I was excited to see today that the Upcycle Valentine's Mailbox I created for my daughter's Bugs & Kisses party  was included in the Valentine's Day Roundup on One Pretty Thing.  HOW COOL IS THAT?

I love One Pretty Thing!  Rachel always does a fab job of finding and sharing lots of crafty diy how-to's from all over the web.  If you haven't checked out the site please do so!

Upcycled Valentine's Mail Box Tutorial

When I saw this Valentine's Chairbacker at Pottery Barn Kids I was instantly inspired to create a smaller paper version of one for the Bugs & Kisses Party that I'm having for my daughter.

I created one using a red, letter size file folder.  Actually I made a mock up of one last night but it was hideous.  So, I whipped up an entirely new one during my lunch break today - so, forgive me if the backgrounds look a little whacky!

Here's a Tutorial on how you can make your own.

Supplies you will need:

Letter size file folder (I used red)
Ruler
Pencil
Scoring Tools
Bone Folder
Scissors or Cutting Blade
Double-sided tape or Glue
Ribbon
Velcro dots
Chip Board, Die Cut or Sticker Letters
(You can also print out the letters I used found at the end of this post)
Love Bugs Printable Circle Tags

Trim tabs from the folder.

You should end up with a 17" sheet of paper to work with.

 Using the measurement guide (next photo) with a ruler & pencil measure your box then, score, cut and fold where indicated.  If you have a scoring board use it - I have one and I LOVES IT - didn't have it with me at work though......

Your disassemble box should look at bit like this:

Next - assemble your box!

 

About 3/4" from the edge, cut a 31/4" x 1/4" rectangle in the top center of  the lid. Next, attach a 31/4" strip of paper or ribbon from the front inside of the lid.  Add a Velcro Dot to the bottom of the strip.This creates a tab for you to attach a closure for your box. (btw-those lil' pink hearts are covering up a multitude of non-manicured hands sins)

Next decorate your mail box as desired.  Feel free to use the print and cut letters I used for my project.  If you right click on the words you can print the image directly.

Check this out: I didn't have a glue stick with me so, I stuck the letters to a roll of double stick tape and cut them out with a sharp blade.

 Voila!  Your box is ready for Valentine's and other sweet treats!