Altered Boot Box

While cleaning out my closet (or more accurately, while reinstalling my closet rods after they fell under the weight of my clothing hoard) I found a pair of boots I purchased years ago, still unworn and in their box.  The boots themselves didn't excite me; if they did, they would probably have been worn by now.  But the box?  That's a different story.

The box was fairly sturdy and looked like a matchbox on steroids.  At first I couldn't think of a specific use for it, but I just thought it was too darned cool to throw away.  Stuck at home and bored to tears, I decided to turn the box into something pretty and useful.  Or at least useful.

The box was slightly larger than 12x12 so I wanted to find paper that would coordinate with the blue border on the box, thereby allowing me to use less paper and expend less energy.  I was able to use just three pieces of 12x12 paper--one covered most of the top, another was cut into three 4x12 pieces to cover the sides and back, and the third was used to cover the front and to fill in a few gaps.

I used Mod Podge to glue the paper to the box.  To make it look a little fancier (I didn't say fancy, just fancier) I brushed a small amount of gold Martha Stewart Craft Paint along the edges.  After allowing the paint and glue to dry throughly, I brushed Mod Podge over everything to seal it.  As a final touch I attached a metal label holder to the drawer front using my Crop-A-Dile. 

Because it is large enough to hold a 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper, I decided it would be perfect to store my unfinished paper projects.  I can also set my current project on top of the box if I need to temporarily free up table space, and because it opens like a drawer I can still access the contents inside if necessary. 

I got to play and ended up with something useful.  And I reduced my paper stash by three sheets.  It was a very good day.