When is a gift box more than a gift box? When it’s sooooo pretty it doesn’t need wrapping paper or a gift bag!

This project began a few years ago, when I was searching for something to put handmade cards into, so I could give them as a gift. I had a box that originally held blank note cards from Hallmark and realized that I only needed to cover a few places to make the box generic enough for my purposes. A little cardstock and some embellishments did the trick, and I ended up with a gift box that was as pretty as its contents.

Fast forward to present day – when I’m both an avid upcycler and committed to avoiding disposable gift wrap – and you’ll be hard pressed to find an undecorated box in my house! All of the boxes pictured in this post have a company’s logo or store name underneath what I added. Several were scarred from layers of tape used to hold them closed or where gift wrap was once attached. But none of that is visible now.

This project is another great way to use up scraps of cardstock and the used greeting cards I’ve harvested for their pretty parts. Washi tape works well for the sides and trim and a good glue stick is all you need to adhere anything else.

I think I may add a tiny note inside the box, encouraging the recipient to reuse it. It should go without saying, but I understand that reusing and repurposing aren’t at the top of every mind. In many ways, it’s still a relatively new concept  me.

I have fond memories of all the Christmas mornings, when I was a child, tossing wads of wrapping paper at my father, who alternated between taking pictures and collecting the used gift wrap as we opened our present. But, hey, at least we saved the bows.