My god-daughter just celebrated her 9th birthday yesterday and I was really struggling with what to get her as a gift. I knew I didn’t want to give her money and I bought her clothes for Christmas. I don’t have children right now, so I have no idea what they like. I decided to pick the brains of a few of my coworkers that have young children or grandchildren. The best idea I got was a keepsake box. My coworker suggested buying a box and filling it with a few little things that were special to us and instructing her to continue adding to it. I had no idea where I was going to find a box or what I was going to put inside of it. I mentioned the idea to my sister, and of course she suggested: Let’s make one. So we did.
I knew from the beginning that something I wanted to include in the box was a journal. Writing has always been one of my favorite things to do, but journaling is a little different. It’s a place to put your innermost thoughts and feelings that you don’t really want to share with anyone else. Every little girl needs one. We got her a cute little journal from Target along with a set of gel pens because let’s face it, the colorful pens are what make journaling fun.
The whole process, had we sat down and done it straight through, probably would’ve taken 3-4 hours. The inspiration for the box was a cute little journal that I picked up from target. All of the products were purchased from A.C. Moore including the box itself.
Materials:
- Wooden box
- Paint (black and gold)
- Paint brushes
- Wooden letters
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Stencil
- Gold ribbon
It took us a whole evening to finish this, mainly because we other things going on that day including celebrating my 26th birthday. But here’s the finished product (minus the gold ribbon) and the journal that inspired it:
This my first time ever doing something like this, but it was extremely fun. Lately I’ve been battling with anxiety, and doing this project was incredibly relaxing for me. We didn’t line the inside of the box, but I suggest lining it with felt or some type of fabric of you decide to make one on your own. OR!!! If you’d rather my sister and I make you one, just shoot me an email or leave a comment. 😊
Xoxo,
Ash, RN