Homemade Gift: Wood-burning Kid Illustrated Art Keepsake Boxes

 

 So I couldn't post this project until after Christmas

because I didn't want Grandma's to see their gifts early.

But it's also my favorite Christmas gift we made this year

and it has been REALLY hard to not share it with you all!

I have complete directions on how to make these

wooden keepsake boxes in my Homemade Gifts From the HeART 

lesson plan PDF booklet. 

But here's a quickie version.

Start with some cute wooden boxes from the craft store

and some favorite drawings by your extremely talented

resident artists (your kids!) 

Transfer the drawings to the wooden boxes with tracing paper,

then use your wood-burning tool to trace over the whole drawing.

Try not to pass out from the fumes!

Don't forget to add their names (in their own handwriting)

to the project. My girls signed and dated the boxes on the bottom. 

Now for the tricky part,

carefully watercolor your design/drawing. 

The wood bleeds easily.

You don't need a lot of water. 

I like nicer watercolors better (like my Yarka watercolors)

Use a tiny brush.

Some sap may come to the surface from the woodburning process-

creating a bit of a "resist" effect on the wood == frustrating!

Have facial tissues or coffee filters handy to soak up excess 

watercolor blobs and mistakes!

Close ups of the sides of the girls' Christmas box.

Both girls worked on the picture together,

doing different parts. 

It really was a joint project. 

Because I copied the original drawing onto the boxes,

I was able to make two identical boxes

for both sets of Grandparents.

"E" is making the snail box to keep 

her fossil collection in. 

You can seal the box with beeswax or clear acrylic spray,

I left ours plain. 

Happy Wood-burning! 

Fondly,

pink and green mama,