Craft: Personalized boxes perfect as birthday gifts

I have recently found out about transfer paper or carbon paper for use in crafting... and I LOVE it! I don't know why I've never used this stuff before. I have my mom to thank. Last year, for Charlotte's 1st birthday, we (and I mean mom) painted every child's name on a $1 plastic bucket for their party favor. Awesome huh? First, I thought she was just that talented... because she can do that sort of stuff free hand. I come from a whole family of crafty people, but that's another post in itself. So after I praise mom how talented she is and thank her SO much for helping with the favors she let me in on her secret.... she printed out fun letters on the computer and used transfer paper to get them on the side of the buckets. THEN she used paint pen, ok... real paint... to paint the names. Turns out, the $1 buckets are SO cheap that the paint pen doesn't stick to it. It's either that or the quality of paint pens has decreased immensely!

That said, I am coming up on all of Charlotte's little friend's 2nd birthday parties... which tends to get expensive! Now, I'm not trying to be stingy, cheap, etc... but getting birthday gifts for 10 little kids over a few months is crazy.

So this year, inspired by a plastic bin that my mom made for me when I was little, I am decorating plastic boxes and filling them with goodies from the target $1 aisle (love that aisle by the way) and other smaller gifts that I can get in bulk and split up, like little play-doh's, cars, etc.

I start off by getting my supplies:

1. plastic boxes - the paint pens stick well to these sterilite shoe boxes that I got for $1 (on sale) and $1.29 regular at Target
2. carbon/transfer paper - one lady at Joann sent me to the t-shirt transfer sheets ever after I described my project... luckily I found someone who actually knew what they were talking about and directed me to the carbon/transfer paper. Apparently, they don't keep a lot in stock so good luck finding it.
3. Paint pens
4. A fun font on the computer
5. goodies for inside the box

Then I print out my font, trim around the name/text I want, and cut myself carbon paper to go underneath and tape to the box so it doesn't move on you.

Then, using a clicky pencil with the lead not out, trace the letters.

Finally, go over the letters with paint pen and add cute designs

And we have a personalized box of goodies for the birthday boy (or girl). For the girls, I bought little dolls, plastic rings and bracelets, crayons, coloring books, and various other learning books from the $1 aisle.

Linking up: Dot Dot Dot, JaG, Gluesticks, Nap Time Crafters

Featured On: Dot Dot Dot