Unicorn Valentine Card Box

My daughter loves everything unicorn. Every. Thing. I designed her some unicorn valentines to give to her friends, and when I told her we were celebrating Valentine's Day with Plaid Crafts by making a fun Valentine card box, you can guess what her answer was. With a little help from Apple Barrel Paints, Mod Podge, and a few other supplies, I think we came up with a pretty cute Unicorn Valentine Card Box that she will love showing off at her Valentine's Day party!!

To make your own Unicorn Valentine Card Box, you'll need:

• Cardboard Box (we used a corn dog box)
• White Tissue Paper (5-10 sheets)
• Matte Mod Podge
• Extreme Glitter Mod Podge (or Mod Podge & iridescent glitter)
• Mod Podge Collage Clay
• Apple Barrel Paints
• Clear Tape
• Iridescent Gift Wrap Ribbon
• White Cardstock
• Glitter Paper (we used pink & silver)
• Unicorn Eye Printable

Start by cutting a hole in the top right side of the box with a utility knife for the Valentine cards to be dropped in. Mine measured about 3x2 inches. Also, cut a door in the back for larger Valentines and to be able to remove all the cards later.

You can paint the box, but I was having a hard time getting all the packaging covered even after three coats of paint... so I decided to just wrap it instead! So much easier, and way less time!! Start with 5 sheets of tissue paper and check if you can still see the packaging through the paper. If you can, add more sheets. I used 10 just to be sure nothing would show through.

Wrap the box like you would a regular present, but keep the seams on the back and the sides so they won't show on the front. Use clear tape, and try to keep all the edges as smooth as you can.

Once the box is wrapped, you need to be able to access the holes you cut. You'll be able to feel the edges of the holes with your fingers, so just kind of press around it to lightly mark where the edges are. Then, take an Xacto knife and cut an "X" from corner to corner in the top hole. Then, you can bend the 4 triangles into the box and stick them down with a piece of tape.

For the door in the back, cut around the door edges, then just tape the 3 edges down. If you cut a hole instead of a door, do the same as the top hole. This way, all the edges are covered, and you won't have tissue paper ripping off.

Using Extreme Glitter Mod Podge (or some Matte Mod Podge mixed with some glitter), paint a light coat on all sides of the box. It will crinkle a little, but I like how it looks. Once the first coat is dry, you can add a second light coat of you want a little more sparkle. I did one coat on the sides and back, and two on the front.

Next, I cut out two hearts out of some silver glitter paper for the nostrils. You can easily cut them with a Cricut machine, a paper punch, or by hand. To stick them on, I painted a light coat of Mod Podge on the back and stuck them on.

For the ears I cut an ear shape out of white cardstock, and an inner ear piece from pink glitter paper. Then, I flipped them over, and cut out a second set. Paint a light coat of Extreme Glitter Mod Podge (or some Matte Mod Podge mixed with some glitter) on the white cardstock, then just put the pink glitter paper piece on while it's still wet. Let dry completely. If it warps at all, just carefully bend it back to lay flat.

Once the ears are dry, glue them on the top front corners of the box with a little Mod Podge. Let dry completely before doing anything else to ensure they stay in place.

While the ears are drying, roll a piece of white cardstock into a cone, trim the excess and stick together with tape. Then, paint stripes onto your unicorn horn with Apple Barrel paints. We used Pink Parfait, Key West, and Purple Pansy. I only had to paint 1-2 coats, and the stripes looked great!

Once the paint was dry, I painted a couple light coats of Extreme Glitter Mod Podge (or some Matte Mod Podge mixed with some glitter) on the horn, letting each coat dry completely before adding another one. It turned out sparkly and magical, just as a unicorn horn should be!!

While the unicorn horn is drying, start cutting pieces of ribbon. I cut 20-30 pieces at all different lengths. Curl all the pieces using scissors or a ribbon curler. Then, attach two or three pieces together with a small piece of tape at one of the ends. You'll now have 10-15 pieces of hair!

Trace the unicorn horn on the top where you want it to go. Then, attach all 10-15 pieces of hair around the circle using pieces of tape.

Next, you'll need to use some Mod Podge Collage Clay. This was my first time using this product, and it is so much fun!! It's like frosting, but in craft form. It totally keeps its shape if you are using it for decorating, and comes with three different tips for a different look. It also made it super simple for me to securely attach the horn to our unicorn's head!!

Use the regular round tip for the Mod Podge Collage Clay. Pull the ribbon ends out of the way with your fingers (or ask a friend for help), and trace the circle you drew with a thick layer of Collage Clay. Then, place the horn into the collage clay, and hold in place for a few seconds. Make sure it's level, then leave it to dry for a few hours.

Now all you need are some eyes!! Print and cut out the Unicorn Eye Printable. You could also easily create some eyes from paper scraps/circle punches, add some big googly eyes, or draw them on with marker.

Once everything is dry, your Unicorn Valentine Card Box is ready to take to your Valentine party!! My daughter absolutely loves her new unicorn, and can't wait to fill it up with Valentine cards from her friends!!