Halloween Witch Boxes

Every fall as Halloween nears the question “Where does a witch keep her extra warts” is on everyone’s mind. The answer? In a witch box, of course. These cute stacked boxes are perfect for storing a few Halloween goodies or to use as a fun table display.

What you need

A set of stacking paper mache craft boxes
Acrylic paints in black and 3 seasonal colors of your choice
White craft glue
Lettering supplies

Instructions

Kids can help with this project by painting on the base color and selecting the words for the outside of the boxes. The crackling process is somewhat “magical” to watch and will fascinate young helpers.

Hint: If you’re confident in hand lettering by all means paint the words onto the finished boxes by hand, but if calligraphy isn’t your thing use letter stickers. Decide on your words and make sure your sticker package has all the letters you need before you start applying them.

Paint each paper box black and allow it to dry thoroughly.

Work with one box and apply strokes of white glue here and there somewhat haphazardly. The goal is to have streaks of glue in different thicknesses to create more variance in the crackle. Let the glue dry for a minute or two until it gets tacky but not dry.

Apply the second coat of paint being careful to paint in only one direction without wiping the glue back and forth. The finished look is aged and “creepy” so the paint job shouldn’t be perfectly even. As the paint dries the crackle finish becomes more apparent.

Repeat the process with the remaining boxes.