A to Z Altered Recipe Box

Altered projects are so much fun to make, and can result in fantastic little creations with both a functional purpose as well as a creative and artistic look. My most recent love is altered recipe boxes.

Find the Right Container

Altering my recipe box was much easier than finding the item to work with. The search began with all the most obvious places - the big name discount store, a craft store that sells unfinished wood products, flea markets and even eBay. EBay was the only place where I actually found something similar to what I was looking for. However, an unplanned stop into a chain store that sells everything for just one dollar proved to be the solution to my shopping woes. I purchased several because I'm sure I'll want to make more.

Give the Box a Purpose

Deciding what to use the box for was fairly easy. Earlier this year there was an online scrapbook class that I really wanted to take. It was a very busy time for me at school and I knew I just couldn't do it. The class was based on the book, "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Her book is an autobiography that is arranged into alphabetical entries based on her life. My A to Z box is going to be where I organize my thoughts.

Uses for the little boxes are only limited by the maker's imagination. Another that I plan to make is for my desk at school to organize all of my students contact information. Yet another is to become an idea file for the thoughts that come to me for new creative projects. I've found if I don't write it down somewhere it may never come to mind again. Yet another use is what it was intended for, to hold recipes. So many of the healthy recipes that my family has been eating come from various sources such as magazines, email groups and internet sites. I need somewhere to keep our favorites so they're easy to locate.

Supplies:

• recipe box
• fine textured sandpaper
• acrylic paints of choice
• small screwdriver
• assorted papers and stickers
• adhesive of choice
• ruler
• paper cutter
• sealer of choice

Instructions:

Note: It’s possible that all the steps that follow may not be necessary depending on the finish of the box you choose and how it’s put together.

1. Disassemble the lid from the base using the small screwdriver. Put the hardware in a safe place.
   
   
2. If the box has a slick finish, use the sandpaper to roughen the surfaces so that it will receive the paint and adhesives better.
   
   
3. Paint the box both inside and out with acrylic paints. I used Liquitex Basics tube acrylics.
   
   
4. Measure the flat surfaces that you want to cover with scrapbook papers. Subtract 1/8" to ¼" from the length and width so that the papers can be centered and a border of the painted area will show. Cut papers to size.
   
   
5. Adhere the patterned papers with adhesive making sure to center them on the different surfaces of the box that are to be covered. I used Memory Mount but there are several liquid glues that will work well and not cause your papers to wrinkle.
   
   
6. Add any stickers or other embellishments desired.
   
   
7. Apply a sealer to all surfaces. I used Liquitex Matte Gel Medium. Allow to dry well.
   
   
8. Reassemble the box.

I used coordinating papers and stickers to make index dividers and fille the box with blank 3” x 5” index cards so that it’s ready to use. I made the tabbed index cards by cutting papers to measure 3” x 5”. The tabs are made of cardstock and measure 1 ¼” x 1 ½”. I folded them in half, stapled them to the top of the patterned paper cards, and attached a letter sticker.

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