Tutorial: Cigarette Box Up-Cycle

Smoking is, indeed, a nasty habit.  With millions of people smoking millions of packs of cigarettes a day, there has GOT to be a ton of packs thrown out everyday, laying in the City Dump sluggishly decomposing. Want to make it a little bit greener?There is a way to make something useful from the empty boxes when you or someone you know is done with them. I’m pretty picky when I choose which box I’ll use to make these little cuties with. They can’t have any dents in them, or folds…I like them to be “just like new”.

*Editor's note: These boxes do not have to be used to keep cigarettes in! I use mine for keeping knick knacks, loose buttons, tiny notes, and miscellaneous little things in.

All you need:

Mod Podge

Cigarette box

Scissors

Scrapbook paper

2 buttons (works better if you use ones that have shanks on the back)

Hot glue

Embroidery floss

Craft knife

Foam brush or paint brush (not pictured)

Take off the clear plastic on the outside of the pack and the foil from the inside. Make sure your scrapbook paper is long enough to cover the entire box. The paper needs to be at least 4inches wide and 12 inches in height.

  It’s important to the way the paper lays to start with the top flap of the pack! Make sure the paper hangs over a little so you can Mod Podge it under afterwards. Brush on the Mod Podge and center the flap on the scrapbook paper.Make sure to rub it down for maximum “stick-age” J

Apply Mod Podge to top and back of the pack next and press the paper over it. Make creases at the folds of the box and use the craft knife to make slits (or scissors).

Next, open the pack and make slits from the back where the paper creases.  Now here comes the tricky part….Are you ready? Apply Mod Podge to the sides of the flaps and press this paper slat on it.

 Apply more MP on top of the first layer of paper and press down the paper from the top of the flap. Apply more MP to that paper and press down the last bit of paper on top of that. It should look something like this now:

 Break out your craft knife again! We have to get rid of the paper that’s hanging on the sides! Lay the pack on its side and cut first the corner at the top of the pack and then the paper at the diagonal.

Apply MP again to the inside of the top of the pack and press the paper to it.

 MP the bottom and the front of the pack but just to the top of where the top flap will meet.

 Make your creases again on the bottom and cut the slits.

 Somewhere along the line I messed up and now it’s crooked, but that’s okay! Brush the Mod Podge onto the bottom flap and press paper onto box. MP the side of the pack (just to where the top will meet at the diagonal) and press the paper from the back onto it. Do you see where the point is on the side of the pack? Cut the paper on the front side at that height then fold down.

 MP the sides again and press paper flaps to it. Now it should look something like this:

If you have paper hanging off the sides, just lay your box down and use your craft knife to clean it up. For this next part, you’ll have to just feel around to cut off the diagonal side so that way your box can close. Fold down the paper on the front of the box again so it just hits the top of where you stopped Mod Podging, and cut at the crease.

 Now if you were straight with the placement of your box, the pattern on your paper will line up. Obviously mine didn’t!

You can now either Mod Podge the outside of your box or leave as is…I like to make it shiny, so I MP it, then let it dry. Get your glue gun ready folks! Cut off a piece of embroidery floss, about 8 inches. Apply a little glob of hot glue on the top flap of the box. Place the floss on top and then press into it with one of your buttons.

 Attach the other button directly below onto the front side of the box. Let the glue dry! Then you can wrap your floss around the buttons to close the box.

After you've mastered your first one, make a whole lot more!

Happy Crafting!

Project Level: Moderately Intense