Showing posts with label Altered Cigar Box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Altered Cigar Box. Show all posts

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Christmas Decor: Winter Wonderland Cigar Box Diorama

 


Welcome to my first Christmas creation of 2025! I had so much fun with this and I already have ideas for another. Or two. 

Supplies:

  • Cigar Box (I get mine at Total Wine)
  • Coordinating Acrylic Paints and Scrapbook Papers
  • Misc. Embellishments
  • Hot Glue and Tacky Glue

I've gotten cigar boxes at Total Wine since forever. At mine, the cardboard ones are $.99 and the wood ones $1.99. MUCH better than the prices I've seen at flea markets or thrift stores. 


I'd already decided on the papers I was going to use for this project so I selected a paint that coordinated. It wasn't as dark green as I wanted, so I mixed in a few drops of black to deepen it. 


I covered the insides and back with the green. 


I used Waverly white paint for the outside of the box, covering the front and the sides. I was fine with a bit of the green showing through around the edges. 



I measured and cut the papers I chose. I have so many papers from different packs over the years and these coordinated. 

To apply the papers, I grabbed some Mod Podge. I love these little bottles from Dollar Tree because here in the dry desert, I've found that once I open a bigger bottle, if not used quickly, they dry out QUICKLY. 


The white left a frost-like appearance around the inside of the box. Now for the fun! I went through my stash and pulled out some goodies, including something I'd made for a previous project but didn't use, and some ornaments and trees I picked up on an after-holiday shopping trip last year, and some Dollar Tree lights I picked up with Halloween supplies but hadn't used.


Half ornament snow-globe and snowmen ornaments. 


I had this metal frame in my stash, so I painted it with the Waverly white and dry brushed it with a bright gold. I picked up the tree ornament at Dollar Tree this year. 

I love this quirky little tree! They come in sets of two, so the other one will be used in another project.

 


I hot-glued the frame to the inside left of the box and the ornament to the frame. Oops. I'm going to add a button or rhinestone atop the tree to cover the hole. 


After putting batteries in the lights, I glued the casing to the back of the box, then threaded the lights through the side. 


I glued the lights around the inside of the right side of the box with a combination of Aleene's clear tacky glue and hot glue. Once that was done, I glued the snowmen and trees as shown, along with the "Merry Christmas" ornament. 


To finish, I grabbed a bottle brush wreath from my stash, ironed one of the ribbons I saved from last year's wrapping with my Cricut mini heat press, made a bow, and done!


"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."










Saturday, April 1, 2017

From Cigar Box to Calligraphy Supply Box


This week's BFF Open House Link Party continues here

I've always aspired to learn calligraphy so it's no surprise that with my current obsession with lettering, that desire is renewed. Real calligraphy with real nibbed pens!

As I've started collecting supplies, I needed someplace to store them and keep them together.  My camera battery was charging while I worked on this so I don't have step by step pictures but steps are pretty basic.

Mr. Chocolate is responsible for my stash of cigar boxes. I actually had to tell him to stop bringing them home because I have so many.

Supplies and Steps:

  • Wooden cigar box
  • Acrylic paints
  • White glue
  • Scrapbook paper 
  • Embellishments


  1. Paint cigar box with base color ( I used black and needed two coats to get decent coverage). 
  2. Once dry, cover with a coat of white glue ( cheap white glue...my go to for a crackle finish). Pinterst Tutorials here
  3. When glue is tacky but not dry, cover with contrast coat ( I used turquoise)
  4. Let dry or if you're impatient like  me you can speed things up with a hair dryer. Note don't use hot setting or use a heat gun. Things will bubble! 
  5. Embellish away! I used scrapbook paper and misc. things from my stash. 



Leftover metal corners, a circle frame and metal button


A floral button glued to the center of a line drawn flower.


Scrapbook paper trimmed with glitter tape on the inside lid and lined the inside of the box with black faux suede paper.


Now I just need to go practice my calligraphy!