DIY Frankenstein Candy Box

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO

STEP 1: DOWNLOAD THE FREE SVG FILE

The first thing you’ll need to do is get the free SVG file you’ll use for this project.  I keep all the SVG files I use for the projects I make in my SVG Library.  These SVG files work with Cricut and Silhouette machines, as well as many others.  This library is open to everyone and is free! You can access the library here.

STEP 2: BUILD THE WOOD BOX

This wood box is really easy to make because it’s all straight cuts. You just need a few simple tools. If you don’t want to make your own, you could probably find something similar at the craft store.

Cut your wood pieces down to size.  You’ll need the following

2-8.75″ x 7.25″
3- 7.25″ x 7.25″

Add some wood glue along the bottom of the side piece.

Use a nailer (or hammer and nails) to secure the side piece to the bottom of the box.

Repeat with the other side.

Add wood glue to the bottom and sides of the front piece and nail into place.

Repeat with the back piece.

Lightly sand all the edges of the box.

STEP 3: CUT AND TAPE VINYL STENCIL

While the box is drying, open the design in your software program and size it to fit in your box (I sized my design to about 9″ x 7″.)  The file is already set up to work as a stencil. The only thing you need to do is move the black parts of the eyes off the head and draw a rectangle around them to create a small stencil. You might need to ungroup the file before you can move them.

When everything is sized correctly, cut the design with your Cricut or Silhouette.  Once everything is cut, weed away the excess vinyl.

Cut a piece of transfer tape a little bigger than the design. Place the transfer tape on vinyl and smooth it down. Then, trim off the excess transfer tape. Rub over the entire design with a scraper and cut apart the two stencils.

 

STEP 4: APPLY VINYL TO BOX

Be sure to let your box dry completely before applying the vinyl.  It will stick much better if everything is totally dry. Place the vinyl so it’s facing down, and then pull off the vinyl backing. I like to do it this way so the vinyl doesn’t curl.

Line up the bottom edge of the stencil with the bottom of the box. Press down on the vinyl and rub over the design with a scraper.

Carefully, pull off the transfer tape.

 

STEP 5: FILL IN THE STENCIL WITH PAINT

Start by painting a thin coat of green paint over the stencil.

Why do we do this? To help prevent bleeds.

Sometimes there are small gaps between the stencil and the wood.  Our hope is that the green paint will fill in these gaps, instead of the paint we will use on the stencil.

Once the green paint is dry, fill in the stencil with paint.  I used black, dark green, and white. You’ll probably need to do a couple of light coats.

Once the paint is dry to the touch, carefully pull off the stencil.  If there’s any bleeding, you can touch it up with a small paintbrush.

Allow the white paint to dry completely, then apply the stencil for the eyes.

Fill in the second stencil with black paint.

Once the black paint is dry to the touch, pull off the stencil.

You can use a craft knife or weeding tool to pull out the centers of the eyes.

If desired, you can cut out a stencil of just the hair to paint around the sides of the box.

STEP 5: ADD DECORATIVE HARDWARE

To complete the box, attach black handles to the sides of the box.

That’s it. Wasn’t that a fun project? It’s such a cute box to put your Halloween candy in.

  

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Want to make your own? Get the free cut file for this project in the Resource Library.