Turn an Old Spice Box into a Pretty Rococo-Style Trinket Box
Here's how to turn an old spice box into an elegant rococo-style trinket box: tint the dimensional decor, decoupage the sides, seal the box with varnish, and glue on the main image and decor.
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Translated
Things you will learn
The dimensional decor is tinted in layers: a pink base coat, then white highlights, followed by silver and natural umber shading.
The box's sides are decoupaged with prepared ornament paper — if you don't have photo paper, plain A4 paper works too.
The inside of the box is painted and highlighted the same way as the dimensional decor, then sealed with several coats of varnish, letting each one dry.
It's best to glue the dimensional decor with a universal glue like Moment, and seal the finished decor with spray varnish rather than a regular brush-on varnish.
What you'll get
An elegant rococo-style trinket box made from an old spice box — with tinted dimensional decor and a floral motif.
Materials and tools
Materials
An old wooden spice box, You can also use a new box or buy a suitable blank at a craft store.
Acrylic paints, primer, and varnish, Pink and white, plus silver and natural umber shades for tinting.
Dimensional decor pieces, Decorative appliqué elements for finishing the box.
A suitable image on photo paper, The main design for decoupage; plain A4 paper works if you don't have photo paper.
Moment glue (a universal adhesive), For gluing on the dimensional decor — more reliable than craft PVA glue.
Spray varnish, For the final seal on the decor; easier to work with than brush-on varnish on dimensional pieces.
Prep the box
Sand and prime the box
Sand down the surface of the box, then prime it. If you're using a white primer, there's no need to prime the box's surface again separately. While the box dries, start finishing the dimensional decor.
Paint the dimensional decor
Apply a pink base coat and white highlights
Paint the chosen decor pieces with pink paint, working carefully into the recessed areas. Once the pink paint has dried, paint over the decor's surface with white paint so that pink only shows through in the recesses of the pieces, once the raised areas are highlighted.
Add silver and umber shading
Repeat the same tinting process with silver and natural umber shades.
Decoupage the sides
Cut and glue the side panels
Cut side panels for our box from the prepared ornament paper and glue them onto the box's surface. If you couldn't find photo paper to print your chosen design on, don't worry! You can print the design on plain A4 paper and use it for decoupage on the wood surface.
Trim and sand the edges
Once the paper has dried, carefully trim off the excess edges and sand lightly to smooth out the line between the wood and the paper.
Finish the interior and seal with varnish
Paint the inside of the box
Paint the inside of the box with pink paint and highlight it with white acrylic paint, the same way you did the dimensional decor.
Seal the box with several coats of varnish
Once the paint has dried, seal the box with several coats of varnish, letting each one dry before the next.
Mark the center for the main design
On the front outer wall of the box, mark the center where the main design will go.
Glue on the main image and the dimensional decor
Trace and glue on the image
For a clean, secure result, trace our design and glue it on carefully. At this point, you don't need to worry about the box's finish or condition, since we've already sealed it with varnish.
Glue on the dimensional decor
Glue the dimensional decor on according to your planned design. For attaching the dimensional decor, I recommend using a universal glue like Moment instead of craft PVA glue — it takes a bit longer to set, but it holds much more securely.
Seal the decor with spray varnish
Seal the decor with spray varnish
Seal our decor with spray varnish. I don't recommend a regular brush-on varnish — it's very hard to work into the details on the dimensional pieces. Our cute little box for a lady's odds and ends is ready!
Finish and variations
Finish
Let the final varnish dry fully
After applying the spray varnish, let the box dry completely before using it or putting it on display.
Variations
A different color palette
You can use any other shade of acrylic paint instead of pink — the layered tinting technique for the dimensional decor stays the same.
Plain paper instead of photo paper
If you don't have suitable photo paper on hand, print your chosen design on plain A4 paper and use it for decoupage instead.
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