How to – Ferrero Roche box into night-light!!

Ok so this may sound a little bizarre…..but stay with me! I promise you this is worth it!

Like most crafter’s I’m a bit of a hoarder and had (over many year’s of course) collected quite a stash of empty Ferrero Roche boxes. Obviously not all eaten by me, ahem. You can use any similar box for this, anything made with hard and clear plastic (which incidentally is quite difficult and costly to re-cycle) will do!

Pondering like I do of things to make I came across these boxes and had a think. This is what I came up with. Turning an empty plastic box into a night-light (my husband nearly had a cerebral meltdown when I tried to explain this) is obviously the answer! So…if it’s difficult to explain…..I thought I’d show you!

So lets do this Blue Peter stylee……have you got your equippment ready?

You will need:

PVA glue mixed with water (I do this quite thick, add a drop at a time!)

Paintbrush

Small pliers (jewellery pliers are ideal)

Junior hacksaw

Plastic box (Ferrero Roche is you’re a chocaholic like me!)

Fairy lights (these can be battery powered or mains, it’s up to you. Mine have 10 bulbs for a box this size, they MUST be one’s that DON’T HEAT UP!!)

Cello-tape

Crepe paper suitable for de-coupage.

1) Cut hole in box for wire.

You will need your hacksaw and pliers for this bit! Do this into the side of the box that will be the BACK, ie the bumpy side. Draw two lines about half a centimetre apart and about a centimetre long. Cut down along the lines with the hacksaw (WARNING this is very noisy, I found it easier to just pull the saw backwards a few times rather than using an actual sawing motion!) Once you have cut along both lines, bend and snap off the bit in the centre with your pliers. This should leave a nice space for your fairy-lights wire.

2) Choose your background

I have chosen pink for my background, but you can be creative! Remember to do this on the flat side of the box without labels on as they would show through your design. I found the paper stuck better if you paste the glue all over the front and halfway down the sides of the box and THEN add your crepe paper. Once you’ve placed the paper on then paste over again with the glue so it’s all nice and wet! (you have to be gentle so as not to tear the paper) Fold all round the sides with the brush but ensure the paper doesn’t go over the lip of the box otherwise it’ll affect the way it closes. You can be as careful or quick as you like, most of the wrinkles dry out flat once it dries, besides I think the odd wrinkle adds character! 😉 x

3) GET CREATIVE!!

I chose to use an old serviette (I had these at my wedding so it was great to use them in a creative way!) with pretty butterflies on it. Cut out your design and get sticking!

I have randomly placed the butterflies on the box (I don’t do symmetry!) as I wanted it to look like they were just landing or alighting in a little group! Don’t worry about cutting out things exactly, as you’ll see below the colours blend together as you’re using such thin paper:

I wanted to add a bit more to this, to really bring out the colours of the butterflies and add a little colour:

This is the end result!! I have added some dark purple flowers, green leaves and diamante stickers to add a bit of sparkle! They’ll also help to reflect the light once you switch it on at the end.

4) Fix in the fairy lights.

Literally GO NUTS with the cello-tape for this bit! You don’t want these moving once the box is sealed! If your light is going into a child’s bedroom where it could be knocked I would maybe use something like a glue gun for extra security. BEFORE you stick your lights make sure to consider where you want them in relation to your design. I am sticking them to the inside to the BACK wall of the box, this will give a diffused light effect. If you want a brighter light effect then attach the lights to the FRONT wall of the box (just behind your design) This is good if you have a design with stars…as you’ll see at the bottom of this page! Remember you want the lead to fit into the hole so the first light on the row must be nearest to the hole.

5) THE EXCITING BIT!! 

TURN IT ON!! This is the best pic I could get so you’ll have to trust me on how pretty this really looks in a darkened room! I think this one may end up in MY bedroom lol!!

Here’s another I made earlier (told you we were doing this Blue Peter stylee!) using the lights closer to the design for a stronger brighter light:

This I made for my son and he loves it!!

To finish your night-light either glue or tape all the way around the box so it’s securely fixed shut. Ensuring of course that the plug/battery pack is outside!!

I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I really hope you’ll give it a go yourself!! If you would like to send me a pic of one you’ve made I’d be delighted to see it!

You can find me most days on my FB page at Crafty Love so share your pic on my wall!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafty-Love/167446303366034

If you enjoyed this post PLEASE COMMENT!! Thanks so much 🙂 x