Anyone                                 who gardens from seed knows how important it is                                 to keep seeds organized. I keep a box, sorted                                 by plant type, that is invaluable all spring,                                 summer, and fall, and it serves as a storage file                                 in winter.

                             

This                                 box, designed to fit standard-sized seed packets,                                 is decorated with herb motifs from catalogs and                                 saved seed packets.

                             

                             

Materials:

                             

                               
• Stiff                                   cardboard, mat board, or illustration board,                                   18" x 24"
                               
• Masking                                   tape
                               
• Seed                                   packets, pictures of herbs from catalogs or                                   gardening magazines
                               
• Decoupage                                   medium (Mod-Podge, acrylic medium, or thinned                                   white glue)
                               
• 1                                   yard grosgrain ribbon, 1" wide
                               
• 6"                                   length of carpet thread or yarn
                               
• 4"                                   x 6" piece of felt for bottom (optional)
                               
• 1                                   paper fastener
                             

                             

                             

Equipment

                             

                               
• Cutting                                   surface, such as cork, wood or rubber
                               
• X-acto                                   or mat knife, sharp blades
                               
• Metal                                   ruler, 18" if available
                               
• Scissors
                               
• 1"                                   flat brush
                             

                             

Instructions

                             

1)                                 In pencil, draw the pattern for the box and lid                                 onto the board. The dotted lines are fold lines;                                 the solid lines are cutting lines.

                             

2)                                 Using the metal ruler and sharp knife, cut out                                 the shapes. Score lightly along the dotted lines,                                 cutting only halfway through the board, to allow                                 you to fold these lines.

                             

3)                                 Fold along the scored lines and run masking tape                                 along each seam line to fasten the corners. The                                 upper edges of the box, if cut accurately, should                                 line up perfectly. If they don’t, trim them                                 before you tape the box together.

                             

4)                                 Cut out images from the seed packets and catalogs.

                             

5)                                 To decoupage the box and lid, coat an area of                                 the board with acrylic medium or glue, stick on                                 the paper cutout, and brush over it to hold it                                 in place and seal it. Decorate around the upper                                 edges of the box and down at least 1" inside                                 the box.

                             

6)                                 The box lid edges will be trimmed with the grosgrain                                 ribbon. You can decoupage the top only, or the                                 entire lid, both inside and out.

                             

7)                                 When your design is complete, paint a final coat                                 of acrylic medium onto the box and lid. If you                                 have been using white glue for the decoupage,                                 use acrylic gloss medium for the final coat (glue                                 may leave a cloudy film).

                             

8)                                 Paint a 1" stripe of glue or medium around                                 the lid front and side edges and along the top                                 of the lid back. Cut three 3" lengths of                                 ribbon for the hinges. Glue the grosgrain ribbon                                 hinges onto the lid back, 1/4" in from each                                 edge and 1/4" apart. Glue the yarn or carpet                                 thread to the center front of the lid. Glue the                                 rest of the ribbon around the entire lid edge,                                 covering the hinge and yarn ends.

                             

9)                                 To finish the ribbon hinges, glue the three ribbon                                 ends to the inside of the box, spaced 1/2"                                 from each edge and from each other.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

10)                                 Measure 3" down the front of the box. Pierce                                 a hole in the box and insert the paper fastener.                                 Wrapping the yarn or carpet thread around this                                 “buttonâ€� fastens the file box closed.

                             

11)                                 Glue the felt to the bottom of the box.

                             

12)                                 If you want to include index dividers for the                                 file box, mark them on the leftover board and                                 cut them with the sharp knife. Leave them blank,                                 or make indexes for the different types of herbs,                                 such as Edible, Aromatic, Medicinal, Mints, Culinary,                                 Insect Repellent, and Healing.

                             

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Excerpted                       from:                       Gifts                       For Herb Lovers:                       Over 50 projects to make and give                       by Betty Oppenheimer.