Decoupage A Utility Box

While I stayed in a rented room for four months earlier this year, my art supplies had all been packed up and put in storage. However, I found it impossible to go four months without doing any art and soon purchased new supplies to help pass the time till I could be reunited with my stash. One of the items I purchased, was a huge wooden utility box. I used this to keep my paints and brushes in, but I also used it as a surface to paint smaller canvasses, as well as to use the lid as a palette on which to mix my colours. I knew I would be able to recover the box again when I no longer needed it for these purposes. I figured that I would then use it to keep some of my 12" x 12" craft papers in. In today's blog I show you how to paint and decoupage a utility box so that it is good as new.

This is what my box looked like by the time I was reunited with my art stock.

It had started to pull apart because of the wight of the paints I had kept in it.

The first step in the process, was therefore to use wood glue to put the box together again.

I would be covering the whole of the box with paint or paper, but I did not want dark blotches to show through. For this reason, I opted to give the whole box a coat of gesso.

A single coat of gesso already worked wonders for the appearance of the box.

I then found a collection of papers that appealed to me. I would use these to decoupage the box with.

First, I had to take measurements so that I could cut the paper to the right sizes.

I cut the paper to four different widths, for both the box, as well as the lid. This would make it more interesting for the eye, as it would appear more random and less uniform.

As I had not unpacked my craft or chalk paints yet, I decided to use my acrylic paints to paint the box with. I started by painting the edges of both the box and the lid, black.

While the paint was drying, I continued cutting paper pieces for the decoupaging that would follow.

The layout of the papers that would cover the top of the lid, proved to be quite tricky. I used the guiding lines on my cutting mat to help me plan the layout.

I finally had a layout that appealed to me.

This layout was then transported to the lid of the box.

I carefully removed the paper pieces one at a time, making sure to mark their spots as I removed them.

I then applied Acrylic Gel Medium, by Dala, to the bottoms of the cut pieces of paper, before laying them in place on the lid.

The pieces was sealed with yet another layer of Acrylic Gel Medium after being stuck down.

The flower motifs were in place.

Finally all of the pieces were in place.

I then painted the inside of the box a shade of purple.

I also painted the bottom of the box the same shade of purple.

I then collected the first pieces of paper to be decoupaged onto one of the sides of the box.

I tested the layout to see if I was satisfied with it.

Then I decoupaged the pieces one at a time onto the box.

With all the pieces in place, I put the box aside to dry.

I painted the inside of the lid a different shade of purple to make it a little more interesting.

I then decoupaged the sides of the lid as well.

Finally the box was done and ready to receive the papers I wanted to store in there.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
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