There are many different ways and materials that you can use to make a trinket box. You can use anything from mason jars and pre-made boxes to tubing and even medicine bottles. However, one of the best ways to get a personalized trinket box is to use Paper Mache. Paper Mache trinket boxes are handmade from an old box (cereal or shoe boxes work well), a large bowl, a spoon, flour, filtered water, paint in your choice colors, old newspapers, and a paintbrush. In the end, you will have a trinket box that will hold whatever you want it hold: fraternity pins, old memories, letters from family members, for organization or just for random things that have no other home.
Here is how to make a trinket box:
1. Mix together the flour and water in equal parts until you get a slightly lumpy, paste like liquid.
2. Take 1” strips of paper and run them through the liquid, covering the entire sheet front and back. Wipe off the extra paste using your finger or a wooden stirrer to prevent mess.
3. Cover the box using a pattern or randomly placing them until there is one layer covering every portion of the box. Allow to dry for at least a few hours.
4. Make a second layer of paper strips, focusing on the sides of the box, which will need to be the strongest. Allow to dry for at least a few hours.
5. Keep repeating step 4 until your box has at least four layers and is strong and secure.
6. Allow your box to dry for at least 24 hours.
7. Using paint, mixed media paper like scrap-booking paper, baubles, glitter, buttons, or pretty much anything you can find or want to use to match your decorations, decorate the outside of the box. Keep the inside fairly simple so that you can use it for storage.
8. Fill the box with whatever cool items you want to fill it with! If you feel your box getting weak, you can go over it from the inside out!
Tips:
-Some people like to use the comics section or an old book so that they won’t have to paint over the box.
-Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to secure the box and make it easier to clean and dust. It will also secure any glitter to the outside of the box.