Decorate a Gift Box

Make this gift box with materials found around the home or craft accessories available from your local 

Materials Needed:

• Plain cardboard box, available at most craft stores
• Alternately, recycle a shoe or cereal box
• Magazines
• Construction paper
• Stickers
• Markers
• Ribbon
• Sequins
• Buttons
• Scissors
• Paintbrush
• White glue, diluted with water
• Popsicle stick

Instructions:

1. For recycled boxes, cut out enough magazine clippings to cover up the print on the box. If using a plain cardboard box, you may leave some plain space showing through.
2. Place your clippings on the floor or table where you are working in your desired arrangement. Spread glue onto the backs of the magazine clippings and construction paper using the paintbrush and then place the pictures and paper onto the box while the glue is still wet. Smooth out any wrinkles using the Popsicle stick.
3. Cut ribbon out into various lengths and then glue them onto the box. To give the box some variation, decorate the top of the lid with magazine clippings and decorate the sides of the lid using ribbon.
4. Using markers or alphabet stickers, write your gift recipients name on various places on the box. Also, write adjectives that may describe what is inside the box. For instance, if you are giving chocolates, write “sweet,” “yummy,” or “delicious” on the box.
5. As an added treat, decorate another smaller box to place inside the first one to hold a second smaller gift. If money is a dilemma, give items such as shells wrapped in tissue paper tied with a ribbon or miniature boxes of sweet treats.

Wrap the Gift Box

Half the fun of giving a present is wrapping it in a unique or interesting manner. For example, as an added touch, place this beautiful gift box in the center of a series of wrapped boxes using wrapping paper such as cartoons or advertisements on these trick boxes. Inside each box, place the next box along with a joke, a love note, or fortune for your recipient.

A series of notes might describe the process of opening each box such as note number one proclaiming, “You’ve been fooled!” Note number two may perhaps hold the inscription, “No, not this one either.” As each box is opened, a comment is made about the process of opening each box until finally the next to last box says, “You’re almost there!”