hen my sweetheart and I were dating, he gave me a custom-made love letter box that locks. I adore watching it fill up! If you don’t have a keepsake box of your own, here’s one you can make in just a few hours. Use it to start your own love letter collection, or give it as a gift – with a love letter tucked secretly inside!

You’ll need:

• An unfinished wooden, corrugated or paper box. Try a hat, shoe or any pre-made box (available at craft stores). It’ll need to be sturdy enough to last and deep enough to hold years and years’ worth of letters and cards.
• Fabric or paper to cover the box. For a romantic look, try one of these:
  • Old love letters (I love to browse antique store for these!)
  • Victorian-style wrapping paper
  • Romantic wallpaper or wallpaper border
  • Red velvet or a fabric that looks like a collage of French letters (100% cotton works best)
  • Lace paper doilies (with your own personal love messages or thoughts inscribed in the middle)
• Scissors and pinking shears
• Wax paper
• Small sponge brush
• Decoupage medium, Hodge Podge® (white or off-white color; available in craft stores)
• Satin or velvet fabric (for box lining; if desired)
• A small corded tassel
• Antique buttons, pewter charms or crafting pearls (if desired)
• Hot glue gun
• Metallic or calligraphy pen and ink
• Paper – parchment, linen or doily
• French braided piping or ribbon (match to color scheme)

Directions:
Cut paper or fabric (or whatever covering you’re using) into 2” (or larger) squares. (Note: If you’re using velvet or fabric with a repeat motif, you can just wrap the box like you would a gift, folding the edges under and gluing with a hot glue gun so that no cut edges are visible.)

Place your box on a piece of wax paper. Experiment with different arrangements of squares to find a look you like.

Starting on the bottom of the box, use a small sponge brush to coat the back of one of the decorative squares with decoupage medium and adhere it to the box. Liberally coat the top and edges of the decorative square with another layer of decoupage medium. Smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles.

Slightly overlap the squares to cover the entire box and lid. Don’t worry if the decoupage goes on unevenly; it’s very forgiving when dried. Wrap the squares around and over the rim of the box and under the lid. If you have any creases, smooth them flat. The lid won’t fit securely if your covering isn’t smooth.

Once you’ve finished the outside, decoupage squares to the inside of your box and lid. Score the squares along the box top and the inside crease of the lid, trim, then press edges into place. If you prefer, you can line the inside of the box with satin or velvet, using a hot glue gun to attach the fabric.

Coat the entire box – inside and out – with a final coat of decoupage medium and let dry. (Skip this step if you’re using fabric.) For an antique look, use off-white decoupage – it goes on slightly yellow, giving your box an antique finish.

Pierce a small hole in the top of the box and insert the tassel cording. You can add antique buttons or pewter charms to the tassel, or entwine it with a strand of crafting pearls for a Victorian look. Hot glue the end of the tassel to the inside of the box and glue a decorative button on top.

Using fine ink (or a metallic pen), write a personal message on a piece of linen or parchment paper or on a lace doily. Center the message on the inside of the box lid and decoupage in place. (If using fabric, hot glue in place.) Glue French braid or satin ribbon around the edges of the paper to “frame” it.

Sign and date the bottom of the box. After all, you created it!

Add a love letter your loved one will treasure for years.