We are rollin’ back the clock to the 80s and 90s with today’s papercraft! Every girl needs a place to keep her cosmetics organized, and what better way to do it than in a Barbie-inspired, retro makeup box?
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My husband and I saw the Barbie movie last week with my sister and her boyfriend. We had such a good time, and definitely laughed louder than anyone else in the theater! With three little kids, we are lucky if we get to see one or two movies in theaters each year, so I’m really glad that this one lived up to the hype.
After seeing the movie, I decided to change up the design I originally had planned for this week and do something Barbie-inspired instead. And since Barbie is nostalgic for me, I thought it would be fun to do something reminiscent of my 90s childhood. So, I present to you this ultra-girly, Barbie pink makeup box (also known as a “Caboodle,” if you grew up in the 90s).
Retro Makeup Box
Materials
- Cardstock
- Dura-Lar Film
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Foam Tape
- Small Beads/Confetti
- Ribbon/String
- Bone Folder optional
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
Instructions
- Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of your retro makeup box pieces.Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Assembling the Box
- Take your two main box pieces and fold along the score lines. Use glue to attach the tabs inside and form two open-top boxes.Attach your decorative pieces to the front and back of the box pieces.
Assembling the Handle
- There are four pieces of the handle. Layer them together with foam tape, placing the two pieces that include bottom tabs on the inside and the two pieces that don’t have bottom tabs on the outside.Slip the tabs through the slits in the top box piece and glue them to the inside.
Assembling the Box Interior
- Layer together the “mirror” pieces like so. Then, use foam tape to attach the whole thing to the inside of the top box piece.
- Gather your 10 pink, rectangle pieces and fold along the score lines. Glue two rectangle pieces together, back-to-back so that the tabs flare outward. Repeat with the other four sections.Glue the five little walls to the bottom of the base box piece.Note: They are intended to be spaced about 1″ apart. You can use a ruler to measure/mark the placement. Alternatively, you can do what I did and use the decorative rectangle pieces to mark where each one should go.Once all of the walls are in place, glue the six decorative rectangular strips to the bottom, in between each wall.Attach the lid to the base by gluing the long rectangular tab on the top to the inside of the bottom piece.
- Make the two interior shelves by folding along the score lines and attaching the tabs to the inside of each wall.Layer together the heart makeup palette by first attaching the eight colored squares around the perimeter of the larger, hot pink square. Then, attach the two heart layers with foam tape.Layer together the blush makeup palette by first attaching the two different pink squares to the top half of the light pink backing piece. Then, attach the two perimeter layers with foam tape. Assemble the two little makeup brush pieces and attach them inside the two rectangular holes.Place both palettes inside the purple shelves.
Finishing Touches
- Make your rollerblade shaker charm by first layering the two decorative outline pieces on top of the clear film piece.Next, flip the roller blade over and add a thin border of foam tape around the edges. Fill the whole thing with little beads or confetti and add your backing piece.Loop a small piece of ribbon/string around the box handle and hot glue the ends to the back of your rollerblade charm.Add your little sparkle pieces to your box, wherever you see fit, and your pretty pink project is complete!
Notes
View the full-size tutorial photos below.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Dura-Lar Film
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Foam Tape
- Small Beads/Confetti
- Ribbon/String
- Bone Folder (optional)
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
How to Make It
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of your retro makeup box pieces.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Assembling the Box
2. Take your two main box pieces and fold along the score lines. Use glue to attach the tabs inside and form two open-top boxes.
Attach your decorative pieces to the front and back of the box pieces.
Assembling the Handle
3. There are four pieces of the handle. Layer them together with foam tape, placing the two pieces that include bottom tabs on the inside and the two pieces that don’t have bottom tabs on the outside.
Slip the tabs through the slits in the top box piece and glue them to the inside.
Assembling the Box Interior
4. Layer together the “mirror” pieces like so. Then, use foam tape to attach the whole thing to the inside of the top box piece.
5. Gather your 10 pink, rectangle pieces and fold along the score lines. Glue two rectangle pieces together, back-to-back so that the tabs flare outward. Repeat with the other four sections.
Glue the five little walls to the bottom of the base box piece.
Note: They are intended to be spaced about 1″ apart. You can use a ruler to measure/mark the placement. Alternatively, you can do what I did and use the decorative rectangle pieces to mark where each one should go.
Once all of the walls are in place, glue the six decorative rectangular strips to the bottom, in between each wall.
Attach the lid to the base by gluing the long rectangular tab on the top to the inside of the bottom piece.
6. Make the two interior shelves by folding along the score lines and attaching the tabs to the inside of each wall.
Layer together the heart makeup palette by first attaching the eight colored squares around the perimeter of the larger, hot pink square. Then, attach the two heart layers with foam tape.
Layer together the blush makeup palette by first attaching the two different pink squares to the top half of the light pink backing piece. Then, attach the two perimeter layers with foam tape. Assemble the two little makeup brush pieces and attach them inside the two rectangular holes.
Place both palettes inside the purple shelves.
Finishing Touches
7. Make your rollerblade shaker charm by first layering the two decorative outline pieces on top of the clear film piece.
Next, flip the roller blade over and add a thin border of foam tape around the edges. Fill the whole thing with little beads or confetti and add your backing piece.
Loop a small piece of ribbon/string around the box handle and hot glue the ends to the back of your rollerblade charm.
Add your little sparkle pieces to your box, wherever you see fit, and your pretty pink project is complete!
Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
I didn’t realize how hard it would be to write instructions for a project that consisted of seven different shades of pink! There are only so many ways to describe some of these pieces, and I rely a lot on color. But hopefully, you were able to make some sense of that!
Overall, this project came out just how I imagined it would, and the subtle nods to Barbie really add to the fun!
I use Adobe Illustrator for all my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other fun freebies available on my blog!
Enjoy making this retro makeup box for yourself or for a friend! I’d love to see your results, so be sure to share them with me by either tagging me on Instagram or by sharing your work in my Facebook Group.
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 4 Comments on Retro Makeup Box – Gift Box Cut File
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auntie em
July 27, 2023 at 8:36 am (4 months ago)This is so adorable and right on trend with all the Barbie inspiration going on! Big girls as well as little girls are all having so much fun and this make up kit is such a sweet design. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Mandee
July 27, 2023 at 11:22 am (4 months ago)Thanks Auntie Em! I’m glad you like it!! 💗
Helen J Roberts
July 27, 2023 at 12:43 pm (4 months ago)My granddaughter is going to love this! Now all I need to do is figure out how to make a Barbie ballerina for it. Thank you for another outstanding file!
Mandee
August 3, 2023 at 1:37 pm (4 months ago)Aww, I hope she does! Have fun putting it together, and best of luck with the ballerina Barbie!!