Upcyle boxes, to custom boxes!

Since we are traveling north for Thanksgiving and not for Christmas, I've had to do some early Christmas shopping. I can't see spending all that extra money on shipping packages, so I'm doing what I can to have everything packed in our suitcase. We'll drop off our gifts during our visit so they can be opened on Christmas. Sounds fine, right?

Well, I've discovered Christmas shopping early means many stores aren't stocked with the holiday boxes, at least where I did my Christmas shopping, so I had to get creative. I know I could have bought the ready-made boxes, but again, I don't like spending unnecessary money.

I had all these other boxes around from other things we've ordered as of late, so I decided to undertake making my own boxes. It wasn't pretty, and I wasn't sure if it was going to turn out alright, so I don't have step-by-step pictures.

I started by unfolding all the cardboard boxes to see what kind of shape I had to work with.

As I was measuring out for my boxes, I realized it is much easier to make the kind of box where the sides slip into the main part of the box. (Think pizza box) This required less taping and notching, and more just folding the boxes together.


A few tips I learned during this endeavor:

• When using corrugated cardboard, use a ruler with a sharp edge, like this one:

I'd put the sharp edge down on the cardboard and use this to form my new crease. This made it immensely easier to create the new folds where I wanted them to be!

• Clear packaging tape works best, but in a pinch, masking tape will work.
• If possible, make use of the existing folds. This will give you a starting point when you're unsure.
• If you start making a wrong cut, just tape it together tightly and make the correct one. If you're unsure about a cut, start small, never cutting all the way through.
• Allow extra space in the inside of your box for tissue paper and for the outside folds of the box
• Use good scissors! Cardboard can be tiresome to continually cut through!

Here are the three I finished in this particular session. The picture of the cardboard above is not all I used!

For one of our large gifts, I didn't make a full box because I did not have enough cardboard to go around the edges. Instead, I made more of a sleeve, but this should work out fine since I still have a solid surface to attach my wrapping paper.

It makes my heart happy to have all these wrapped up and ready to go!