Dec 13, 2009

re-gift

each year, i *try* 
to make a few gift boxes 
that i can use again next year.  
i make sure to give my husband and kids gifts in these boxes 
so we can use them again next year. 
very tricksey, i know!
here are the ones i made this year:i simply buy the plain, paper boxes,




available at any craft store,
paint them,and cover the top (and sometimes sides) with either scrapbook paper or wallpaper,
attach some ribbon, a holiday pick,
and a gift tag.
(no, i don't call my husband "dad". 
this one is actually going to my dad.
 maybe i'll get lucky and he will 
re-gift it back to me mext year)
almost too cute to unwrap...
but the good news is, that even when the gift is unwrapped...
the lids just come off
so the pretties on top stay intact.
here's how those boxes looked when i bought them...
they each cost about $2.

after painting them, and adhering a piece of scrapbook paper 
(on sale for between .29 and .69), 
i attached the ribbon. you can use any kind of 
adhesive. 
i used a glue stick, and for the ends and middle 
(which need a more heavy-duty glue) 
i used tacky glue.

then, i trimmed and glued the ribbon 
to the inside of the box and lid.

for this gift, i made two slits that the pick slid through.
i cute a small piece of the same ribbon, 
marked where i wanted my slits, 
cut them and then glued the smaller ribbon on top.

i use a toothpick to make sure the hole for my pick 
stayed open while the glue dried.
and there you have it!
boxes with removable lids that you can 
re-gift again next year!
yea for recycling!

the total cost for each box came to about $4.50.
(box: $2, ribbon: $1.50, pick: $.29, paper: $.59)
i had everything else on hand.
happy wrapping!



14 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! I'm wanting to do something similar, but I've been hunting down old boxes from shoes or even from work. I LOVE how you decorating them with the picks and papers...sooo beautiful!

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  2. They are so pretty! I can see doing something like that when my kids get older. My favorite is the orange one with the blue polkadot bow. So cute and great color combination!

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  3. I love this idea, I have to go to a gift exchange tomorrow gonna see if I can pull it off before then, thanks for sharing.

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  4. LOVE this! I'll be picking up some boxes on Monday :)

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  5. Love it! Your pictures are pretty too!:)

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  6. The boxes you created are gorgeous! I love the idea of adding the scrapbook paper and pretty ribbons and extra details. I have scraps of pretty paper that have been sitting around awhile... I'm going to give your idea a try!

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  7. I could see why you would want to use them again! So pretty...makes the gift seem even more precious when received in such a lovely box. Come visit me & see what I've created this week. Be sure to leave a comment!

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  8. This has been one of my favorite visits! What a clever idea! The boxes are lovely, and I wouldn't care if someone gave me an empty one! :)

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  9. What a great idea! These boxes are beautiful! I'll have to keep my eye out for these plain boxes. Happy Holidays! ~Lisa

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  10. These are such beautiful boxes and a great idea and tutorial! I just put paper mache boxes on my list for the craft store!

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  11. So so so pretty! I'm totally featuring this in my highlight post. Watch for it!

    Thanks for linking up to SNS!

    FJ Donna

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  12. This is really a great idea, and I'm going to make this my new thing.

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  13. Absolutely adorable! I would have a hard time giving them away :)

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