Looking for a creative way to wrap a small gift? These handmade paper gift boxes are inexpensive, easy to personalize, and a great way to use up pretty scrapbook paper or cardstock.
I made several different styles of paper gift boxes with my kids and tested five different tutorials and printable templates. Some were easier than others, but each one makes a cute little box for Christmas gifts, teacher gifts, Valentine’s Day treats, or other small presents. Here are five handmade paper gift box ideas, along with my thoughts on how easy each one was to make.

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Supplies for Making Paper Gift Boxes

You don’t need a lot of special supplies to make these paper gift boxes. What you’ll need will depend on the box you choose, but here are a few basic supplies that are helpful to have on hand:

• Cardstock or scrapbook paper
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• Scoring tool
• Ruler
• Craft glue or double-sided tape
• Ribbon or twine for decorating

Easy Square Origami Box

This handmade paper gift box is very easy to make. There is no template for this one, but the full instructions can be found here.  These can be made in any different size, and you can coordinate the paper colors to make it totally unique. I would say of all five paper box types I made, this was the easiest and simplest, but not exactly the most interesting. However, it’s a great sturdy box and can be made in any size.

Self Closing Origami Gift Box

This origami paper gift box is a little bit tricky to make, but I think it is a really unique paper box. The instructions from The Spruce are really easy to follow, and it took me no more than 10 minutes to make this box. From the outside it almost looks like there’s a second box nestled within the first, but then when you open it you realize it’s just one sheet of paper. The pattern where I found this box is no longer available, but here’s another tutorial for a self closing gift box.

Clover Fold Boxes

This paper box is very easy, and looks pretty too. I modified the template slightly to make it a bit higher. I added a contrasting paper on the top flaps to make them a bit stronger, and to add a bit of interest. These can be modified or decorated in so many ways. 

 

Personalized Hexagon Gift Box

I think this one is my favorite. It looks pretty fancy, but it’s actually fairly easy to make. If you click on this link, you can find several different options with a printable template, and you can personalize the gift box however you want. I chose the template with hearts on the tops for Valentine’s day. The only thing I found difficult was cutting out the hearts. I think if I had taken a little more time it could have turned out nicer.

Pillow Box

Again, this pillow gift box was very easy to make. You can find several different pillow box templates at Homemade gifts made easy.  This pillow box is as easy as cutting out the template, scoring along the lines, gluing the one side together, and folding in the two ends.

Finishing Your Handmade Gift Boxes

Once you’ve made your gift boxes, you can have some fun decorating them. I kept mine simple with a piece of twine, but you could also use ribbon, lace, gift tags, or other embellishments to dress them up. These little paper boxes are perfect for small handmade gifts, teacher gifts, Christmas gifts, or even just as a fun afternoon craft.

Don’t Want to Make Your Own Gift Box?

If you’re short on time or don’t feel like making your own, there are lots of cute ready-made gift boxes available too. Here are a few options that would work well for small gifts, teacher gifts, jewellery, treats, or other little presents.

• Small kraft gift boxes
• Small green burlap gift bags
• White pillow boxes
• Floral gift bags
• Colorful gift boxes