DIY colored pencil favor boxes

Although making things has never gone out of style for many of us, people everywhere are suddenly announcing that crafting is back. Unlike when your grandma did it, this time it's super trendy. The challenge to turn supplies into surprise has make-and-do misses and misters everywhere plugging in their glue guns!

As a judge on TLC's popular competition show Craft Wars, I have seen this enthusiasm firsthand in the eyes of each week's contestants, willing to do battle using gallons of glitter, hundreds of hoops (normally used for embroidery) and enough spray adhesive to instantly glue viewers to their seats!

This excitement for the show inspired me to host my own “Make Things, Not War!” dinner party for a few of my craftiest friends, complete with how-to-kits that I assembled for each guest so they could create their own take-home favor boxes using little more than a handful of colored pencils and snippets of a measuring tape. So sharpen your pencils and your craft skills to get started on this weeks project!

What you'll need:

• Small cardboard box
• Colored pencils
• Acrylic paint and brush
• Measuring tape

• Hot gue glun and glue sticks
• Craft knife
• Scissors

Step 1: Painting the box

Coat the inside and outside of your box with acrylic paint. I used white, but you can pick any color you want your box to be on the inside. The paint acts as a primer on the outside but should not show through the pencils when you're finished.

Step 2: Sizing your pencils

Gather a selection of colored pencils and trim them to the height desired for the sides of your box. I used standard-size colored pencils from Michael's Craft Store, cut them exactly in half using a craft knife and sharpened the ends.

Step 3: Attaching the pencils

Hot glue the pencils onto the box starting at the front and continuing all the way around. Use any color pattern you like!

Step 4: Add the handle

Cut the desired length needed for making your handle from a standard measuring tape used for sewing and hot glue the ends to the inside of the favor box.

Fill the box with candy or trinkets and repeat the process for every guest... or share the fun and have them make their own!