Welcome! This post is only a few DAYS later than I was planning! Friday evening quickly turned into middle of the night/early morning on Sunday. Whoops.
The idea I’m sharing today was actually born out of utility (which makes sense since necessity is the mother of invention). I’m participating in the First Annual Peach Blossom Festival in Fort Valley, GA during the first weekend of March selling handmade jewelry and a few other things. (My jewelry isn’t fancy really–it’s made from repurposed t-shirts, work shirts, etc. I like it.) Unfortunately, “real” displays can be expensive. Not only that, this is only my second show and since I only made a whole dollar at the first, I’m not ready to commit to anything yet!
I was at work on Friday avoiding anything constructive when I looked up at my bookshelf and saw a lid from a paper/file box that had since been tossed. It was standing on its side (horizontally) with the underside of the lid facing out, and it hit me that it looked like a frame, or display of sorts. I picked it up and popped a push-pin into it and my idea was born…
This is what you’ll need…
Supplies:
- Lid From a File Box or Paper Carton
- Several 12×12 Sheets of Paper
- Colored Duct Tape
- Washi Tape
- Paper Cutter
- Push Pins
- Tape Measure or Ruler (optional)
Start off by placing the box lid with the top side up. Place one sheet of paper against one of the short ends of the lid, folding over to cover about half of the top.
Next, use the duct tape to secure all edges of the paper. On my lid, the paper hung over the edges of the top a little, but the duct tape is strong enough and thick enough to fold down and secure the paper without any additional trimming.
Repeat the process on the other uncovered end of the lid. This won’t look the prettiest, and you’ll have a big line of duct tape running down the middle of the top. So we fix that…
My design came from another piece of 12×12 paper, but you can use any number of things to cover the seam made by the duct tape. I then used alternating torn strips of washi tape to secure the decoration to the top of the box. You can also use strips of duct tape, or simply glue the decoration to the box. Your choice!
As you’ll notice, the long ends of the lid are now the only things on the top side that are “naked.” You can either measure or simply fold another piece of the paper over the edge to see how much you’ll need to cover the inside and outside of the lid edge. Once you cut it to size, fold the remainder of the sheet in half, and this will be enough to cover the remaining portion of the one side of the lid. It won’t cover 100%, but once you secure the paper, the “empty” spots will be covered.
This step was actually the hardest for me because I kept getting the tape stuck in the wrong spot on both the paper and the box…but the objective is to secure the paper to the underside of the lid with duct tape–with half of the tape on the paper, and half on the inside of the lid top. This doesn’t have to be exact, though. (At least this is what I keep telling my OCD self…)
Now we’re totally done with the top, or outside, and are working totally on the inside, or underside, of the lid.
Cover both of the short interior sides of the lid edges with duct tape.
Cut two pieces of your 12×12 paper to size so that it will fit inside the bottom of the lid. I suggest taping the two pieces together on the underside so that it won’t flap and fly when the display is standing. Once your pages are taped together and in place, secure to the sides of the lid with washi tape. Again, I used the alternating method. You’ll notice that at this point you’re only taping to duct tape. (No, there isn’t anything significant about this…it’s just an observation!)
And now, your display is pretty much done! It’s not a professional display, by far, but it’s way better than the old lid it started as (it was from around 2007 or before)! It was mentally difficult for me to pull the whole thing together for some reason before I started, but I do like how it turned out. And as you can see, it stands up by itself…always a plus for a display. 
What do you think? What can I do to improve the idea? (Other than using more precision, of course…) I’d love to hear what you think and if you have any other great display ideas!
What projects are you working on right now?
Cute idea! Could work with Hairbows too, I’m thinking craft shows too.
Thanks! Yes, I’ll be using mine in a craft show…and maybe at home when I’m done!