Matchbook Covers

Tiny pleasures.
I really couldn’t stop myself. I had to cover more match boxes and got carried away. Yes. I did.

I was asked to cover 3 matchbooks to accompany a project for work.  But after the boxes were sent off to the photographer- I just kept going.

It’s so satisfying to use small scraps of pretty paper to cover little boxes. And all together, they make me so happy. I can’t imagine what I’ll do with them all. 

They’re really easy & inexpensive to make and you can probably figure it out by looking at the pictures but I’ll walk you through it because I tried it a couple of ways and they all work.

What you'll need:

A small piece of pretty paper: use light weight paper if you can rather than cardstock but --either will work.

Any one of these adhesives will do the job:

Double sided tape

Terrifically tacky tape (a favorite, as it very strong)

White glue

Mod Podge

Or a Xyron sticker maker

*You can add a layer Mod Podge on the outside to make the surface more water proof.

If you’re using the box to hold matches, measure the paper so it wraps around 3 sides -leaving one striker side uncovered; otherwise, use a piece large enough to cover all 4 sides. 

Measure, cut and pre-fold the paper.

Use a paint brush to add the glue (on top of piece of wax paper) or tape of your choice to the wrong side of the paper. 

Then wrap the paper around the outside of the box and press in it place.










Paint the outside with Mod Podge and set it on the open edge to dry.

If you use a double sided tape instead of glue to add the paper, consider using clear packing tape to cover the outside to protect it.

And then!
I saw this set of “drawers” sitting on my craft bench. There it was, where it has sat for many years – a left over from a long ago work project. 

 Holder of crafting minutiae.






 







If you decide to make a set of drawers- cover only the fronts (and backs) of the inner boxes (so they can still slide).

Make a tiny vertical slit in the center of each front side, then add a paper fastener for a drawer handle.

Use double-sided tape to hold all 3 boxes together then measure, cut and add the decorative paper around the whole bundle.

And this emergency gold dollar stash in my purse!

Little sliding boxes.
I really love them.

And it appears, I've loved them longer than I knew.