A Pretty Talent Blog: Decoupage a Tissue Box with Fabric

You have jumped in and made yourself a beautiful new duvet cover, or even a quilt. You made matching curtains, fashionably hung with grommets, and you have painted and made scatter cushions to round everything off. What about that unsightly tissue box? Make a quilted cover? Possible. Sew a cover? Also possible. But how about simply decoupaging it in the leftover fabric from your room make-over? Let me show you how.

The first step is to gather all the materials you might need. If you are anything like me, there will be some more to add later as the idea keeps progressing in your head, but this will be a good start. You need a tissue box cover to start with. You will also need the fabric you wish to cover the box with, as well as some ribbon or beads to decorate it with. Acrylic paint for the inside of the box (some consider this optional since nobody is supposed to ever see inside the tissue box). Acrylic Gel Medium to decoupage with, brushes (large flat and smaller flat) to apply the paint and gel medium with, and a pen and ruler to mark sizes with. That is a good start.

I start by marking my fabric to sizes that will fit the box. I try to work as accurately as possible with the ruler and pen. When I am satisfied that the right sizes are marked off, I carefully cut the pieces with a pair of sharp scissors.

I lay all of the pieces down in a way that will help me remember where each piece fits.

The next step is to paint the inside of the box. I use student grade acrylic paint, but any craft paint works just as well. I used my Pro Art 12 Flat to paint it with. I simply love this brush, which is inexpensive, but of really good quality.

Next, I paint the 'rim'/edges of the box. I prefer black, but your colour choice will depend on your fabric. I again use student grade acrylic paint, but this time I use a smaller flat brush, almost the same width as the edge I am painting.

I set the box aside to dry before I continue. I now start decoupaging the fabric pieces onto the box. I paint the spot where the first piece has to go with Acrylic Gel Medium using a wide flat brush, in the interest of saving time, since the medium dries fast. I then put the piece of fabric in place, before I seal it with the Acrylic Gel Medium, painting it lavishly, making sure that the fabric is soaked through with the medium. The tissue box can be expected to take a lot of handling, especially in flu season, and I don't want the fabric to come loose with use. Loose with use? I am starting to sound like a poet!
I continue to cover the whole tissue box cover in the same way. When I am done, I set it aside to dry thoroughly before I continue. You will note that I did not bother to cut out the opening of the tissue box cover. When working with paper, I usually do, since a stiff paper is much easier to position correctly. Whenever I work with a softer material, such as tissue paper or fabric, I leave this step till later, after the gel medium has dried.

Once the projects is completely dry, I can use a pair of sharp point scissors to cut out the opening in the tissue box. You might find it even easier to do with a very sharp craft knife. Lay the box upside down and simply cut as close to the edge as possible, working on a cutting mat.

It is now time to start decorating the box by adding the finishing touches. I once again gather the materials I would like to use. I have boxes with buttons that I keep handy, a string of pearls that is flat on one side, Washi tape, and the ever wonderful Tombow Glue, which does not come off once it is set and will dry transparent.

I start by adding Washi tape to my project. This tape is wonderfully convenient and easy to work with, allowing you to lift it and simply re-position it if you weren't happy with your first attempt. Once I have the tape in place, I seal it with Acrylic Gel Medium to prevent the 'little fingers' in my life to simply peel it off the box.

Next, I glue the pearls in place. I use one of the features of the Tombow glue that I love. On one end the bottle has a broad tip applicator for gluing down large pieces. On the other end is this fine tip that allows accuracy and minimizes the risk of sticky fingers that will make a mess on your project.

I use the Tombow Glue to to add buttons to my project. I can't take a picture off all five sides of the box, so I'll give you a couple of close-ups to show you the detail.