The Scrapbox

I really wanted to like scrapbooking. I've attempted it more than a few times and have come away with a few finished pages, a lot of unused stickers, and pictures with no home. If you can scrapbook, I envy you and the beautiful things you make. Since I just have too many interests and not enough follow-through, an endeavor like scrapbooking just can't rope me in for the long haul. This is why I love the idea of a scrapbox.

Here are some of the supplies I used.

To make a scrapbox, all it takes is a few hours. Mementos from your trip, event, etc go into the box and voila! Okay, so there's a bit more to it, but it takes much less time and endless creativity to make, and the outcome is still beautiful to revisit. Items that wouldn't traditionally fit into a scrapbook can now be stored with the photos and other items that you choose to include. If you choose to write or label the backs of your photos, like I did in mine, both sides are easily accessible, and you can see both sides of any postcard with ease. You could also store your mini travel journal in here, to keep my memories alive. Here's how I make mine.
 
I started with a plain old cigar craft box. Mine is actually left over from a mass of jewelry boxes I made years ago, stored into a box of craft supplies with no purpose (yet), and promptly forgotten about. Oh, and I originally painted it black, which was totally awesome (sarcasm) since I now wanted it to be dove gray for this project (cue five coats of paint). But hey, it was kind of free! If you don't happen to have one on hand, here is an option from JoAnn (I think that is where I originally got mine).

Painting plus a peak at the collage.

I purchased a 2 oz. container of dove gray acrylic paint from JoAnn and used those wedge makeup sponges to apply the paint (the paint was globbed onto a paper plate first). It was the cheapest option, and they actually sell them in craft stores, so it's not weird, right? They worked great, as long as you aren't concerned with a little paint on your fingers. I really did have to use five coats on the outside, and four coats on the inside to cover up the black paint. It will likely take you less if you start with a standard wood colored box.

I started painting on the outside and left about five minutes in between each coat for drying. I used thin coats and the paint was fast-drying, so you may want to vary accordingly. Paint tip: tape off the hinges and other hardware so you don't paint them. It makes the box hard to open and close. I painted mine, but only because I painted them the first time, and they were poorly done and black. It turned out okay, as long as you don't look it it up close. Painting brass with acrylic paint isn't the prettiest thing. You can always get new hardware, or just remove the existing hardware, if you don't like it.

On my five minutes of "downtime" between each coat, I sorted through photos and items that I wanted to put in my scrapbox. This definitely took a lot longer than it should have, because I was leafing through tickets and random food labels from my trip to Europe a few years ago with nostalgia, but it still was time efficient. I also used the downtime to put my chosen photos into clear plastic photo sleeves. This was just my way of organizing, but it is not essential to the project. I found these on clearance at Target.

The collage (after lacquer).

The last thing I did while waiting for the paint to dry was create a collage of collected wrappers on the bottom of the box. I planned to use them in a scrapbooking project, but I had only created two pages of said scrapbook before fondly forgetting all about it. I pulled those pages apart to include their memories in my scrapbox, actually. The collage only took a few minutes, and I affixed them with a glue stick temporarily.

Overall, the entire paint, collage, picture organization process took an hour and a half. But we are not done yet.

I wanted my box to look a little more professional and last for years to come. So I brought in a high gloss lacquer that I sprayed on the inside to give the box a shine and to keep the collage in place. You could also use modge podge or whatever you like. On the outside, I glue-sticked a photo that reminds me which box this is, plus adds a bit of decoration to the outside. Next time, I'd probably add some craft paper as matting for the photo to make it look a bit classier. You can be as creative as you want to with the outside and labeling. I then sprayed outside of the box to seal the photo in forever.

For the lacquer, I did three light coats on  both the inside and the outside. I left an hour in between each coat, and a full 24 hours before switching from inside to outside, obediently following the instructions on the packaging. So I didn't exactly wait that long, I waited thirty minutes between each coat and about two hours before I switched over, but don't tell anyone, okay? I'm impatient, and it turned out great. The coats themselves took seconds to do, so they didn't waste a lot of time.

Outside all lacquered up.

Some spray lacquer tips: 1. Light coats are better, because then you don't end up with a pool of shiny that never dries. This also helps things look a little more even if you miss a spot on the first go. 2. Ventilation is key. This part should be done outside or in a well ventilated area. Breathing is your friend. 3. Make sure that all important objects are away from the project you are lacquering. This should be self explanatory, but my iPhone has a couple spots that are extra shiny. Oops. 4. Hold the lacquer spray 10-12 inches from the project. This will ensure those light coats. 5. For this project, in particular, I don't recommend lacquering the hinges or the ledges where the box closes. We don't want these getting stuck together. I put little wedges to hold the box open, just in case. 6. And even though mine turned out okay, I strongly recommend you follow the instructions. 7. I should probably mention that it is highly flammable.

In the meantime, I planned out how I was exactly going to place everything inside. And before I switched over to lacquer the outside, I loaded up the inside (again, impatient).

I wanted to have some organization on the inside of my box, because I was trying to load a ton of stuff into a small box. I chose a few items to display on the lid, including the charm bracelet that I purchased and added a charm from each city I visited on that particular trip. I still wear the bracelet occasionally,  so I made a loop for it. This way I can take it out and wear it at any time (and I always know where it is).

I also wanted to put all of my business card-sized items in one envelope for easy access and so they didn't get all jumbled in the bottom part of the box. There were a few different ways I could do this, but I decided to make a shirt collar envelope. This is really easy to make, I cut out a strip of paper that was twice the size of the cards that I wanted to include. I put all the ones inside the paper to measure, and then folded it in half horizontally so it covered the cards completely. I then folded the sides backwards, so they are sitting behind the cards. I cut vertically down the center front of the paper, and folded the

two pieces downward and sideways to form the collar. I trimmed the back piece of paper down so it was not visible, and trimmed the sides (that are folded backwards) so that they weren't bulky or noticeable. I then used a long strip of washi tape around the bottom of the envelope (front and back) to hold the envelope together and look kind of like a shirt. I put an extra strip of regular tape on the back top to hold the sides in. I then used double sided tape and a glue stick to attach the envelope to the lid.

Close up of the inner lid, completed

I used the glue stick/double sided tape combination (just in case) to affix all of the items that I wanted to display on the inner lid of the box. I then used washi tape to add a bit of decoration. If you really want to purchase those adorable scrapbooking stickers, the inside lid of your box is the place to put them. I would modge podge or put a clear gloss over them to keep them in place and pretty for years to come. It saves money because you only need a few of them, and still allows you to be creative. See, I put one of my many stickers on the inner lid for decoration.

Finally, it was time to load it all in. I probably needed a bigger box, but it fit, and for that, I am happy.

Inner organization

Added a few last minute maps and brochures

The entire time spent loading up the inside and lacquering (not including dry times) was a little under an hour. So, overall, this was a two and a half hour project. Take that, scrapbooking!

So, that is my scrapbox of my European adventure a few years ago. You could do one per year of your child's life, or make a newborn box per kid, complete with rattles, baby documents and that cute little hat you they wear when they come home from the hospital. This is my go-to for now on. And if I have just photos I want to through together for memories? I get a standard no-frills photo album or go to shutterfly.com for a cheap alternative to the scrapbook.

And I may have made up the majority of the words in this post. That's part of the fun, right?