Project Less Waste: Candy Box Turned Frame

Did cupid surprise you with a box of chocolates this past Valentine’s Day? Yea, me too. Did you devour them in one 24 hour period? Yea, me too. Confessions of a dietitian – if you bring me sweets, I’m either going to have like one piece and then give the rest away or, if the time is right, gobble them up like Pac-Man (like if the giving of the sweets happens to coincide with a less than desirable day…or you know, if the moon is full…). Anyway, once the box was empty, and I was full of chocolatey goodness, I went to go put that sweet little heart package into the recycling bin but stopped when I realized this box had the potential to be turned into something really cute! After a few minutes of think-think-thinking I had a plan – heart shaped frame. I had the perfect photo I had been wanting to print off and hang on my wall so all I had to do after that was pick my color and I was ready to craft! It was easy and took barely any time at all.

You’ll need:
Base of a heart shaped candy box
Scissors
8×10 photo for large box (4×6 for small, 3-piece boxes)
Glue (I like super glue because you only need a thin layer for it to be effective and it dries quickly)
Acrylic paint
Mod Podge
Brushes

Start out by painting your box – it may take a couple coats. Use the heart paper liner in the box as a stencil to cut the right sized heart shape into your photo.

Once your paint has dried, glue the photo onto the bottom of the box. Cover entire box (painted areas and photo) with Mod Podge, waiting 15-20 minutes between coats.

The finished product works as both a leaning and hanging frame!!

Not sure how to hang it? Command strips, baby! Or in my case, I used masking tape since it wouldn’t mess up my walls when pulled off while trying to figure out where I wanted to hang my frame. This is not a long term solution, however, so once I find the right spot I’ll put it into place with a more reliable Command strip. For now I really like it by my door but think it’ll be cute as part of a frame collage I’d like to eventually create on one of my large, empty walls.

Happy crafting!!

Erica