graduation gift

Okay.....let me just start by saying I loaded all these pictures in the wrong order and I'm just going to leave them backwards so bear with me :) This is a graduation gift that I make all of my nieces and nephews when they graduate from high school. It is a wooden box that I got at Michaels with my 40% off coupon...and of course I'm crazy and bought enough for all 15 when they graduate some day so they will all have the same one...just call the treatgirl crazy! But essentially I just print their favorite pictures right onto computer paper...nothing fancy..... you can print them in color or black and white...paint the box if you want...then Mod Podge them all over it. I give it a coat of spray acrylic so the print won't run or smudge when you give another coat of Mod Podge at the end. I know it sounds easy enough....but it's taken me about 6 of them now to perfect my technique...and it takes a few days of printing, Mod Podging, drying, spraying, drying, doing the inside and the bottom, spraying, drying and Mod Podging again...all over. Wheh! But I think they make a great keepsake to take to college and keep on their desk to stash some stuff.

This is a view of the inside....I usually put some of their favorite candy inside, a card and money....then wrap it up in celophane and tie it with ribbons of their school colors.




I take it outside to give it a clear coat before I use the Mod Podge all over it.



Cut out the pictures, arrange them and put Mod Podge on the back of the picture to glue it in place.



And here's the finished product....I added a few little stickers and on the inside I used alphabet stamps to put a message of congratulations and best wishes.