Upcycle: Ferrero Chocolate box sand art

Valentine's day is around the corner, That means lot of chocolate boxes. Wouldn't it be fun to upcycle/recycle the flat Ferrero Chocolate boxes into a Sand art or a glass painting. Though I say Ferrero box, you can also use an old picture frame or thick transparent/clear Packaging sheets.


We made the Sand art sometime last week and I pictured each step for the tutorial. Then I made a stupid mistake. I cut paste all the pictures from the camera to the laptop. Point to be noted cut paste and Oops! Unknowingly I deleted the folder from the laptop. I was unable to come out of the tension for hours together but life goes on right. To cool off, I remembered I had one chocolate box in my recycle bin. But when I checked the box it had a crack. So sorry for the Cracked box pics.

Due to the crack, I was unable to use the box for sand art and so I got an idea to get the pictures for the tutorial with a transparent toy packaging sheet and we ended up creating a Sand art Sun catcher! How cool!


Thanks to CraftProjectideas.com for the Made by me Sand art kit and they are also Showing the Love to the followers. Have you entered the exciting giveaway?

Materials Used:

Ferrero Box Sand art

Empty Ferrero boxes
Colored Sand
Elmer no run glue/Mod Podge
Permanent markers
Paint Brush
Water based Glass painting(optional)

Sand art Sun Catcher

Transparent sheet from Toy packaging/plastic from packaging
Colored Sand
Elmer no run glue/Mod Podge
Permanent markers
Paint Brush
Water based Glass painting(optional)
Double sided tape

Steps Overview:

Sand art Sun Catcher

Place the toy packaging sheet over a simple pattern of coloring book page(I used a Mandala design) and trace the image with a Permanent marker. Depending on the kid comfort and ability, either you can trace or have them do it. For younger children you can skip this step and just have them draw a simple picture. If you are using a picture frame, you can do it like the kid friendly glass painting.



I added a flower design in the middle.


Turn the sheet to the wrong side of the design.

Prepare your work area. May be u can put a newspaper beneath to catch the sand spill. Pour little amount of glue/mod podge onto a disposal plate or yogurt cup lid. You will just need little glue for the whole art work. Using paintbrush, brush glue onto a part of design you want to fill with same color.


Pour the colored sand onto the glue covered area. One thing I like most about the sand art is you need very little sand and the sand sticks only to the glue area


Lift your artwork and pour the sand off onto a container/paper.


Does it look all messy with the dust surrounding the sand.


Don't worry it goes off clean when you carefully wipe with a paper towel.

Continue the above steps for the rest of the parts on the design. Covering one area at a time.

Apply glue

Pour sand


Lift art work and pour excess out.

For the outer layer of hearts, we made alternating petals of color


Completed design(wrong side)


Front side of the design


Let it Dry

You can leave at the step/draw outline with glass painting colors. We used water based glass painting



Let it dry and Hang up your sun catcher on the window. For hanging, We used double sided tape.


Closer view

Ferrero Box Sand art

For the art work, we used the flat rectangle Ferrero chocolate box


Remove the upper lid and the organizing layer. The lower box looks like a clear canvas frame.


Turn the lower box so that the flat surface is up and it looks like a canvas.

Place the coloring page below. For the ducks I just let CJ outline them with cookie cutter.


After tracing the pattern/drawing a pattern, turn the box to the wrong side(flat surface down) and rest all steps are same as the Sand art sun catcher


Are you wondering about the pink layer between the lake and the sky. That's CJ, the pinkalicious girl, the justification she gave was the sky looks pink at Sunset.

Display the art work just like a canvas. *** Be cautious of the place you hang, I put the frame in a place where CJ won't go below it. Just to be on the safer side.****


Wrong side of the artwork


Closer View


Side View



Want to see what we did with the cracked Ferrero box, CJ made glass painting with permanent markers