TUTORIAL: DECOUPAGING A SOAP CONTAINER/BOX FOR A GIFT

Happy Thursday!  It's Audrey!  I am so very happy to be back here this month, and thanks so much to our fabulous host Sheila for her patience; she held my spot for me and I appreciate that.

Today, I'll be sharing a decoupage project with you that makes a wonderful gift!  This is a pretty lengthy post, so grab a cuppa and let's begin with my project:

I've used my box for soap, however, it can also be used to hold jewelry, candy, or whatever you choose to use it for.  What you'll need:

• Plastic travel soap dish (got mine from Walmart)
• Your choice:  tissue, paper, cloth material, etc. (less the size of 1/2 sheet of an 8.50" x 11" sheet of paper torn into pieces)
• Decoupage glue (or 2 parts Elmer's glue to 1 part water mixed well will do too)
• Small foam brush or paint brush
• Old button or ear ring
• Trim of your choice:  lace, beads, ric-rac, etc.
• E6000 or other stong glue (for trim and button)
• Fine glitter

Plastic soap container from Walmarts (some Dollar Stores)

Okay, if you've got all your materials together, cover your work area to protect it from the glue-mess and let's get to decoupaging!!!  I'll be using a metallic tissue (the kind used for gift bags), bling mesh ribbon for my trim, and a  gem instead of a button.  To begin, you'll first paint the top of your box with the glue:

Next, using your wet brush to pick up the tissue, begin carefully layering by painting the tissue onto the top of the box then apply a thin layer of glue over the paper:

Use your fingers to very carefully smooth out any air bubbles or wrinkles as you go (I actually like some wrinkles because it adds a nice texture).  Also, don't worry about any paper tears, just add another layer of the torn paper to cover the tear.  If the air bubbles are persistent, carefully press down on them with a damp cloth to release the excess air and/or glue trapped beneath the paper:

Continue layering and smoothing until the top is completely covered (do not worry about the sides as the trim will cover this).  To make certain you've covered your entire box top, open the box and look for any areas you can see through; cover those areas:

Once covered, your box should now look something like this:

Once the box is smooth and as wrinkle free as you'd like, use the damp cloth again to make sure air bubbles are removed (you will probably need to do this several times as glue dries and don't worry if it looks a bit funny, it'll turn out to be a beauty in the end); allow glue to set for about 30 minutes then brush an extra thin layer of the glue over the top tissued area then sprinkle the wet area with glitter and allow to dry completely:

Once completely dry trim away any lose excess paper from around the edges of the box, apply your trim, and using a strong glue like E6000 attach a button or piece of jewelry to the front of the box to use to open your box and cover up the slit that's the closure:

Any excess glue on the bottom of the box cleans up easily with a mild soap and water wipe down.  All done!!!  Now... isn't it pretty?!!! A bit messy but sooooo easy and so much fun to do..., and a great gift!!!  Here're a couple more I did:

Hope you enjoyed my project and tutorial!  Thanks for stopping by, and...

I'll be seeing you!