Bridesmaid Gifts: How to Make Inexpensive Jewelry Boxes

When I ordered handmade mother-of-pearl necklaces from a local jewelry designer for my bridesmaids, I knew I wanted to present them in a keepsake box. But with the price of eight silver and pearl necklaces, I could not find any boxes that were priced low enough to stay within my budget! I finally decided to make my own boxes, that turned out better than anything I found for sale. The best part: they only cost about a dollar each to make!

1. I bought eight small wooden boxes from Michael's with a removable shadow box glass top. (See picture) They were on sale for 50 cents each, and unfinished. You could probably find similar products at other craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or even Wal-Mart.

2. I purchased a dark colored wood finished. You could paint the boxes, but I thought a dark finish would make them look more expensive. If you want, you can even spray them with polyurethane to give them a shiny finish. You will need to get a paintbrush if you don' t have one. The small can of finish I bought was about 7.00, but I only used about 1/4 of the can, so I will be able to save it for later projects. I had never used wood finish before, but it was very easy to do. I recommend not oversoaking the brush and using light strokes. Make sure you do this ahead of time, because the finish takes several days to dry completely. If you get it on the glass or metal clasps of the boxes (or on your hands!) fingernail polish remover on a cutip will take it right off. Make sure to spread your working space with something like cardboard or a trash bag. It will soak through newspaper and stain your table!!

3. When the boxes are dry, you can add flowers, beads, mosaic tiles, glass pebbles, or anything else you think will look nice! I added some wildflowers from my yard for the picture, but when I get my flowers for the wedding, I am going to take them out and put in a few pieces of baby's breath, and some berries and flowers that will match the boquets that the girls will be carrying. This way, they may not always keep their boquet, but they will have a few pieces of it to remind them years from now what it looked like. I am having an outdoor wedding, so I think that the natural decorations will fit well with my theme.

4. Stuff them with a bit of tissue paper, and wrap in your bridesmaid gift! Wait to see the smiles on their faces when they see they get a gift within a gift! They will especially appreciate that you took the time to make them yourself rather than just buying something from a store.

5. For an extra special touch, use a thin metallic gold or silver marker or paint pen to write on the girls' names. That way they will be able to tell them apart at the end of the night!

6. There are so many variations to these ideas that you can use to make them your own. Michael's even has wood stain markers in different colors that you can use. I was very tempted to go with a bright green, but chickened out. If you are an artist, adding on swirls or patterns of a darker color over a lighter color stain would look really interesting. Get creative, and have fun!