Free Project: Homemade Gift Box

A great way to top off a homemade gift is by putting it in a homemade gift box. You can find boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and in a variety of materials for very little money at your local craft store. Jazz them up with a little spray paint and other embellishment and you’ve got a wonderful homemade gift box that the recipient will want to hang on to.

Supplies

Making a homemade gift box is really simple and only requires a few items:

• plain box, either wooden or papier-mâché
• spray paint
• sandpaper, if using a wooden box
• embellishments such as stickers, glitter, glue, or whatever you like

For my box, I chose a chrome, quick drying, spray paint. You could use a base color and then spray crackle on top after the first coat dries, or use any of the wonderful spray paints that make textures, colors and finishes that are all over the map.

I picked quilled snowflake stickers for my embellishment and a cheap papier-mâché box as my base. If you’re looking for inspiration, just wander around the store. You’re sure to find something that will suit your fancy and the occasion you are making a homemade gift box for. I imagined my box as perfect for a small Christmas gift; the box could then become part of next year’s decorations or could be used to store Christmas cards, hot chocolate packets or candy.

If you’re making a seasonal box, check the seasonal decorations aisle. I can imagine really great boxes decorated with Mardi Gras beads or Valentine hearts, even miniature Christmas tree ornaments. The homemade gift box then becomes a wonderful part of the gift.

Working With Spray Paint

As an aside, remember that spray paint can be dangerous. Work with it in a well-ventilated area, away from open flames or heat sources. Wear gloves and avoid getting it on your skin. Cover your work area with newspaper or a drop cloth. It’s best to work outside if you can.

Read all the warnings on the can you are working with and follow them to the letter. If you get spray paint on yourself, wash it off quickly with lots of soap and water.

Allow the box to dry thoroughly between coats of paint. Shake the can well before spraying. Spray with the nozzle about a foot from the box, using even strokes and covering the whole surface.

Consult the spray paint can for information on how long the paint takes to dry.

Instructions

If using a wooden box, sand it lightly to make sure the sides are smooth so the paint will adhere evenly. Separate the top and the bottom of the box and spray with paint, making a solid, even coat on both pieces.

You can also spray the bottom of the box and the inside of both pieces if you like. Allow to dry and apply a second coat as needed.

When that coat is dry, apply a finish such as a crackle glaze if you want. Otherwise, add your fancy stickers, holiday decorations and other embellishments as you like.

For my box, I kept it very simple. There were five stickers in the package I bought, so I added one each to the front and back of the box, one to each side and one to the top.

A note on using quilled stickers: these stickers are basically paper rolled into interesting shapes and then stuck together in a pattern on a sheet of adhesive. They are rather fragile and can be tricky to get off the plastic packaging with their adhesive intact. Be patient and very slowly roll the backing away rather than trying to pull the sticker off the sheet.

Other Ideas for Homemade Gift Boxes

Of course you could also make these boxes for storage of craft supplies or anything else small that you would like to keep in a pretty box. You could make yourself or a friend a set of seasonal boxes that could be part of the decoration in your home.

You could also make a set of matching boxes in different sizes that could be stacked together (don’t put stickers or embellishments on the tops if you intend to stack them) and give those as a gift or use them yourself to jazz up an empty corner of a room.

Homemade gift boxes are a wonderful way to present a homemade gift or to make a store-bought gift a little more special. For less than half an hour of work and fewer than $10, you can make a box that will be as appreciated as the gift inside.