Did you ever learn how to make a paper box as a kid? It’s
easy to make boxes out of stiff paper... If you don’t have
a pattern to follow, simply study any box to create one (a
good little mental challenge!). Or...
Start with a grid of 25 2" squares (5 rows of 5)...
Block off one entire row in the center (and cut a 1"
slit parallel to the row in the center of both outer
squares). Block off the crosswise row of 5 squares, but make
a 3/4" rounded tab stick out from the outer half of the
two outer squares (meaning, cut the rest away - you’ll be
cutting back to the center line of the square except
for leaving a tab that will fit into the slots in the other
row). Now just block of triangles in the 4 squares between
the angles of the crossing rows. ...So that when you turn
the paper with a corner facing you instead of a side,
you end up with a 9-block square in the center of an X-shape
- see? (you will if you’ve been doing this!). ...That’s
your pattern for a 2" box - the center square is the
bottom of the box.
What you’ll do is fold inward along all the
edges of the 2" blocks, and then fold those little
triangles in half so that they can "hide" inside
the box. (It helps to lightly score the insides of the fold
lines first with a sharp point, like that of an awl or a
compass.) Try it with a piece of scratch paper first to get
the feel of it. To close the box, slip the 2 tabs into the 2
slots - punch a hole into the tabs and tie them together
with a ribbon or piece of braid.
Larger boxes can hold gifts or cookies (you might make
them sturdier for that purpose by putting a piece of stiff
cardboard in the bottom). Or make little ones... Glue
colorful stickers on all four sides of the finished box -
and maybe put a small gift in it, and hang it from the tree!
