• An empty cigar box
• 2-3 colors of paint
• Gesso (or other primer as needed)
• Photos (you may want to make reprints of photos rather than using the originals)
• Ephemera (miscellaneous things) that remind you of the person you wish to honor.
• Scissors
• Gel medium (or your adhesive of choice)

Seems simple enough, right!

Choosing your box

Most smoke shops will sell you a cigar box for $1-$5. The shrine can be made in any type of cigar box. I chose to use a wooden box that was given to me by my father and has our family name on it, but you could use a cardboard one as well. Because the family name was on the box I decided that I would not decorate the outside of the box, though that may change over the next few years. If you cannot find a cigar box, most craft stores carry similarly styled boxes made of balsawood.

Prepping and Painting

Wipe off the inside and outside of the box with a damp cloth to remove any dust or cigar particles. Most cardboard boxes and some of the wooden ones have a covering of shiny sticker paper. Lightly sand the paper and prime it with a coat of Gesso.

Paint the inside of the box with 2-3 colors to create a background. I chose two colors, burnt sienna which reminds me of my grandfather’s favorite chile sauce and a deep yellow which complements the sienna and reminds me of the colorful Mexican folk costumes we played with in the attic of my grandparent’s home. Feel free to experiment with background textures and shading.


Creating the Shrine

Now for the fun part! Spend some time with the pictures and ephemera that you have gathered. It is not necessary to use every piece in the shrine. Play with the arrangement of the items until you have a good idea of what you would like the inside of the shrine to look like. In my case, I have one photo of myself and my grandfather, so that became the centerpiece of the shrine. Don’t forget that there are two surfaces inside of the box to work with. The lid is an excellent place to display a photo montage or paper ephemera, while the box itself holds many three-dimensional items. Because I only have one photo, I chose to leave the top empty so that I can add more pictures after I have had an opportunity to gather them.

It’s important to make sure that your arrangement is right before you begin gluing them into them box. Once something is glued down it can cause a bit of damage to things under it if moved and then you will have to think of an ingenious way to cover it (Yes, this is a lesson I learned in the process).

Voila!

And you’re finished! This is a relatively simple project and a beautiful way to honor your loved ones during this Samhain season.