My previous article How to Make a Photo Box explains how to make a basic photo box, this article will deal with the various ways to decorate a photo box.

This box was designed as a gift for the parents of a young child who loves Thomas the Tank Engine. I have not included any photos in this design, I chose to leave spaces so that the parents can add their favourite photos later.

The basic box is made of thin red card and the lid is made of blue card. All of the Thomas the Tank Engine pictures and quotes came from one sheet of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper that I bought from an ebay trader. I also used some oddments of scrapbook paper and some tiny pieces of ribbon from my box of scraps.

The picture of Thomas on the base of the box will remain, but photos can be stuck on the inner sides of the box with a little of the blue Thomas themed paper visible around the edges to frame the pictures. 

On the reverse sides of the inner box I used contrasting paper to make simple pouch pockets containing square tags. These can either be used for more photos or to write down brief comments such as things the child says, his favourite toys, or whatever fits with the theme of your picture box. Photos can also be stuck on the inner sides of the outer box.

The above photo shows the base and outer sides of the box. I chose to leave the sides fairly simple because the lid is bright with a lot of writing so the simple sides contrast nicely. You can use a 3D design on the lid, a flower or a little model, I decided to keep this design simple, but I could have used a tiny engine on top of the box. Just use your imagination, but when decorating the outer sides of the box remember that the lid will cover almost half of the design.

If you have enjoyed reading this please take a look at my other craft articles

How to make a Paper Bag Album

How to make a Tag Album

How to make a Journal Jar