Recycled cereal box

I liked my box I made for my calendar project so much, I decided to make one to hold pre-cut watercolor paper and my notebooks I draw my zentangle patterns in.

I cut off half of the sides of the box, and then used what I cut off to reinforce the sides. Then I folded the front and back into the box, and glued it in place to reinforce the front and back of the box.

Using tacky glue, I glued paper I had painted unto the box.

I then glued circles and strips onto the paper.

I added patterns, lines and circles to give it a doodle art look. Then I added shading, shadow and highlights. I brushed gloss gel medium onto the circles to give them a shinny orb look.  I am very happy with how the box turned out.

Box to hold paper for calendar project

I have wanted to make a calendar, but I can’t make myself do a 12-page project. So I had the idea to pre-cut the paper for the project and put it somewhere I can pull out one page at a time. For the paper I cut six pieces of 9x12 inch mix media paper in half. Watercolor paper would have worked also. When I’m ready to start painting, I will go ahead and gesso all the pages at once. Next I need somewhere to put them.

My Wheat Chex cereal box was the perfect size. I cut off the top of the box, cutting the sides at an angle. I then reinforced the box with pieces I cut from the box and cardboard from other cereal boxes. Next I glued some mix media paper I had already painted with green gesso onto the outside of the box using tacky glue. Then I cut and tore up some scrap paper and glued it to the box using tacky glue. I outlined the smaller pieces with Sharpie pens.

I mixed yellow paint into homemade modeling paste and painted the box with it using bubble wrap. I then cut some tissue paper I painted into circles and glued them to the box using tacky glue. I then shaded, shadowed and highlighted the circles using acyl paints.

I keep a little 8x5 inch notebook in the box with the paper, to write down notes on the project. The notebook looks beaten up because my cat have used it to sharpen their claws.

I love how the box turned out, it is sturdy and the perfect size for what I needed. It would also be a good size for a mini art journal.