Dabbling in DIY

I'm shite at most things creative - I can barely even draw the curtains. But lately I've found myself spending time on Pinterest looking at '500 things to do with empty toilet roll holders!' and '25 autumn crafts!' type things, even though I've never really been the crafty sort. However, over the past couple of weeks I've been telling myself to just bite the bullet and try my hand at a bit of DIY. 

I decided to decorate a trinket box to store my makeup in. This is kind of cheating seeing as I bought the box ready made but it did take a bit of time and effort so that counts, right? I got most of my craft supplies from The Art & Hobby Shop, Dealz, and The Works in Athlone. All of these shops are brilliant for little bits and bobs to make cards or just decorate things. I was tempted to walk out with all sorts of random knick knacks but managed to resist.

To start, you'll need a wooden box that's been sanded down, so that you can paint it. Mine came with a heart shape cut out on top with a sheet of perspex under it (which I removed so it was more open) and was €4 from The Works. They sell all sorts of different ones too and they're really nice quality. You can design the box in any way you want - go mad with it! I used washi tape, copper paint, blackboard effect spray paint, blackboard tags and stickers. I wanted my box to be quite autumnal themed, hence my choice of colours and stickers. You'll also need some newspaper or something to put down, and some paintbrushes.

I started by carefully painting the top of the box with my copper acrylic paint, making sure it was as neat as possible. For the main part of the box I used blackboard effect spray paint, which was a bit of a faff as there wasn't much control and I ended up getting a splash on the copper part (which I painted over, so it was ok). I used polka dot washi tape around the edges, originally to make sure the paint didn't go over them, but in the end I really liked how it looked so I kept the washi tape on. Side note: if you are using spray paint make sure you're in a well aired room. I was high as a kite after inhaling so much of the fumes!

I left my box to dry overnight and the next day, when it was dry, I added my stickers, touched it up a bit, and then tied a blackboard tag to the hook that opens the box. Voila! A unique, simple trinket box to put all my crap treasures in. Doing this little project has inspired me to turn our spare bedroom into my makeshift craft room - watch this space...