Altered Lunch Box

Shopping for new supplies is one of the most exciting parts about getting ready for school. take it to another level. With a little paper, glue, and imagination, your child can personalize his school gear-and earn 'coolness points" with his classmates before the end of the first day.

Convert last year's lunch box into a handy container for art supplies and school memorabilia. You can also use ti to:
* hold small toy cars, small books, or small toy train sets
* organize photos and greeting cards
* file recipes
* give to a teacher (fill with cookies,stamps or stickers)
The lunch box can also be converted into an album. Stick photos, decorate with leftover scrapbook paper, and write down anecdotes on the side.

Material
* lunch box
* embellishments: ribbons, letter stickers (other option: buttons, flowers,diecuts, chipboard, stamps etc.)
* cutting tools
* heavy duty or double-sider tape
* corner punch (optional)
* mod podge or any decoupage medium
* sponge brush (used for applying the decoupage medium

Instructions
1 Measure the part of the lunchbox you want to decorate. This can include the front, back and sides, but it's really up to you! You can decorate one side and paint the rest, or add a simple border with the original color peeking through.
2 Cut paper according to your measurements This can be a big block, or several strips (leave room so you can averlap). We used several scrapbook papers from one school-themed collection (it comes with matching embellishments too!).
3 Trim the excess paper. Since this lunchbox had rounded edges, we trimmed the excess with a corner punch for a more uniform shape. You can also use scissors.
4 Glue. apply with a brush (spreads more evenly) on the lunchbox, and then align the paper on one side. Press down with your hand, ironing out the bubbles. Tip: Choose paper that's thick enough to handle a lot of glue without warping or discoloring.
5 Embellish. In this box, Usually one side has a solid color, and the other has a coordinated pattern which you can cut out and turn into embellishment." Most scrapbook lines also have coordinating stickers, ribbons,paper flowers. Use a strong glue, or attach with brads to the paper before ou stick.
6 Finish. you can paint a thin layer of decoupage glue for a glossy finish (it also halps stick everything down, some stickers tend to peel off!). We also tied different coordinating ribbons around the handle.