Despite Pandora's experience to the contrary, lovely little boxes tend to harbor far more treasure than trouble. And there's no reason the containers themselves shouldn't rival their contents in elegance and allure.

An A-list of embellishments -- velvets, ribbons, and blossoms; embossed papers that mimic the textures of shagreen, leather, and lizard skin; glossy spray-on auto touch-up paint contrasted with delicate rice-paper cutouts; and romantic inscription panels inspired by the labels on vintage French pillboxes -- can transform packages that seem pedestrian into true gems. Add a few equally refined elements inside to keep everything from brooches to billets-doux safe, snug, and in place and the final results of your handiwork may feel too pretty to part with. What better way to let someone you love know how very special he or she is?

Well Contained
A Shaker-inspired oval wooden box lined with velvet ribbon holds smaller variations of itself, romantic repositories for family heirlooms or favorite baubles. The exteriors of the small boxes are brightened with salmon-colored milk paint, a coating traditionally used by American rustic-furniture makers.

Plain wooden boxes can be transformed into sleek luxury his-or-her jewel cases or desk accessories by covering them with papers embossed to resemble lizard skin, leather, and shagreen, the sharkskin favored by Louis XV.

Wooden Box How-To
1. Lightly sand exterior of an oval Shaker-style wooden craft box with fine-grit sandpaper; wipe clean. Apply 2 coats of milk paint if desired.

2. Select ribbon, measure inside perimeter of box, and trim ribbon to this length. (If box is deeper than the ribbon is wide, cut 2 lengths; if shallower, trim ribbon).

3. Apply paste-style glue, such as Yes Paste, to inside wall of box. Align edge of ribbon to top rim, and press so it adheres smoothly and ends abut cleanly. (If 2 lengths are needed, align first to bottom edge, then glue second ribbon on top, aligned with top edge.) Let dry.

4. Trace bottom of box on archival mat board. Cut 1/8 inch inside the line. Test to see that mat board oval fits into box; trim as needed. Place board on wrong side of lining fabric, and cut an oval 1/4 inch wider all around. Apply fabric glue to board, and affix it to reverse side of fabric. Smooth fabric. Glue down cloth edging on back side. When dry, fit panel, fabric side up, inside box.

Sources
Shaker Box: 9 3/8"-by-6 1/2"-by-4 oval unfinished #5 (#13G11), $42.50, from Shaker Workshops, 800-840-9121 or shakerworkshops.com. Chip-wood boxes: oval (BOX9402) and round (BOX9403), from $0.99 each, by Nicole Crafts, from A.C. Moore, acmoore.com. Lining in boxes: similar 3/8" antique velvet ribbon, from $4 per yard, from Hyman Hendler and Sons, 212-840-8393 or hymanhendler.com. Paint on boxes: milk in salmon, $9.95 per pint, from Old Fashioned Milk Paint, 866-350-6455 or milkpaint.com. Fabrics for box interiors: silk satin in pink, silk taffeta in orange and salmon, and dupioni silk in brown, from $15.95 per yard, from B and J Fabrics, 212-354-8150.