When I was younger, I was visiting my grandmother when she asked me to grab a bottle of spray cleaner under her kitchen sink. When I opened the cabinet to grab the cleaner I noticed she had a few tiny floral stickers on the bottle. She saw I noticed them, and explained, she didn’t like the look of the packaging so she decided to make it prettier! This stuck in my mind my whole life, because if you knew my grandmother, she was the original Martha Stewart before there was a Martha Stewart. She honestly has been the person who has inspired me the most as far as home decorating, gift wrapping and party planning goes. She always did things simply but elegantly and had a way of making everything look beautiful. Hence, a few days ago when I was lighting my candles I thought how I wanted to leave my matches displayed by my candles but I hated how unsightly the packaging is. It was then that I remembered this moment with my grandmother and decided to make the packaging prettier! It’s very simple to do, nothing crazy, but it’s these little things that can make the details in our home more pleasurable.
Start by picking up matches (the large box and/or the group of smaller ones), Mod Podge and a sponge applicator brush at the Dollar Tree. I then searched for pretty wallpapers online and printed out a few images. You can also use pretty craft paper from Michaels or Hobby Lobby.
I started out by measuring the matchbox and trying to cut it to the exact size but then just decided to place the matchbox on top of the paper, trace it, and cut it with an exacto knife. This is often how I craft – I’m not very exact but I get it close enough. I did cut it about 2/16″ or so wider because I wanted the sides to wrap down over the matchbox ever so slightly.
I spread the Mod Podge on the cover and slightly over the sides (near the striker) and then placed the paper on top and pressed down wrapping over the edges and that it’s! Be sure to do both sides of the box!
I even printed out a tiny version of the wallpaper we used in our lake house kitchen so now I have some matches that coordinate with that space!
You can see more of our lake house kitchen and renovation by clicking here.
It’s such a simple, inexpensive craft and I love how you can change out the paper to coordinate with various room colors or seasons. You can print out holiday patterns and colors for Valentine’s day, springtime, Halloween, Christmas, etc.. the skies the limit!
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