Craft Tutorial: Divided Cigar Box

This week’ s challenge at The CSI Project was Organizing Tips.  This was perfect for me, since I’m in the process of turning a spare bedroom into a craft studio.   I have a ton of supplies, and I’ve been working on sorting them and putting them into appropriate storage containers.  And I’ve been trying to use what I have on hand.  Like, for instance, a sizable collection of cigar boxes.

I love cigar boxes.  They are so pretty!  But I needed storage containers for smaller things, like my ever-growing collection of buttons.  I want to sort them all by color, so I need divided  boxes!  Rather than go out and buy divided containers from the store that wouldn’t look nearly as cool, I decided to put dividers into a couple of awesome wooden cigar boxes.  I picked them up at my local cigar shop for about 5 to 7 dollars apiece.  Not exactly bargain storage, but I just love them!

Supplies:

• Cigar box
• Balsa/basswood
• Xacto or utility knife
• Ruler
• Sandpaper
• Wood glue

Directions:

If you’ve never worked with balsa or basswood before, you may want to read some tips first!

Measure the width and depth of the inside of your box and cut a piece of wood to fit across the box as shown.  If the pieces fit too snugly, use sandpaper as needed to make the piece fit properly. Glue the piece into place with wood glue.  Allow the glue to dry completely before adding more wood pieces.

Measure, cut, sand, and glue divider pieces into the large compartments to make smaller compartments.   You can make as many or as few compartments as you want.

When the glue is dry, the box is ready to hold all of your tiny treasures!  I’m using this box for colored buttons and metallic buttons, and I have another box from the same brand of cigars that I plan to use for white, black, gray, and brown buttons.

I obsessively label everything in my craft room, even the containers that are see-thru.  So, of course, I had to label my new button box!  I love letter stickers for things like this.  It took me just a couple of minutes to apply them, I don’t need to apply any Mod Podge (unless I really want to), and if I ever change the contents I can just peel them off and relabel the box.

Thank you, CSI Project, for kicking me in the butt on my button boxes!