A Box for Alice

I have a very good friend whom I've worked with at a couple of different jobs in the last few years. We have our own tiny book club and call each other once a month to catch up and discuss whatever book we've decided to read. She is a thoroughly delightful and kind person, and I just adore her. Sadly for me, she lives in New York, so we don't get to see each other often.

She has one daughter, Alice, who has been going through kind of a tough time lately. She's just a little kid, only seven, but has been dealing with some health issues that, though not life-threatening, certainly make life harder. She is also a very girly girl who loves jewelry and fashion and is constantly trying style her mom. 😂 I was similarly girly at that age, so I feel like I really understand her vibe.

I decided to make her a custom cartonnage jewelry box, both as a birthday present and as a special treat to make up for the tough times. Obviously it had to be pink (her favorite color), but I wanted it to be grown-up enough that she would feel like she could use the jewelry box as she got older. So I chose a fun blend of playful and elegant pink fabrics and specifically designed the box's dimensions to fit in a medium-size Priority Mail box. (Shipping costs get kind of astronomical if you fail to do this.)

I didn't take many pictures of the construction unfortunately (I just forgot), but I have a few, so I'll show you what I can. This is just a quick shot I took while midway through constructing the base, which holds the drawers, but it's a nice image of the four fabrics I picked out:

I constructed this box with the front open to allow the drawers to be accessed and used risers and a platform to make the upper level of drawers. I put the top side of the box on last because it was easier to fit the drawers that way. And then I put another box on top of that, but this one was open at the top:

You can see the two levels of drawers on the bottom. And the upper portion is just glued on top of that. I decided the upper portion would also have two levels—a lower level divided into smaller compartments and then an upper level of removable trays. Here are the small compartments:

Those compartments also act as a shelf for the removable trays to rest on. And here are the two trays:

I figured she could use the one on the left for earrings or other small jewels and the one on the right for rings. Here is the front after I added the outside covering:

Then I made a lid that went all the way around it. You can see it open here:

For extra fun, I made a secret compartment, which isn't immediately obvious, but if you pull out the top two drawers, you get a sense for where it is:

The drawer on the left is a little shorter, and behind it is another drawer that pulls out with a ribbon:

And here is that second little drawer:

I split the lower drawer into two compartments to further help with organization:

And as the final touch, I added a heart-shaped brass padlock with a little key on a pink ribbon so Alice could keep her treasures safe:

I really love how it turned out. Here's a little side view of the box when it's closed:

I'm happy to say that Alice was thrilled with the jewelry box. Her mom took a video of her opening it and sent it to me, and I think I got as much joy from seeing her excitement as she did from receiving the gift.

Her mom also sent me this photo after she helped Alice organize all her jewelry into the box, and I think it's just adorable:

So that's another successful cartonnage gift. I must say, people really love getting these. Which is great, because I enjoy making them, but I can only keep so many myself. 😂

I do have plans to make myself a custom jewelry box, but it probably won't happen till next year. That's all for now, but I will have another cartonnage gift box post as some point—just waiting to give it to the recipient.