Have you seen those sweet box tutorials online recently? After looking at the instructions, I decided that this would be a fun activity, and it is really easy!
For these boxes, I found an old, ripped book at a garage sale for $.05 a little while ago at a garage sale. Raggedy Ann Golden Book....
awesome! The best part about this project is as long as you have a piece of paper, you can create boxes.
Supplies:
2 pieces of paper
Scissors
Ruler
(Pencil)
(Glue)
(ModPodge*)
If you are using thinner paper, you might want to consider painting the page with modpodge. I personally like to do this because it makes the box a little more permanent and less likely to be smooshed by small, precious and generally grubby hands.
After it has dried, you want to decide which side you want to be the box's top. You are about to cut a perfect square... so center the part of the image that you want in the center of your square (this wont be as important if you are using nifty card stock.
It is now time to cut the "perfect" square. I personally like a 6"x6" square, but I would like to suggest for your first box to not go under 4"x4." This size can be a little difficult for a first trial run... Oh, and especially dont use a book cover at this size if you haven't mod podged. (Learned that lesson the hard way)
Now on the flip side (the one you wont be using), use a straight edge to draw a line diagonally from corner to corner, forming an "X" across the back of the page.
The next step reminds me of those fortune tellers I used to make (used to... HAH!). Take one corner and fold it to the center of the page (the cross)...
Next you will take your ALREADY FOLDED TO THE CENTER corner and fold it in half to the line.
After all this careful folding... unfold this corner and move on to the next one. The process is the same for the next three corners. Fold in half, fold that in half to the line, and then unfold. (Make sure that you are making good creases on your edges, these will be your folding lines.)
Unfold your last corner. Do you see that there is a little square that has not been folded to? Depending on your paper, you may want to outline this box... we are going to cut to it (see picture under this one!)
The BLACK lines are the the "inner" square that you cut to and not into. The red shows the lines where you should cut. (Sorry about their jaggedy-ness)
Repeat this on the other three similar lines. They will be across from each other. Essentially it is a line just not through the center square.
Then I like to start with the larger, triangle sides. Fold them down to the middle, and fold the wings to the sides. After doing this on both sides, take the smaller, squarer side and tuck it over the tucked wings. You will see a pattern emerge. Little triangles meeting in the middle. Same goes for the flip side.
Last, I like to put a little glue or a glue dot under those upper triangles. You do not
need this if your square was close enough to perfect... but like with the mod podge, I enjoy the extra security.
Then you have half your box. I realize that it seems a little daunting at first, but after your first one, the second one is super quick and easy.
The trick about making the bottom is make it about a tenth or so of an inch smaller than the first SQUARE you made. I will occasionally use a scrap piece of paper to try to get the exact right size.
Now you have a little box. What to do with it?
-Gift box for jewelry
-Gift box for small cute things
-Personalized Fortune Cookie Box
-Organizer: I like to put my smaller crafting items in these boxes. It is a good way to separate beads and hair clips and so forth.
-Anything else you want to!
Have you any ideas for these boxes? Leave comments!
Love y'all!
