How to Decorate a Vintage Halloween Box

 

Directions:

First, paint the paper mache box and lid with black spray paint.  You can use regular acrylic craft paint if you wish.

The lid for this box fits snugly.  So, I’m only adding decorative paper to the side of the box beneath where the lid sits.  

The diameter of this box from Dollar Tree measures 3-3/4 inches.  The diameter of the lid measures 3-7/8 inches.  A length or width strip of paper from a 12 x 12 paper pad will wrap around the box. 

Measure and cut a paper strip for the side of the box.  Consider leaving a small area above and below the decorative paper, leaving a black border.

You can cut the paper on a diagonal to create a length long enough to wrap the lid.  Measure and cut a paper strip for the side of the lid. 

I cut a strip of paper 1/2 inch wide and left a border of the black-painted side above and below the paper strip.

To attach the paper strips to the box, use Tacky Glue or Mod Podge.

Add a Graphic Label to the Box

I found this graphic on Canva.  A black border around the ‘Let’s Get Spooky’ graphic added a little interest and created a nice label.  Then, cutting around the black border and leaving a white border set it off from the black dotted background.

Next, affix the graphic to the center of the front of the box. Ensure the lid is in place to position it correctly.

Antique the Halloween Box

To antique the box, I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads in the colors Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, and Walnut Stain.

 In the first picture above, you can see the box and lid before antiquing on the left-hand side and after antiquing on the right-hand half.  Do this if you want the box to look vintage like the picture on the right.

Shape and Antique the Skeleton

To make the skeleton less stiff, use a heat gun to heat some of the joints slightly, and bend them.  I used this technique on the wrists, knees, and elbows. 

It doesn’t take much to soften the joints enough to bend them, but the plastic does get hot.  I use needlenose pliers to hold one side of the joint as I heat it.  Then set the heat gun down and use another plier to bend it.

After you have the skeleton the way you want it, antique the skeleton. 

Use Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray to spray the skeleton and gently wipe any excess off with a small piece of paper towel.

 

Paint the Base of the Tree

I’ve learned over time that if you want something to disappear visually, paint it black.  It is even more pertinent in this case since the lid it sits on is also black.  The lighter tree base stands out visually.

Apply a good coat of black acrylic craft paint with a flat brush.  Cover the sides and the top of the base.  It’s not necessary to paint the bottom.  It will be glued to the box.

Black Tulle Netting Ruffle

Cut a length of black tulle netting 2 – 2-1/2  inches wide and 30 – 36 inches long.  Thread and knot a needle and make a running stitch down the middle of the tulle.

Then, pull the thread to gather and ruffle the length of the tulle.  Adjust the gathering to fit around the base of the tree.  I measured around the base of the tree and then, measured the ruffled tulle, and adjusted the thread length to that measurement.  The base of this tree measures 8.5 inches in circumference.

Lastly, a knot at 8.5 inches holds the ruffle in place.  Adjust the ruffling and glue it in place on the base.  If you apply a 1-inch line of glue, place the center thread in it, and let the glue set, it will be easier to adhere the remaining ruffle to the lid.

Glue the Candleholder to the Vintage Halloween Box

It appears that the best approach is to use hot glue to attach the pillar candleholder to the box. Since there is an indentation to accommodate a candle, I just applied hot glue around the outer edge of the candleholder.

Glue the Tree in Place

Apply Tacky Glue to the bottom of the tree base.  

Glue the Skeleton to the Lid

The skeleton is glued in two spots, under his pelvis and his right knee.  I first used hot glue and the hot glue lifted.  🤔 So, I switched to the Tacky Glue.  It takes a little longer to set up, but it holds.  If you tuck the skeletons shoulder between some of the bristles, they add a little support, too.

Make Vintage Halloween Shapes with Tim Holtz Thinlits

I used sheets of decorative Halloween cardstock to create spiders, spiderwebs, ghosts, black cats, skulls, and bones.  Ultimately, I decided not to use the pumpkin and the witch accessories for this project, but don’t you love the Jack o’ Lantern?

For this project, I used each of the metal dies on the decorative side of the paper, and then the same die on the reverse side. You will have a double-sided decorative piece when you glue these together back to back.  It can be faced either way and because of its doubled construction, the piece is sturdier.

Make several ghosts and spiders.  For this project, I made one spider web and did not double it.  The web is so intricate, that it would be very tedious to match it up and glue them together.

A couple of dots of hot glue on the cat’s paws secured him to the top of the tree. 

To adhere the ghosts to the tree, I squeezed a little Tacky Glue along the back edge, which would be tucked into the tree.  (Tacky glue provides a bit more time to position the pieces in place.)  Then, I tucked the ghost shapes between the bristles.  

As you can see, I bent the spider legs slightly instead of leaving them flat.  Then, a little bit of Tacky Glue applied to the backside of the legs holds them in place on the tree.

Ribbons

The checkered ribbon used for this project seemed perfect, but I only had two lengths of it.  One length of ribbon is wrapped around the pillar candle base.  The other ribbon is glued at the very top under the cat and wrapped in a spiral around the tree.  A little touch of hot glue here and there holds the ribbon in place.

Make a Skull and Bones Rosette

To create the skull and bones rosette, start by cutting a 1-inch x 12-inch strip of decorative paper.  Then, cut another contrasting strip 5/8 inch x 12 inches.

Use a scoring board and tool to score every 1/4 inch.  Then, fold accordion style.  Glue the ends together, flatten the glued piece to create a medallion, and hot glue the center in place.  Repeat for the remaining paper strip.

For detailed directions for making rosettes, ◄ click here.

Use hot glue or Tacky Glue to adhere the smaller rosette to the center of the larger rosette.

Use the skull and bones dies and cardstock to make the skull and bones.  Adhere the pieces in place on the front of the rosettes.

The Vintage Halloween Box

If I can find a smaller pumpkin, I’ll add it between the skeleton and the spider web later.  I still have time…

Most of the supplies for this vintage Halloween box came from Dollar Tree.  If you’re a crafter, you may have a lot of these items in your stash.  Hope this post inspires you to craft your own Halloween decoration!   

 

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