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| Above is a traditional, Valentine mailbox made from a shoebox. (Note. The heavenly, halo effect around the Valentine mailbox is necessary for proper interpretation.) |
Brief Description: During my own childhood, Valentine's Day was celebrated in school with ambitious dedication. Every child took great care to design a shoe box that would reflect one's superior crafting skill and every teacher would complain about the wasted time given them during school. Annually homeroom teachers would beg the art teacher or parents to take over the craft, but to no avail. Kiddom would not allow the Valentine custom to die out; the making of the mail boxes was almost equal to the "sanctity" of Santa Claus, but not quite.
Supply List:
- one shoe box
- white butcher paper
- scissors
- white glue
- Mod Podge
- ribbon and rick rack to trim
- Victorian scraps
- paper clay molded angels, hearts, etc...
- scotch tape
- one pack of white paper clay, I prefer Model Magic for small children
- candy mold tray, one with a Valentine theme, these may be purchased from a craft, hobby or cake decorating store.
- tacky glue
- soft camel-hair brush
- Follow the simple directions on the Model Magic label.
- Mold as many little candy decorations with the paper clay as you wish. Let these dry for an hour after removing them from the candy mold.
- Cut a generous slot into the shoe box lid, this is where the letters are pushed into the Valentine mailbox.
- Wrap the shoebox in white butcher paper. Wrap the lid and the bottom half of the box separately. Tape down the edges of the paper with scotch tape on the interior of the box so that the wrapping will appear seamless.
- Now cut out your Valentine scraps. These may be downloaded and printed from a great variety of resources from across the web or purchased.
- Paste the pictures down to cover the surface of the shoe box.
- Paste the molded, Valentine motifs randomly onto the surface of the decorated box.
- Glue the trim around the bottom edge of the shoe box lid with tacky glue.
- Cover the entire outside surface of the decorated shoe box with Mod Podge using a soft, camel hair brush. Let the Valentine mailbox dry over night.
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| Overlap slightly the Valentine scraps and white, paper clay pieces. |
The SITS Girls show how to make
a Valentine Letter Mailbox.
Craft More Valentine Mailboxes:
