Directions for Homemade Posterboard Keepsake Boxes

Create keepsake boxes from posterboard.

Keepsake boxes hold mementoes of pleasant memories and childhood milestones. They don't have to be large -- just big enough to hold things like locks of baby hair, a first lost tooth, a baby sock and maybe a few tiny school photos.

You can purchase keepsake boxes, but making them out of poster board ensures the box is perfectly tailored to the recipient. This way, you get to choose the size and design of the box.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Utility knife
• Paper tape
• Acrylic paint
• Felt
• Spray adhesive
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Decide how large you want your box to be. A cube measuring 4 inches on all sides should work well for a handful of small keepsakes. If some of the keepsakes are larger, you may need a box 6 to 8 inches, cubed.

2. Draw six 4-inch squares on your poster board (or use a larger measurement if necessary). Cut out the squares with a utility knife. Push hard and cut slowly to avoid rips in your poster board.

3. Set four of your squares together to form a box. Tape the box together at the corners with paper tape. This tape, available in craft stores, is usually reinforced with a twine grid embedded in the paper.

4. Add a bottom to your box, taping it down on all sides. Add a lid by taping the top of the box down only along one edge. Reinforce all of the corners with more paper tape on the inside.

5. Paint the outside of your box whatever color you like. You may choose traditional pastels, like blue or pink, or go with a brighter color, like lime green, depending on the recipient's tastes. Allow the paint to dry for two hours between coats.

6. Cut six squares of felt and glue them into the inside of the box with spray adhesive. Felt will absorb moisture and keep your keepsakes from getting scratched. It also looks nicer than bare poster board. Let the glue dry overnight.

Tips & Warnings

• Jazz up this basic keepsake box with cord or ribbon around the edges, family photos covered in resin glaze, buttons, scrapbook rub-on stickers and plastic rhinestones.

References

• 101 Baby Shower Ideas: Keepsake Box
• Crafty Noodle: Bible Keepsake Box