A Harry Potter-themed Keepsake Box

Hi friends! This project has been sitting in the studio half-done for months. I’m not sure what my hang-up was, but I think I was worried that the recipient wouldn’t like it.

My friend, Amy, asked me to make a baby keepsake box for her new grand-niece in a Harry Potter theme. At first, I was excited to tackle the project, but then I worried that my creation might be too much or not artistic enough.

I needn’t worry; she loved the box! I hope the baby does too one day. If you want to see how I decorated this craft store unfinished box, watch the video!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Large wooden box to decorate (available at any big box craft store or Amazon)

• Acrylic paint (the blockout white is amazing)

• Acrylic paint markers and these

• Harry Potter wax seal stamp set, platform 9 3/4, and other nice ones (but pricey!)

• Lock and ket silicone molds (use with hot glue, clay, or resin)

• Wing molds: https://amzn.to/3OBDfRo

• Or Wing dies (you need a manual die-cutting machine to use these)

• Star stencil

• Collage ephemera

• Matte medium or Mod Podge, I found an antique matte that would be perfect for this

• I did a final varnish with Matte Minwax Polyacrylic which is more durable than mod-podge but you could seal it with matte Mod Podge or matte medium if you like. It will be a bit less protected but it will work. I would not seal it with gloss Modpodge tho as it can become sticky in humid environments. Polycrylic is a much better bet if you want a gloss finish. Alternatively, you can do the final varnish with a standard oil-based polyurethane if you have some.

• Old book pages

• Brushes

• Paper towels

• Make up sponge for stenciling

• Strong thick glue, like Beacon 3-in-1 for heavy embellishments

I really want to encourage you to use what you have. Maybe you have an old suitcase, trunk or even a cigar box that you can upcycle into a keepsake box. It will be perfect because it will be totally you, and you can’t buy that from a store!

Have a creative day, and until next time, happy crafting! PS If you want to see the Harry Potter birthday party I threw for my son when he was little check out this post!