simply glued the newspaper clipping to the wine crate with découpage glue. After another layer of glue over the newspaper surface, I sprayed the entire crate on all sides with clear varnish, which makes the colors shine a little more and, above all, makes the crate water-repellent and stain-resistant. You can either choose a single cut-out like I did or compose a collage from several pictures, snippets, lettering or photos. You can cut them out or tear them like I did to make the edges look fringed. I also like the visual effect if the cut-outs are not completely flat but have a few folds, which makes them look more random. Other options are to paint the box with acrylic paints beforehand or to paint or glaze it in a single color.

To summarize what you need:

• a wooden wine crate

• newspaper cuttings

• Découpage glue

• clear varnish

My son's toys used to be in the wooden box, but now some of my sewing utensils are stored in it. What little things can you use a wooden box for? I look forward to reading from you and seeing what you have made. A hug and see you soon!