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DCL
I'm a last-minute holiday shopper. Every year I tell myself I'm going to start early, and every year I end up scouring stores and crafting handmade gifts in the week before Christmas. Last-minute shopping and crafting means I'm always looking for simple, green ways to prettily package gifts without using gift wrap, and when it comes to the small stuff, I make my own little gift boxes . . . from old holiday cards!
I love DIY projects that reuse things that usually end up in the recycling bin or trash (or stuffed in a drawer for years). And when it's an easy project that makes life easier, well that's just icing on the cake.
All you need to make a DIY gift box is an old card, a little bit of glue or tape, and a pen and ruler for marking.
To start, cut along the spine of the card, so you have two basically identical pieces.
On the inside of the front piece of card, measure in from the edge about 1 inch and draw a line parallel to the edge of the card, pressing down firmly. This 1-inch measurement will be the depth of the box, so you can increase it or decrease it accordingly. Repeat for all sides.
With the lines drawn along the edges, you'll notice there is a square formed at each corner. You'll need to cut along one of the sides of these squares, as outlined on the diagram.
Now it's just a matter of folding and taping things in place. Fold along each of the lines to create the sides of the box. Fold the square flap at each corner to the inside, taping or gluing it to the left of the corner; this will form strong, clean corners.
Trim 1/8 of an inch from around the edge of the back half of the card so the top will fit over it easily. Repeat all steps for the back half of the card.
If you want to cover up any message on the inside of the card, simply glue a picture from a magazine on the inside face of the card before beginning.
Then just pop in the gift, tie a ribbon around the box, and you're all done!
