Dark Hatbox

Hello lads and lasses!

The other night I decorated a hatbox, which I intend to use to store a mourning bonnet. Which I have not yet made, but that will come...
At any rate, I needed a second hatbox and decided to use a darker color scheme to match what I know I will be storing in it.

Garment Project Data:
- Type: Hatbox, purchased at a craft store. It is cardboard.
- Date made: September 2016
- Pattern: none. I just decorated a purchased box
- Fabric/Materials: Paper napkins, tissue paper, ModPodge
- Trim: ribbon (satin and sheer)
- Time to finish: several hours (most of a day?), including drying time.

The completed hat box with the lid perched on a pail to dry.

And the closed view.

Detail of the lid. This oak leaf is one I found outside, already skeletal and beautiful.

The lid has a base of 2 layers of white tissue paper, then the oak leaf. I then added Money Plant seed pods around the outside.

The side of the lid has 2 bands of ribbon, over the white tissue paper.

The box is done in black tissue paper that has rainbow colored sparkles. I then added a double layer of sheer white ribbon along the bottom edge, the same black satin ribbon as the lid but in a "drum" zig-zag pattern, and hearts with a white bird printed on them, which were cut from paper napkins.

Detail of the 2-layer sheer ribbon.

Detail of the heart. Unfortunately they were more sheer than I realized, so the printed white bird is all but invisible. Phooey. There are 8 hearts around the box.

The bottom of the box has a printed tissue paper, plus a blue-white rose cut from the same paper napkins as the hearts.

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah

A hatbox!

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, I got fed up with finding my bonnets squashed at the bottom of my trunk. I sprang for a cardboard, undecorated hatbox at the craft store, and just spent the day with a bottle of Mod Podge, a sponge brush, some paper napkins, and some tissue paper. What fun!

Garment Data:
- Type: Hatbox
- Date made: (well, decorated, really) 12/07/13
- Pattern:
- Fabric: (materials): Cardboard hatbox from craft store, paper napkins, fancy tissue paper (more like lightweight wrapping paper, actually. I was disappointed), Mod Podge.
- Trim: Lace, knit lacing.
- Time to finish: One afternoon.
- Notes:

Well, I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here's the LINK: JoAnn's Hat Box.

I then started with a base layer of red for the bottom of the box, and a tissue paper with swirls for the sides and top. Autumn-themed paper napkins (and some careful scissor work!) provided the leaves and the leaf-strewn stripes, and a Valentine's-Day-Themed napkin provided the hearts for the bottom.

Halfway done.
On the left, you can see that the red of the bottom is completed, as are the basic patterned sides. (Yes, the hatbox is upside down, for drying purposes.) You can see I'm toying with the placement of the hearts at this point, and how exactly they will be handled (there was a pink center to them that I was unsure of. I ended up cutting it out, and am pleased with the results).
On the right you see the lid. It has the same base pattern as the sides of the box, and a criss-cross of orange leaf-patterns. Then there are four maple leaves, cut from paper napkins, placed in the quarters. You can see a spare leaf on the lid --- it will end up on the sides of the box, along with seven others!

The finished box, complete with eight maple leaves, and a knit fabric corner protector.

And the bottom. Note that the hearts are just outlines, giving a very subtle effect.

The lid. Yep, even mod-podged (is that a verb?) lace to the edge!

The completed box! No handle, but not sure of the best way to add one. For now, it will serve beautifully to keep my bonnets from having to be reshaped before each event! Hurrah!

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah