12.14.2011

Day 8 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Turn a shirt box lid into a gift box

Today is the eighth day of a special series called 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and Zaira of HacerScrapbooks is sharing a clever tutorial that must bookmarked - how to turn a shirt box lid into a gift box.

Picture this: you just got that perfect gift...or better yet, you handcrafted the perfect gift yourself. But you are on the eleventh hour and the only things you can find around the house to put the gift in are three different-sized single shirt gift box lids. Gasp! What are you going to do now?

Let me share a secret my friend Carmen taught me a few years ago: if you have one of those lonely shirt gift box lids and it's twice too big for your gift...you can create a nice gift box yourself!


The best part? The supplies you need are very basic. Besides that unmatched lid, you just need scissors and a stapler.

Can I hear a "Wow!"? A practical project that's green and budget-friendly at the same time!

Let's see how to create our magical last-minute gift box...

First, make sure you keep that lid flat. You won't need to open the flaps until the very last step. Now, bring the right side towards the left. Align the border of the right side against the border of the left-side flap. Press the fold firmly to create a crease. Then open the fold.


Now, repeat the process on the other side by folding the left over the right.


When you open both sides, you'll see a strip in the middle of the lid, that is suspiciously the same width of the flaps. Hmm...

Next, do you see the creases created on the flaps that you just folded? Well, cut thru them. You don't want to completely separate these pieces from the lid, just to make them independent from the main flaps.


At this point you'll open the flaps on only one side of the lid. Since I'm right handed, I usually open the flaps on the left side. Pull the little flap you created under the lifted flap...and staple it!


Turn the lid around and do the same thing on the other flap.


Look! The box is finished. It is such a pretty box with the lid attached to it:


If the lid you had at hand was a printed one, it will be already decorated all around it. If it is a plain colored one, you can just wrap it beautifully and put a nice tag on it.

Well, this is the secret I wanted to tell you about! Hope it is helpful during the holidays...or whenever you think that a lonely shirt gift box lid won't be that useful!

Read more about Zaira and her scrapbooking tips here.


Additional 12 Days of Eco-Christmas Projects: