Decorate a Round Keepsake Box with Music Scores

Decorating a plain round hatbox can be fun. This project is for the music lover or for one who likes to decorate with prints of sheet music. It makes for a fine way to store those sentimental keepsakes you have laying about.

Here are the items you will need to start and finish this simple project:

A round hatbox (paper mâché, cardboard or wood)

Plain paper for pattern making

Copy paper for your printer (or some other means to scan and copy sheet music)

Sheet music

Pencil or pen

Scissors

Glue

Spray sealant

Felt or real velvet

The first thing you will want to do on this project is to make duplicate copies of your favorite sheet music or music scores that you like so much. Store your originals back where you had them.

Using the plain paper, make patterns of the top and sides, inside and out, of the lid and container of the hatbox. Mark them as to what each pattern is for to lesson the confusion later on.

Start with the lid first. Take the inside trim pattern and lay it out on the felt or velvet. Mark around the pattern, set the pattern to the side and cut out the trim. Dabbing just enough glue inside of the lid around the trim, paste the material onto the lip of the lid.

Set the round inside pattern onto the felt, trace it and paste into the lid. This is pretty much how the rest of the project will go for the inside. The reason for the side going in first is so that nothing can slip under it and pull it out accidentally.

Once you have the inside of the box done, start laying out the patterns for the outside over the copied sheet music to decide what section of it will go onto the lid and box.

Trace and cut out the sections for pasting. The top of the lid should be pasted on first. It is okay if some of it overlaps onto the edge. Just make certain that the paper doesn't crinkle too much.

As soon as the top of the lid dries, paste on the trim pieces. This would look interesting if you could get various composer's names and titles of their work pasted onto the side of the lid.

Instead of pasting on the copied sheet music perfectly vertical with the box, paste them on at angles to cover each other ever so slightly. Unless you want to paste paper on the underside of the box, don't worry about the neatness under there.

One fun thing to do is to sign your name and date the bottom of the box, and put a copyright symbol on there. This makes it all yours.

When the paper has fully dried to the box, you can spray it with the sealant. Of course, you only need to spray the outside of this project. Give it another coat or two so that the paper won't decide to turn up on the hatbox.

You could make these in various sizes, and the paper mâché type can be purchased at most hobby stores. This would be a great way to store those unused candles that are on your mantle or piano top.