Gift boxes are easy to make, inexpensive

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, August 27, 2005

This week’s Craft Corner project is a combination of a couple of columns we’ve done in the past: making homemade envelopes out of recycled calendars and creating gift boxes from patterns.

Our paper gift boxes are easy and fun to make, cost next to nothing and are an alternative to wrapping packages the old fashioned way. Because they are lighter weight than regular gift boxes, they are perfect for wrapping soft items such as scarves, plush items of all kinds, pieces of jewelry embedded in crumpled tissue paper and other lightweight, flexible or squishy gift items.

To make a paper gift box, you’ll need a pattern, some paper, a pencil, scissors and glue or adhesive tape.

The pattern

You can use an old gift box that strikes your fancy, or check out craft or stationary stores for new boxes.

Carefully take the box apart, making a mental note of the flaps and folds and how they were attached to each other.

Use the disassembled box to make a pattern by tracing around the outside edges and marking the fold lines and flaps with a pencil.

If you don’t want to make a pattern, just trace the outline directly onto the paper of your choice, marking the fold lines, on the wrong side of the paper.

The good thing about making a pattern is that you can enlarge it or reduce it to customize the box to your gift item, but the pattern is not imperative if the original box suits your purpose.

It may be necessary to use a couple pieces of paper joined together to make a full-size pattern. This is very simple: just make a break in the original disassembled box at a point where you can join a seam easily. We used two pieces of paper for the base of both our six-sided and regular square boxes.

To join two pieces of the pattern together, either make an extra tab or use tape to attach one piece to the other.

The papers

You can use lots of different papers to make your boxes, but the best choice is probably decorative papers used for scrapbooking. These papers are a bit heavier than regular wrapping paper and they come in such a wonderful variety of patterns and colors.

Decorative papers also come flocked, in vellum, with embossed features and plenty of glittery varieties.

The cost is between 59 cents and $1.59 per 12-inch-square sheet for regular paper; $2 to $3 for specialties.

Other papers that can be used for the boxes include old calendars, magazine photos, old sheet music, and even newspapers or the Sunday comics pages.

To assemble

When you’ve traced the pattern onto your choice of paper and marked the fold lines, cut out the pieces along the outside edges.

Fold along all fold lines and flaps and make sure you know how the box is going together before gluing or taping.

After giving the box assembly a run-through, fold and glue or tape accordingly. Glue is the best choice, and quick-dry tacky glue is the best of the best.

Clear adhesive tape is useful when the folds are hard to get at to hold the glue in place, or to temporarily secure a piece while gluing multiple flaps. Use a light touch when pressing tape in place temporarily and it should come off without ripping the paper.

After the box pieces are glued together, trim any excess from the joining flaps or tabs.

Tips

* Use scrapbooking scissors for scalloped or other unusual edges.

* Gently crumple the paper pieces once they are marked and cut out, then smooth again before assembly, to create a rough and interesting finish.

* Make mini paper boxes with ribbon hangers attached to use as Christmas tree decorations that can hold one or two pieces of candy or other lightweight gifts, such as movie or sports tickets.

* Use decorative paper punches (found in the scrapbooking section at craft stores) to punch small holes in the tops of boxes and fill with fragrant potpourri to place in strategic points around the house.

* When wrapping gifts in the boxes, be sure to use tissue paper if necessary to fill them out. Because they are flimsier than regular cardboard boxes, they can collapse or lose their shape if the items wrapped are much smaller than the boxes themselves.

Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com