Gift~Box How~To...

A great way to wrap a gift without having to actually wrap it!

Turn ordinary paper mache' boxes into gift boxes with a few simple steps....

No prepping necessary.....and so simple, I didn't even take pics along the way.....

and chances are, you already have everything you need in your craft cupboard.

Paint the box with regular craft paint.....one coat  is plenty. And I paint just the outsides and bottom, leaving the insides plain.

Using a finer grit of sandpaper, sand over all and don't worry about sanding off too much paint, as these areas will take in more stain.  After sanding, wipe off residue with a soft cloth.

Stain with  your choice of stain....I will use either a very strong walnut ink crystal stain or  brown shoe polish.  Apply the shoe polish on the box as if you were using on a shoe.

Wrap with a strip of ticking or homespun,  adding a touch of glue where it overlaps in the back. 

Over the fabric, wrap with a strip of stained cheesecloth (you can glue this or not, but cheesecloth will hold to itself)

(on the shorter boxes, I've used just the cheesecloth)

To hold this in place, use a piece of twine, wrapping a number of times around the box.  Tie off  in the front but don't cut the tails just yet.....tie on a tag and/or a piece of greenery...or whatever you so choose!

As I write this, it just occurred to me that I have some grubbied candy canes that would of made perfect tie-ons! Hmm....

Before filling, I suggest placing a bit of paper shreds in the bottom.

If using for homemade goodies, place them in a plastic or cello-bag before placing them in the box.

And you know, this is something you could do with the kiddo's...while you are working on your boxes, they can work on one for their own little gifties for teacher!

Be creative and have fun with it!

Enjoy your day!