The Dainty Domestress: Turn Common Household Items into a Mother’s Day Gift Box

A Jewelry Box made from a Toilet Paper Roll and Milk Lids

Mom: if you are viewing this, well, first I’m shocked that you got on the Internet and second Don’t look at my blog this week…it will ruin the surprise!

What? This cute little thing is made from everyday trash items? Yes it is. (Also, I can’t wait to show you what is inside and how to make it later in the week.) As usual, my haphazard experimenting with fitting pieces together before placing them into the trash or recycle bin led to this project. Of course, you can make this box for any occasion or holiday it does not have to be Mother’s Day specific. It would be a fun way to spread holiday cheer wrapped in Christmas paper and containing chocolates for neighbors or co-workers, a nice way to say “thank you” with a gift certificate inside or a party favor box if you do not have many guests. Regardless, be creative! Take what I have done and tailor it to who ever or whatever you are you are making this box for. Just have fun with it.

You Will Need:

Toilet paper roll

Decorative scrapbook paper

Milk lids

Card or card stock

Ribbon

Scissors

Ruler

Glue

Pencil

Paper cutter (optional)

Hole punch (optional)

Cut the toilet paper roll into two pieces; one piece measuring ¾” and the other measuring 1 ¾”.

Trace around the milk lid onto a used card, as I did, or a piece of card stock. Make sure whatever paper you use has some substance to it. Regular printer paper is too flimsy.

Write a special message inside the circle if you like. If you have nothing nice to say you may want to skip this step or maybe you should skip the craft all-together and just go with the toilet paper roll...just a thought. If you are lacking in the penmanship department you can always print a message that will fit inside the confines of your circle.

After you have cut your circle from the card pop it into the lid. Lightly press around the outer edged of your card stock to push it past the twist top rings.

Measure the circumference of your lid and add a ½” all the way around. Cut the circle from your decorative scrapbook paper. Use the ½” excess to make relief cuts as shown.

I used rubber cement to dry mount the paper to the lid. With glue on both surfaces I folded the relief cuts over one another. Do not worry about the overlapping paper laying flat.

Smear glue around the inside of the toilet paper roll where you will place the lid. Slide the lid in place. For a nice finishing touch I glued white printer paper around the inside of the toilet paper rolls.

Wrap your scrapbook paper around the toilet paper roll to establish the length, then use your same measurements above (¾” and 1 ¾”) for the width.

Glue the scrapbook paper to the toilet paper roll. Carefully align the paper as you glue the two together.

Glue a skinny ribbon around the lid bottom and base top. Use a segment of the same ribbon to glue the lid to the base as shown.

Make a hole (with a hole-punch if you can) just below the base ribbon and above the lid ribbon. Glue the ribbon to the inside of the box. Allow about three inches of ribbon to fall on the outside. If I had thought ahead a little I would have realized that I should have punched the hole and attached the ribbon before lining the inside of the box.