Lola Rugula

I’ve had such a fantastic response on Pinterest to my previous post on how to decoupage with paper napkins that I wanted to do a full tutorial on making over a small wood jewelry box using this technique.

The jewelry box I’m using here is a very inexpensive one that I got from a local craft store for a whopping $1.99. It was unfinished and measures 5″x3.5″ and is about 2.5″ tall.

After removing the hardware and doing a little sanding, it’s just a matter of a few layers of inexpensive craft paint, preparing and applying the napkin with Mod Podge or similar glue, and then a final coat of Mod Podge to set everything in. Reattach the hardware and you have a beautiful jewelry box for yourself or to use as a wonderful gift.

How to Makeover a Wood Jewelry Box with Paper Napkin Decoupage

Here are the tools you’ll need to complete this project:

• Unfinished wood box
• Fine grit sanding block or sandpaper
• Screwdriver
• Craft paint – I used a total of 3 colors here; a blend of 2 for the interior of the box and 1 for the exterior
• Foam paintbrush (optional – can use a small, regular paintbrush instead)
• Small paintbrush(es) for painting interior edges of box and lid
• Newspaper or parchment paper to protect your home surfaces from paint
• Small disposable dishes or plastic lids for paints and Mod Podge
• Printed paper napkin with extra backing/layers removed so that it’s only 1-ply (more on this later)
• Scissors
• Mod Podge – I used the Gloss finish for this project but use Matte if you prefer
• Decoupage or craft roller, or a rolling pin
• A scrap piece of cardboard (an old box, broken down to lay flat will work fine – this is just to protect your work surface when using the razorblade)
• Razorblade or X-Acto knife

Instructions:

• Using a screwdriver, remove the hardware from the box and set it aside
• Using fine-grit sandpaper or a sanding block, gently sand the box all around, being sure to sand in the direction of the wood grain. This just removes any rough spots and/or edges.
• Wipe the box inside and out with a damp paper towel and let dry.
• Put a small amount of the paint you’ll be using for the inside of your box into a small disposable dish or lid and, using a small foam paintbrush or small regular paintbrush, paint the interior of the box. The type of brush you use is mostly preference, though I find the foam brushes leave fewer streaks.
• For the interior of this jewelry box, I used a combination of blue and pearl white that I blended together before applying. Later, you’ll see where I decided to add an extra coat of just pearl white, to lighten and brighten it up even more.

You can see in the photo above that my paint job isn’t perfect but after a few coats of the exterior paint, you can’t even see those little flubs.

Next, paint the remainder of the box with your exterior color. For this, I chose a satin paint called Red Barn, which perfectly matched the red base of my printed napkin.

Over the course of a few days, I applied 4 coats of paint to the bottom piece of the jewelry box to get a deep, rich color. A recommend always doing the front of the box last during each application as you go through the course of painting.

Even though I knew I was covering the lid, I did apply 1 coat of color to it – this is optional. The thought process here was if the napkin experienced any small tears during the application or made any slips with cutting the napkin too short, these things wouldn’t be noticeable with the underlying coat of paint. I’m happy to say, there weren’t any tears.

Here’s the box with just one coat of paint and before I applied the extra coat of pearl white in the interior:

And here it is after I’d completed 4 layers of color (only 1 on the lid) and I brightened up the interior with an thin coat of just pearl white paint:

I love the way the addition of the layer of pearl white gave it a little bit of sparkle and shine. Sometimes, when I’m working on projects such as this, I change my mind and adjust things from my original vision as I go. Don’t be afraid to play around a little and let your creativity go wild.

Now we’re going to start the decoupage process:

• First, you need to remove any extra layers from the napkin so that you’re only using the top printed layer. Most napkins are 2-ply and some are even 3-ply.
• Removing the extra layer(s) can be a little tricky (aka: frustrating) but trust me, you CAN do it. I recommend starting at a corner of the napkin that you know you’re not going to use, as it may get a little ripped. Sometimes I intentionally give it a little rip and then rub the layers in between my fingers to loosen things up.
• Don’t worry too much about wrinkling the napkin – those wrinkles will smooth out in the decoupage process.

• Next, place the napkin over the box lid, to get an idea of where you want the print on the napkin to be placed on the finished lid. I knew I wanted the big flowers to play center stage but also wanted a nice section of the blue flowers, to coordinate with the blue interior of the box.
• Then, still leaving a couple of inches excess, trim the napkin down.
• If you’re cautious like I am, you’ll do this in at least a couple of steps.

Now you really want to zero in on the placement of the napkin design so get it placed and flip it over so you can adjust it.

Here, I intentionally creased the napkin a bit, to ensure the pattern was going to go down right where I wanted it to and then trimmed it again, still leaving some excess napkin.

• Note – again, I still left some excess napkin here – it will get trimmed off after gluing it down with Mod Podge.
• Now, using a clean paint brush or foam brush, apply a thin but even layer of Mod Podge to just the very top of the lid.
• Gently stretch your napkin tight and place it on the wet surface and then immediately but gently smooth it out with the roller. Don’t press or drag it so hard that it tears the napkin but firmly enough that it smooths out any serious bumps or wrinkles
• If you look closely at the lid, you’ll see there’s a small beveled edge that goes around the edge of the box lid. Here, I honestly just gently used my fingernail to define the beveling.
• Once the top is smooth, use a small paintbrush to apply a light but even amount of Mod Podge to the edges and use your fingers to smooth the edges down and crease the corners together.

• Let dry for at least 1 hour.
• Using scissors, trim excess napkin down to about a 1/2 inch overhang.
• Then, tilt the lid to lay on its side on top of a scrap piece of cardboard.
• Using a razor blade or X-Acto knife, slide the blade along the edge of the lid, removing the excess napkin from each side. You’ll still be left with overhang on the corners.

• Before finally trimming all of the corners, make sure the edges around them are glued down securely and dry.
• Then, using the razor blade, trim off the excess napkin
• I do this leaving just a tiny bit first, as shown below, in case I need to glue down any of it to ensure a covered corner. Then, as long as the corner is covered, trim off the remaining napkin.

• Let everything dry well, at least overnight
• Using a foam brush or paintbrush, quickly apply a thin layer of gloss (or matte) Mod Podge to the edges, sides, and top of the box, letting each area dry fully before moving on. I always do the top and front last.
• Do not get the napkin too wet again while doing this final step – use a light coat, a light, and a quick hand, and you’ll have no worries with the napkin tearing.

• Again, let everything fully dry overnight.
• Reapply the hardware and enjoy!

As always, if I missed anything or wasn’t clear enough on something, please drop me a line in the comments and let me know.

I love the way this gorgeous little jewelry box turned out and hope you’ll give this project a try.