Valentine's box tutorial

I don't know if you can really even call this post a "tutorial" since it was SO easy. Maybe more like a "step by step" guide? Or is that the same thing? Either way, I just fnished making Benton's valentine box for school and, I must say, I'm pretty sure he's going to have the CUTEST one there.  I was just going to buy one at Target but, have you seen those things? I was not about to pay $7 bucks for a tacky cardboard box plastered with pictures of Spongebob Squarepants, I'm just not. So, I made my own. I didn't make this one too Valentines-y so that after his party I can use it for something else, like cut a hole in the top for a piggy bank or just fill it with keepsakes. I haven't yet, but I'm going to use some of the extra red paint to put a handprint on the bottom and write "Valentines 2011" so that I'll remember what year I made it. Here's how I did it:

What you need:

Cardboard mailbox (available at your local Hobby Lobby for only $2.99)

Acrylic paint (I used silver and dark red)

Paintbrushes (at least 3 small cheapo ones)

Scrapbooking stickers (or any stickers I suppose, but the scrapbooking section has a huge selecton of really cute ones in just about any theme)

Small bottle Mod Podge (Get the one that dries glossy, not matte)

Paint the mailbox and flag with a few coats of acrylic paint, allowing 15 or so minutes to dry between each coat. I put a piece of paper between the flag and mailbox while painting the flag so I wouldn't get any red on the silver.

Next add your stickers. I used more 3-demensional stickers for the letters of Benton's name and the other stickers were in all in a single pack of sticker borders. (Of course, they had to be trains)

Finally, coat with a layer of Mod Podge. I put a little beneath some of the stickers that seemed like they wanted to come up, and made it extra thick around the letters as well...this gives it a nice shiny overcoat as well as cements everything in place. Put a layer on the flag too so that it has the same glossy appearance.

The finished product:

Side and back view

Front and other side view

Lastly, fill with customized Valentines cards and send to school! (Sorry they are a little blurry. I am no photographer and couldn't figure out how to get the front and inside in the same picture without something being blurry)