DIY Custom Jewelry Box With Acrylic Paint

This craft is great for anyone that wishes to create a custom jewelry box with personal touches and decorations. It is also a wonderful gift idea for birthdays and holidays.

You will need

- Plain wood box with hinges

- Small screwdriver

- Sandpaper

- Acrylic paint

- Paint brushes in various sizes

- Felt squares

- Mirror (optional)

- Stencils (optional)

Start by setting up a work space. Lay some newspaper pages or large paper grocery bags down to protect the surface you will be working on. Use the small screwdriver to take out the screws that hold the hinges onto the wood box. I use the small screwdriver that comes with my eyeglass repair kit because it is a perfect size for the tiny screws.

Next, sand down all the surfaces of the wood box (inside and out) until it is reasonably smooth with sandpaper. Dust away as much of the wood dust as possible before continuing.

Decorate the wood box with acrylic paint as desired. I suggest starting with a few layers of a simple base coat and adding decoration on the last layer or two. When you are done, allow the box to dry completely. This will usually take a couple of hours.

Stencils may be used to add shapes, symbols or words to the jewelry box. You can either buy stencils or make them yourself. To make a stencil, print out the shape, symbol or letter that is needed in the correct size on thick paper. Then use a stencil cutter to carefully carve out the stencil.

It is up to you whether you wish to paint the inside of the box or not. You can leave it as bare wood, paint it or even line it with fabric. Craft stores sell double-sided fabric adhesive that can be used to stick the fabric in place inside of the box.

If you wish, use adhesive wood glue to attach a mirror to the inside of the jewelry box. Craft stores sell mirrors in various shapes and sizes and you are sure to find one that fits into the jewelry box nicely.

When you are done, fasten the hinges back into place on the box using the small screwdriver.

As a final touch, you may want to put felt squares on the bottom of the box to protect any surfaces from scratching that it may come in contact with.