This is a fun project, my Daughter and I came up with. We wanted to make a box, that would conceal a pencil sharpener. We decided that I would build it, and she would help me paint it.
The box is made from some scraps of plywood I had on hand. I cut a dado to hold the small shelf, then glued up half of a box that would be hinged at the top, and open up to reveal the sharpener. Using some flush mount cabinet door hinges, I hinged the half box to open. Since the hinges are spring loaded, I added a damper to prevent pinched fingers when closing it.
Once the construction was complete, I painted it white with some latex paint, then we popped open the acrylics, and Hayley helped paint it up. I sealed it all up with a coat of polyurethane. It turned out great, and does exactly what we wanted it to.