~ elegant tissue box cover tutorial ~

..."aahhh-choo"...

*bless you*

as you reach for a tissue

in a pretty cardboard box...

NOT!

seriously

~ i ask you ~

WHY

has no one 

started printing pretty cardboard tissue boxes?!

perhaps a neutral french script or a fluer-de-lis design would be nice

( i bet a pair of fairy wings

that THOSE tissue box sales would increase!! )

and i am certain that there are a few out there

that this really won't matter to

but 

if the ugly tissue box quandary has stymied you ~

be stymied no more!!

for here is a tutorial

to make a FULL SIZE tissue box cover

in whatever color/pattern you choose!

cause the holidays are comin'

and details matter!!

shall we begin?!?

  

supply list: 

* a blank wooden tissue box 

 can be found at your craft store

* a can of your favorite color spray paint

mine choice was Krylon's Sterling Silver

* pretty paper napkins

you will need 4 small cocktail napkins for this project

* mod podge matte 

* a small paint/sponge brush

* rhinestone blingage

or other embellishment that you desire

or, none at all!

step one: lightly spray your wooden box.

i have chosen to spray paint my box

 rather than to paint it

because, 

i desired a slightly luminous quality

that would appear from under the paper napkin.

that could only be achieved with the spray paint

and if sprayed lightly, is translucent.

step two: open your paper napkin 

and lay it over your box

 until you are pleased with the design placement.

( don't cut anything yet, you will do that later )

 i have chosen to use a paper napkin

 as opposed to a piece of paper

because it is easier to apply

 and

 it attaches itself in a way that melds with the actual box

 as opposed to laying on top of the box.

and hello!

tissue

as in, a tissue box!!

lol!!

step three: separate the napkin layers,

for you want to see the slight color underneath silly!!

if your napkin was not double ply, simply skip this step!

step four: start on one side,

and brush on a nice, smooth coat of mod podge matte medium

~ smooth coat ~

then lay your tissue layer

 on the mod podge coated side.

very CAREFULLY smooth the tissue layer

almost patting it lightly with the pads of your fingers

to adhere it to the mod podge.

fold excess underneath the box for now.

now, simply flip the box over and repeat the previous steps.

when you get to the box ends,

and BEFORE you coat with it mod podge,

 lay out the placement of your tissue layer

and trim the sides a little larger than what meets to the edge.

this will allow for a clean edge.

don't trim the tops.

you will find that all the paper napkin points will meet at the top

and should line up and touch when folded over.

mod podge the tissue points at the top of the box first

 folding them towards the center "tissue opening"

fold excess underneath to the inside of the box

and attach with the mod podge.

then mod podge the short sides.

when you get to the bottom of your box,

trim the excess tissue paper to about a 1/2 inch all the way around.

mod podge the bottom lip and about 1/2 inch inside

then gently smooth the tissue over.

step five: when all the sides are covered in the tissue paper,

lightly brush the entire box with a coat of the mod podge.

this will give the paper a protective layer.

step six: add your embellishments, if any.

i used two rows of sticky back rhinestones 

around the top of my tissue box

for a little sparkly bling!

add an actual box of tissues

 and voila!!

you will have yourself one lovely tissue box cover

and the next time you reach for that tissue

you'll be thinking

"aahhh~pretty tissues"

as you sneeze!!

lol!!

sharing this post with:

petite michelle louise's: grey dey thursdey

common ground's: be inspired friday

french country cottage's: feathered nest friday

my romantic home's: show and tell friday

here's to pretty little details!