Protect your work surface from adhesives, stamping ink or sticker residue by covering the table with pieces of scrap paper or a plastic sheet.
Measure the height and width of the lid, sides and bottom of the box with a ruler and jot down the measurements on a piece of scrap paper.
Cut pieces of card stock, construction paper or patterned paper to the noted dimensions with a paper trimmer, scissors or a craft knife. Affix the paper pieces to the box with a glue stick or double-stick tape.
Rub fine-grain sandpaper along the edges of the box to distress and smooth the edges of the card stock, construction paper or patterned paper. Wipe the box down with a soft cloth to remove any of the gritty residue from the sandpaper.
Add your child’s name to the lid or side of the box, if desired, with letter stickers, alphabet rubber stamps and ink or colorful markers. You can also add her current grade level if you plan to make a new trinket box for each school year.
Embellish the top of the box with accents such as pictures of friends and school spirit ribbons or dimensional decorations like paper flowers, chipboard shapes, ribbon, rhinestones or metal charms. Affix the accents with dabs of white glue or a glue stick.