How to Make My Very Favorite Box (of All Time!)

Jeffery Rudell, contributor

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Beautiful faux bois (literally "false wood" or woodgrain) paper turns my favorite box pattern into a gift in itself.

Jeff Rudell

My favorite part of this design is the way in which the box "blossoms" when opened. What a perfect way for a box to feature the gift it contains.

Jeff Rudell

Hambly also makes a complementary woodgrain design on transparent plastic out of which I made a small shade for a votive candle.

Jeff Rudell

Beautiful faux bois (literally "false wood" or woodgrain) paper turns my favorite box pattern into a gift in itself.

Photo: Jeff Rudell

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We've all seen it at one time or another: a child opens a beautifully wrapped gift and ends up playing with the box and the wrapping much more than the toy it contained. I never outgrew this particular childhood propensity but have, instead, brought with me into adulthood my love of boxes, containers, vessels, cartons, and crates. While I have a bookshelf full of reference materials containing packaging designs and patterns, my very favorite box of all time and the one I use with the greatest frequency when making boxes to give gifts in, boxes to keep tools in, boxes to hold photographs (yes, I still keep my photos in boxes—but such pretty boxes!) is this pattern, drawn from a small party-favor box I found in the trash outside of Grand Central Terminal. 

Setting aside for a moment the fact that I was Dumpster-diving outside of Grand Central Terminal, I quickly fell in love with the design and am delighted to be able to share it with you all here. The pattern itself is quite simple, so don't be intimidated by the look of it: The bottom of the box is a single sheet of stock, cleverly folded with four pleats to form a container. The top is a lesson in elegant and efficient design—a simple matter of four sides folded over four flaps to interlock the whole piece in place.

This project is actually a prototype for a client who is exploring possible packaging for a line of candles they hope to manufacture. My suggestion to the client was a wonderful woodgrain design I found at Hambly Screen Prints. They offer an exciting range of woodgrain colors (white! green! blue!) in addition to a more traditional wood-toned palette. They even offer a woodgrain pattern screened onto sheets of transparent plastic, which I put to use as a simple but charming mini-hurricane shade for a votive candle. If, as they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery, these great papers (familiar to the world of scrapbookers, I'm sure, but relatively new to me) are a grand tip-of-the-hat to Mother Nature.

One note of caution before applying this pattern template to your own project. The illustrations for the top and the bottom of the box are drawn on a 1-inch grid to help give you a sense of how the various components (sides, top, bottom, flaps, etc.) are proportioned and the manner in which they fit together. You can alter these proportions to suit your needs. However, REMEMBER to always make one adjustment that is NOT reflected in the patterns: in order for your top to fit squarely on your bottom, you need about 1/4 inch difference in size between the two pieces. In other words, the bottom of the box needs to be just a tiny bit smaller than the top for them to fit together properly. Don't fret; this can actually be accomplished when you score your template (before folding it). For example, when scoring the template for the bottom of the box, I usually score along the INSIDE edge of the lines. When scoring the template for the top of the box, I usually score along the OUTSIDE edges of the lines. When foldered together, these small adjustments are just enough to ensure that the two components fit together snugly but not too tightly.

Hambly has tons more papers (in some really unusual and very hip patterns), so check them out when you have a chance.

Craft on!

The pattern for this box is quite simple. You may download a scale model of the box top here and box bottom here.

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Comments (19)

craftybegonia writes: Very nice and stylish!
Posted: 5:15 pm on June 5th

Jiyaa_Box writes: I made an exploding box today similar to this but I will have to try this template. Please see my blog http://jiyaabox.wordpress.com/
Posted: 8:55 pm on April 11th

NancyWard writes: Hi!

Today on my blog I posted a link to this tutorial.

Would you let me know if that's OK?

Thanks,

Nancy Ward
http://paperfriendly.blogspot.com
Posted: 9:49 am on June 21st

BirthdayFavorBox writes: Beautiful Box that does not need glue. Nice tall size
Posted: 3:44 pm on June 14th

onejoanne writes: Jeffery, all the kudos have been given, I think! It's a really great box; you nailed it, for sure. I have questions. I would like to make decorative storage boxes for my daughter and daughter-in-law for Christmas. Couldn't I use the pattern for the top of this one for the bottom too? Again, very stylish box as is - I'll be using it as you've presented it too.
Posted: 11:14 pm on December 15th

LunarFaith writes: my coming sunday project ~YaYYs
Posted: 3:35 am on June 5th

myDIYweddingday writes: Oh, this project is so great! We linked to it on http://mydiyweddingday.com/. Thanks!
Posted: 2:43 pm on May 19th

cadiddle writes: THAT CERTAINLY IS A GREAT BOX IDEA JEFFREY.
I HAVE A REALLY GREAT TIP FOR YOU, IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE PAPERS. GO TO YOUR NEAREST HOME IMPROVEMENT CENTER AND LOOK IN THE WALL PAINT SECTION. YOU'LL FIND A MULTITUDE OF GADGETS INCLUDING A ROLLER TO MAKE A WOOD PATTERN. USING THE ROLLER, SOME ACRYLIC PAINT, AND BROWN PAPER BAGS ( OR EVEN BROWN POSTAL PAPER) YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN FAUX BOIS.
Posted: 10:23 pm on May 16th

beaderonboard writes: What a wonderful box.
You always have the best ideas.
Thank You so much for sharing.
Posted: 7:26 pm on May 16th

sunrainor writes: Having made thousands of boxes in my career, I can say, this is an excellent box - especially the no glue part! I did a corporate gift recently which I wanted a 'ta-dah' box like this for, well next time and

even though I know we often 'had' to use glue because of needing to use as little card as possible (expensive handmade paper-card) and needing a box that doesn't pop open.

I still LOVE it - thousands of thanks:)
Posted: 5:28 pm on May 16th

JohnWLennon writes: OMG....I'm a paper addict and I also collect boxes, they make wonderful on the spur of the moment gifts! I have card stock in every imaginable pattern and now I know how I'm going to spend the remainder of the weekend.

Thanks Jeffery!!

Added tip: An empty fine point pen makes an excellent scoring tool and it's a great way to recycle something.
Posted: 5:20 pm on May 16th

LaDiggity writes: Utterly fantastic...Will be made over and over, faux bois or other. Makes me want to hit a few dumpsters myself! Thank you thank you thank you!
Posted: 4:47 pm on May 16th

annquill writes: What a great project - and well worth the dumpster dive! The box is cool and the beautiful ribbon adds just the right touch.
Posted: 10:09 am on May 13th

mgb4 writes: Thank you so much for this post! I am not particularly a crafter, but I am looking for a faux bois box so I searched google images and this came up! The color combination is stunning and the instructions actually seem easy. I just had to join to post this comment since this project is so charming. Any chance in finding these boxes in a chic little shop in my neighborhood in Brooklyn soon? You should sell these!!
Posted: 6:43 pm on May 12th

AWilcox writes: This box is GORGEOUS!!! Too bad you hadn't posted this earlier, every holiday, birthday, and Mother's Day, I give CASH to my MOM, because that is what she wants. She likes the GREEN because she can shop for herself, therefore I always try to find ways to gift wrap the CASH in a unique and precious way, THIS BOX would have been that special gift box to put the CASH!!! But hey, there is alway next year, or XMAS. Thanks again for the amazing BOX you have created. It's beautiful!
Posted: 5:49 pm on May 12th

EEQamouse writes: Very cool idea! I'm going to try this for some graduation gifts I'm giving!
Posted: 7:24 pm on May 11th

Sweet_Meats writes: I agree, packaging and presentation is so important! Gift giving is about the experience, and not just the thing. I love how the bottom of this box "blooms." This is not project I would make for just anyone, though, as it seems rather time intensive.
Posted: 2:51 pm on May 11th

WendyQM writes: Stunning! What a beautiful gift idea!
Posted: 10:01 am on May 11th

Sweet_Dee writes: Wow, great box design! Will have to try!
Posted: 2:38 am on May 11th

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