Since ancient times, man has sought to decorate the space around him, remodeling it in accordance with his needs and artistic taste. Today this quality is embodied in the decoration of various household items, in particular, boxes. An ordinary thing becomes unique, original, and acquires individual appeal. It is pleasing to the eye and can be a good gift for a person who will appreciate its beauty and the efforts of the master who created it.

Variety of techniques

As a rule, the main material for boxes is wood. In order to obtain a high-quality finished product, it is necessary to pay great attention to the initial stage of work and properly prepare the material for further decoration. First you need to thoroughly sand the surface and cover it with acrylic primer, or “Gesso” primer for cardboard wood. After priming, it is recommended to sand the workpiece again. You can repeat this process several times to achieve a perfectly smooth surface. After this, you can proceed directly to decorating - the choice of method depends only on your desire and direction of creative thought.

An interesting technique is decoupage, with which any box will turn into a work of art. This method has been known to mankind since the Middle Ages and was very popular in Europe in past centuries. Today, craftsmen are also enthusiastically engaged in decoupage, the meaning of which is to decorate by transferring special pictures to the product.

If you are interested in creating relief surfaces, then you should pay attention to materials such as acrylic relief paste, modeling gels or crystal paste. With their help you can create various textures and unusual effects. In addition, all these materials are well suited for small decorative elements, for example: pebbles, shells, coins, beads, etc.

You can decorate the box using various paintings, from traditional folk paintings (Khokhloma, Mezenskaya, Gorodets, etc.) to point-to-point painting. In the first case, it is good to use waterproof acrylic-based tempera paints, and in the second, acrylic contours. As a pattern, you can use both existing ethnic ornaments and any designs stylized to suit the desired technique.

Scrapbooking: attention to detail

The most popular method of decorating boxes is scrapbooking. Using a variety of elements: fabric, paper, ribbons, beads, threads, you can transform the surface of an object. In addition to the original appearance, the box acquires relief, texture and texture. Before you start working, you need to make a sketch drawing on paper so that you know what the finished product will look like.

First, the surface must be prepared: cleaned of dirt, dust and greasy stains. Then, depending on your idea, you can cover it with fabric or paper, which will give a certain color or texture to the box. Guided by artistic taste and personal preferences, you should gradually add decorative elements. Using decoupage glue they can be attached to the surface of the box.

Quilling: original technique

The quilling technique requires perseverance and patience from a person, for which as a result he will be rewarded with the beautiful appearance of the box. For it you will need strips of paper 5-6 mm wide. They can be colored or white, made yourself or purchased ready-made. A special quilling needle will help you curl paper strips neatly and accurately. You should also take care of the glue, preferably transparent, so that after drying it is not visible, it should grab the paper fairly quickly. The essence of quilling is to create a relief from paper strips, the design of which depends only on the artist’s imagination. To decorate the surface of the box, you should cover it with paper so that the glue has good adhesion and securely fastens the strip.

Today, decoupage boxes are very popular among connoisseurs of beauty. And this is not surprising. With the help of such art, you can express your creative abilities, and as a result, acquire a valuable and exclusive item. What is decoupage? This is a unique technique that allows you to apply a design to a variety of surfaces.. Not only a box, but also a book and other objects can be used as a working material. Today we'll look at how to transform an old jewelry box.

Necessary tools and materials (MK)

To apply an image to a product, you must have the following materials:

• special napkins for decoupage;
• sandpaper;
• decoupage glue;
• wax candle;
• tape and various elements for decoration;
• screwdriver.

The exact list of tools and materials depends on what technique will be used to apply the design. It is worth considering that before decorating it is necessary to prepare the surface. Below we offer a detailed master class on decorating a box with your own hands in decoupage style.

Decoupage technique

Having all the necessary materials and tools, you can proceed directly to creative activity. It is worth noting that wood is considered the best option for decoupage.. If desired, a book or plastic product can be used.

Stages of decoupage of a wooden box:

1. First you need to prepare the surface of the box. If we are talking about a thing made of wood, then the base should be carefully treated with sandpaper. High-quality surface preparation will be the key to successful decoration of the box. This is especially true for older products.

2. If there are metal decorative elements on the item, it is better to remove them for a while. This issue can be resolved using a screwdriver or other available tools. Once the surface is prepared, you can begin tinting it. Here we are talking about painting it completely with acrylic paints.

3. At this stage, the selected pattern is transferred to the surface. Ready-made drawings can be purchased in special stores. The part with the image on it is carefully separated from the napkin.

4. Elements of the design are carefully applied to the prepared surface. Selected areas on the product are treated with decoupage glue. After this, you will need to wait until the glue is completely dry.

5. At this stage, the item is varnished several times. When the surface is completely dry, you can begin direct decoration. To begin with, the previous decorative elements are fixed in place. At the same time, they take into account the style in which the product itself will be designed. In some cases, a rational solution would be to change or completely remove certain decorative elements.

You need to consider the style in which the product itself will be designed. Decoupage of a wooden box involves decorating it, including changing all decorative elements and fittings.

On video: Decoupage boxes with antique scuffs

Decoupage in different styles

Decoupage for beginners is a creative activity. Even using the instructions does not deprive the product of its originality. After this technique, the box or book will become original of its kind. Before you begin converting a product, it is worth considering all available options.

Design can be done in different styles:

• vintage;
• Provence;
• shabby chic.

The most common option is decoupage style vintage . With the help of certain tricks, the box can be somewhat aged. To achieve maximum effect, experts recommend using the craquelure technique.. The aging effect is created using paint, which is applied directly to the prepared surface. To begin with, dark paints are used, and lighter colors are applied on top of them.

Decoupage boxes in vintage style

Stages of decoupage in vintage style:

1. The first layer can be applied with brown paint, then wait for the surface to dry.

2. A second layer of paint is applied, only in a lighter shade. The best option is white, light gray and beige.

3. When the paint has dried, lightly sand the areas with sandpaper. Processing is carried out until the bottom layer of paint comes out.

3. At the final stage, the product is decorated. The best option here would be retro pictures, roses and other patterns. The craquelure technique is also often used for decoration. This box made using decoupage technique will become an original decoration for any room interior.

No less popular is decoupage in the style Provence. The work is performed in the same sequence. Of course, there are some peculiarities here. Flower designs or rustic motifs are used for decoration. It is rational to use paint in bed shades. The aging effect is also appropriate here. Using the craquelure technique, you can create the appearance of cracking of the design..

Decoupage boxes in Provence style

Provence style is ideal for transforming a round box.

Casket in style shabby chic decorated almost the same as in previous techniques. Characteristic features are bed colors, old pictures, images of flowers, twigs and other “delicate” details. Shabby chic is used to decorate various items, regardless of their shape and size. This is especially true for products made in the form of a book.

Decoupage using the shabby chic technique and using printouts (2 videos)

Interesting ideas for decoupage boxes (41 photos)

Many women keep old things for years that they don’t even dare throw away, and they are no longer suitable for everyday use. For example, painted wooden boxes. But any old thing can easily be given a second life! If your jewelry and costume jewelry are stored in many different boxes, then your grandmother's box can become the center of unity of the things dear to your heart. Of course, after a thorough redesign of its external and internal content. A little patience and time, minimum costs and maximum pleasure will be provided!

Materials for work:
1. Wooden box – 1 piece;
2. Beads - in quantity around the perimeter of the bottom and lid of the inside of the box;
3. Velvet paper – 2 sheets;
4. Craquelure varnish – 1 jar;
5. Color paper printout – to cover the sides and top of the box;
6. PVA glue – 1 pencil;
7. Solvent, sandpaper, brush, scissors, paints, skewer for applying dot painting, knife for cutting paper, eye shadow in the color of the printout, plasticine spatula, “liquid nails” glue.

Stages of work:
The first stage: we remove the former beauty from the surface.
To make it easier to remove the painted design, it is necessary to remove the top varnish fixing layer with a solvent. We moisten a cotton swab with any solvent and thoroughly wipe the entire box with it.

After the solvent has dried, we remove the remnants of its former luxury with sandpaper. Clean until the surface is smooth.

Second stage: preparing the base.
When using dark tones for the base, they can be applied pure. If the base is light, then using pure white will lead to a dirty tint after applying the varnish. Therefore, we dissolve white in a drop of ocher color.

Apply a couple of layers of gouache paints to the entire surface of the box.

Let each layer dry thoroughly.

Third stage: imitate.
In the absence of suitable beautiful decoupage napkins, you can use color printouts of your favorite designs. In the presented version, colored borders are used for the background of the side parts of the box, and a combined frame and design are used for the front side.

We cut off unnecessary points from the printouts.

Combine the frame and the drawing.

Apply a thick layer of PVA glue to the back side.

We press it tightly to the surface of the box, carefully smoothing every millimeter of the pattern.

Close the box tightly and attach the printed borders to the sides.

Using a paper knife, carefully cut through the junction of the lid and the box.

So that the print does not look like a separate existing spot, we tint the areas of the box free from the design with green eye shadow.

Fourth stage: imitate dot painting.
Using a plasticine spatula, apply “golden mesh” to the parts of the box that are not covered with prints. To do this, lightly touch the surface of the “golden” paint and press the spatula against the box, drawing curved lines first in one direction, then in the other. The mesh turns out crooked in places, but decoupage varnish will disguise this defect.

Using a skewer for applying dot painting, we apply dots to the joints of oblique gold lines. If you don’t have a special skewer, you can use the back of a thin brush or a sushi stick.

Fifth stage: multiple varnishing.
We cover the entire surface of the box with acrylic clear varnish in several layers. At this stage of work, you will have to patiently apply varnish to each side of the box separately to avoid the formation of smudges. Dry each layer of varnish thoroughly. There must be at least 2 layers.

After the last layer of acrylic varnish has dried, apply a thick layer of craquelure varnish (for beginners: craquelure varnish is sold in art stores, to form rough and large cracks it is better to use a craquelure pair, apply in one direction, moving the brush over the area of ​​application only once). Let's dry it.

To highlight cracks more clearly, they can be carefully rubbed by dipping your finger in paint (ocher) and gently running it along the surface in both directions.

After the paint has dried in the cracks, soak a cotton pad with water and remove excess paint.

We varnish the entire box with acrylic varnish.

Sixth stage: paint the inner side parts.
We apply gouache paints to the sides of the inner surface of the box.

We paint the outer sides, imitating a dotted pattern. At the same time, we “mask” the convex part of the fastener with “golden” strokes.

We shade the inner sides with “gold”, applying arbitrary brush strokes.

Seventh stage: give the surfaces a velvety feel.
From velvet paper we cut out parts according to the size of the bottom and lid of the inner parts of the box. From the remnants of printed borders, we select several motifs and cut them out.

On the part of the velvet paper that we will attach to the lid, we apply cut out border motifs, forming their location.

We turn the motifs over and trace them along the contour.

Currently, decoupage boxes are gaining more and more fans, which is not surprising. After all decoupage allows you not only to express your creative abilities with your own hands, but also to get an interesting thing. Even corresponding books appeared on sale. What is decoupage? This is a special technique with which you can transfer any picture to a surface. In this article we will look at the decoupage technique for a box.

Necessary tools for decoupage boxes

The box decoupage technique involves the use of the following items:

• preparing a box (you can use a blank purchased at a specialized store);
• napkins for decoupage technique;
• sandpaper;
• PVA glue;
• decoupage glue;
• acrylic paints;
• sponge;
• tassels;
• screwdriver;
• adhesive tape or tape;
• various decorative elements;
• acrylic primer.

Box decoupage technique

So, having collected the necessary tools, we proceed directly to creativity. Perhaps the most ideal material for decoupage is wood. At the same time, using this technique, you can process both the tea box and the plastic surface with your own hands. Whatever material you choose, in any case, the box must be prepared first. To do this, we treat the surface of the box with sandpaper.

The workpiece can then be primed using acrylic primer.

It is better to remove metal elements using a screwdriver. The next stage is toning the workpiece. To do this, paint the box with acrylic paint.

The next step is to directly transfer the design to the surface of the workpiece. Such pictures for transfer can be purchased at a specialized store. To do this, we separate with our own hands the top layer of the decoupage napkin on which the design is applied. We tear out the elements of the drawing with our hands. Having placed the napkin on the desired field of the box, apply glue for decoupage.

Leave until completely dry. Apply varnish on top in several layers. The next stage is decorating the box with your own hands.

First, we return all the elements removed at the first stage of work. Decorating the box depends solely on the style chosen for decoupage. In addition, the product can be refined using the craquelure technique.

To better understand the sequence of actions, watch the video at the end of the article.

Ideas for decoupage boxes

Decoupage of a box is a creative activity, so even if you follow clear instructions, you will end up with an original thing. Let's look at the basic ideas that are used when decoupaging boxes. Among the most popular:

1. vintage;

Every woman and girl has a personal box in which she stores jewelry, cosmetics or other things. You can buy a box in a store or create a unique item with your own hands. It's not that difficult to do. The main thing is to choose the most suitable decoration method.

Handmade box made in classic style

Shabby chic style is gaining more and more popularity every year

You can decorate the boxes with anything. Buttons, paper flowers, beautiful napkins, lace fabric, clay, beads, seed beads, colored glass, coins and so on are useful for decoration. The uniqueness of the decoration is limited only by the imagination of the master. Of course, the set of tools and materials will largely depend on the decoration technique.

In most cases, boxes are made of wood. To get a well-executed creation, special attention will need to be paid to the initial stage of preparation:

Light nature motifs on a box in Provence style

Stylish box made from improvised materials

The most popular technique is decoupage, known to craftsmen for several centuries. Napkins, beautiful pictures, and pieces of fabric will be useful for decoration. Both a professional and a novice craftsman can decorate a box using the decoupage technique.

You can create a relief cover for the box with your own hands. In this case, the following will come in handy: relief paste or modeling gels, stones, shells, beads and other three-dimensional elements.

If you have at least minimal artistic skills, then the box can be painted. There are many styles: Khokhloma, Gzhel, Gorodets painting. You can depict your own unique composition.

Mohair fabric inside the box

Chic vintage box created using decoupage technique

This box will perfectly complement the interior

Decoupage

For work you will need the following materials:

• napkins, magazine clippings or scraps of fabric;
• PVA glue;
• acrylic paint;
• brushes;
• scissors;
• sandpaper.

At the first stage, the box is prepared for decoration. The surface must be perfectly smooth, as subsequently all defects may become more noticeable. When the product is prepared and dried, you can start decorating:

1. Cut out and try on elements of the composition from napkins or fabric.
2. Place the cutout on the surface and carefully apply glue, smoothing the paper from the center to the edges. If fabric is used in the decoupage technique, then glue will not work; it is better to take a stapler and attach the fabric to the inner coverings of the box.
3. Dry the product.
4. Apply varnish (if using fabric, this step is not necessary).

Using the decoupage technique, the box can be decorated both outside and inside.

Advice! For decoupage you can use various photographs. But first it is better to remove the bottom layer so that the paper is thinner.

Stylish vintage never goes out of style

A box with mohair fabric will be both practical and an excellent interior decor

Vinyl wallpapers

You can use leftover vinyl wallpaper to decorate the boxes. Thanks to simple steps you can make a unique item with a metal coating. For this you will need:

• wallpaper;
• PVA glue;
• towel (preferably disposable paper ones);
• acrylic paints of several colors (black, bronze, scarlet, silver, green, gold);

You can decorate the entire box or certain elements. To complete the work, take the following steps:

1. Cut out pieces from the wallpaper, taking into account allowances for the edges.
2. To cover the surface with an even layer of glue, apply it to the back of the paper. The glue can be diluted slightly with water. The base should be very well saturated with the resulting solution.
3. The paper needs to lie down for a while, and then it is pressed tightly against the box with a sponge.

Important! It is imperative to ensure that no bubbles appear.

This handmade box will be an extraordinary gift for family and friends

Classic box in vintage style

Vintage box made using craquelure technique

After the described steps, the product should dry and then really give the box the appearance of metal.

Attention! The paint is applied using damp towels; it should lie unevenly.

1. Initially, black acrylic paint is applied as a base. You can use a dark color in a spray can.
2. Using towels, the box is covered in red and dried.
3. The next layer is silver, and then bronze.
4. After this (in small quantities!) black and red colors are repeated
5. Now carefully, using a damp towel, cover the entire box with green color.
6. The last layer is gold.

After the box has dried, it is coated with varnish.

Exquisite box decorated using decoupage and craquelure techniques

Box in Provence style, made in different colors

painting

To paint a product you do not need to have the talent of an artist. In addition, stencils can be used to decorate the box. You can choose absolutely any image, it all depends on your imagination and preferences. To work you will need:

• casket or box;
• primer;
• acrylic paints;
• brushes;
• stencil (you can make it yourself or buy it at a specialty store);
• masking tape;
• sandpaper.

Advice! It is better to pre-treat the box with sandpaper and varnish it.

One of the features of the shabby chic style is floral motifs.

Standard mustard-colored box with ribbons - simple and beautiful

Stylish scale made using decoupage technique

The work includes several stages:

1. Primer coating.
2. Sanding.
3. Tape the bottom corners with tape.
4. Coating the product with light acrylic paint.

Important! Acrylic is applied evenly.

1. After drying, the surface is treated with sandpaper and a layer of paint is applied a tone darker. This layer should be liquid so that you can then blot it with a sponge, giving the surface texture.
2. Secure the base with varnish.
3. Use masking tape to cover the parts of the box that will not be decorated.
4. The selected stencil is fixed.
5. The drawing is carefully painted over. The paint should be thick and water should be used in minimal quantities.

It is possible that after drying the drawing will have to be repainted, since the color will most likely be pale the first time. If the stencil is a small element of the composition, then the action will have to be repeated several times. After the painting has dried, the box is coated with varnish.

This master class allows you to create a product whose surface looks like fabric. This is achieved due to the fact that between the main layers the box is varnished, and the paint does not saturate the wood.

The box decorated with beads and leaves looks very beautiful

This type of decor for the box will be an excellent addition to the interior or an original gift.

Volumetric decor

The next master class is dedicated to creating three-dimensional decor with your own hands. Here again the decoupage technique will be used. To work you will need:

• casket;
• printout of the drawing in two copies (on glossy and matte photo paper);
• acrylic paints (it is better to choose glossy ones);
• putty;
• palette knife;
• sandpaper;
• acrylic paints of different colors;
• brushes of different numbers (No. 1 is a must!);
• felt with adhesive backing;
• lace, ribbons;
• thick glue;
• scissors;
• primer;
• masking tape;
• transparent, quick-drying and reliable glue (you can use “Moment”).

The surface is pre-prepared using sandpaper. At this stage, it is worth considering that the paint will give a certain thickness to the walls and the lid may not close tightly. Therefore, it is necessary to sand the wood especially carefully at the joints. After this, the surface is primed.

Shabby chic style combines a large number of details

Decorating a box with beads will make it brighter and more presentable.

Box in Provence style, made in blue

Registration is carried out in several stages:

Advice! If folds cannot be avoided, then you can move them to different leaves or flower petals, and then “hide” them behind the drawing.

1. The dried surface is secured with varnish.
2. To create volume, putty or structural paste is applied to certain elements of the design. The layer should not exceed three millimeters. Leave an indent from the edge.
3. Convexities are treated with sandpaper.
4. From the second drawing, images are cut out along the contour, which should be three-dimensional and glued to the lid.
5. After drying, the contours are drawn with acrylic paints.
6. The remaining parts of the product are decorated and varnished.

Thanks to the master class, you can easily make an original box with a three-dimensional pattern with your own hands.

Video: DIY box decor