It was pretty funny if you think about it. Shortly after Valentine’s Day last year, I kept finding the same ring box or mini jewelry box while out thrifting. It hailed from Kmart and apparently the recipients didn’t care for the little box. I snapped up one and then another, determined to turn them into Valentine’s Day home decor.
The first ring box I found…
And then the second one, exactly the same design as the first.
From a jewelry box perspective, they were limited in their design. But from an upcycling into Valentine’s Day decor perspective?
They’d be perfect little decorations and/or trinket boxes for candy.
And because they were also a picture frame jewelry box, I could further embellish them with a vintage valentine card, too!
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Upcycling a Ring Box or Picture Frame Jewelry Box
I already had an upcycling idea in mind when I stumbled across a similarly sized photo frame with a heart cut out. I was OBVIOUSLY destined to upcycle these, and why not do it as a coordinated set?
Painting them in festive pinks and reds for Valentine’s Day seemed like a no-brainer.
First, I raided my “Oops” paint collection and nabbed another sample of pink latex paint from Home Depot.
I painted each picture frame box so that they popped with bright color- and I decided not to distress the edges. I liked the full color and it saved me a step!
Next, I wanted to insert a vintage valentine into each picture frame jewelry box. But of course, I wasn’t about to chop up an actual vintage card.
But there are loads of digital downloads of vintage Valentines available online. Some are free, and others cost a few dollars. But, it was an easy fix for my problem!
So, I selected a few that worked with my ring box collection, sized them to fit, and printed them out. I saved some in this Pinterest board, if you’re in need of any!
Picture Frame Jewelry Box as Valentine’s Day Decor
And that was it! The vintage Valentines worked perfectly in my small trinket boxes. Such a sweet and simple thrift store makeover for Valentine’s Day home decor.
Pro Tip: Did you know that removing the ring cushions from inside a jewelry box like this is easy? You just need pliers and can gently pry them out (maybe even with your fingers). That way, a ring box like this can become a more useful trinket box or Valentine’s Day gift box for wrapped candy!
I think they are just the sweetest little trinket boxes now! Part of me is hoping to find more cast-off Kmart jewelry boxes while thrifting.
But the other part of me knows I already have two and don’t need any more.
I see heart-shaped decor pieces at thrift stores all the time, and they are simply PERFECT for upcycling into Valentine’s Day decor.
V-day isn’t a holiday that needs too much decorating. But when you find outdated “heart” treasures while thrifting, it becomes “DIY Meant To Be”.
If you enjoyed this upcycling idea for Valentine’s Day home decor, then you’ll love this cross stitch heart that I made on cane webbing!
Craft on!
S
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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
These are just darling, Sadie & love the vintage images you chose!?
Thank you!! There are SO many vintage Valentines out there to print up, but the challenge was finding the right heart-shaped ones with all the cute wording visible. A fun and sweet challenge, LOL.
What adorable Valentines, these cast off boxes and frame are just perfect!
Thank you, Kaycee!
Cute idea, again thanks for sharing. Just wondering a couple of days ago I commented under your Thrift Store cups post also asking the question what do you do with the treasures you create. I love to up cycle too, but am never sure what to do with them all. I went back to find your reply and the whole post was gone. I have one place I consign, 50/50 … used to do craft shows but too much work with a bad back now. Etsy I didn’t even try, too complicated for me! 😉 Any input would be truly appreciated. I love following you, thanks ahead! 🙂
Hi, Anita- did you see my answer on Facebook?
Love this idea! So cute! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Nancy!
I am wondering what the inside of the ring box looked like, after removing the partitions. Did you paper it, paint it or??
Did you not see the photo of my holding it open before I painted it?
These are cute. I love a lot of your upcycling projects.
Keep it up. You have a lot of good ideas.
I appreciate that- thank you!
Lovely
Thank you, Josée!
Did you need to sandpaper the wood before painting it?
Not sure if I missed that step if you did that.
I didn’t, actually! No real reason why other than the boxes were small and I didn’t mind doing 2-3 coats since they only took a few minutes to paint. Thank you for asking, though- I probably should have mentioned that.
They are adorable!
Thank you very much, Cecilia!
Those are precious! I am a sucker for vintage illustrations like that from books, cards, etc. So cute!
Me, too, Vicki- me, too!
Very cute project; might be fun to do with kids for grandma! Thanks
Totally!!