valentine's day box

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Cut out  a heart shape from a thick cardboard paper for the inner box. Cut out a strip of thick chart paper and stick it along the edge of the heart shape, this will be the side of the box.

Next cut strips of thin white paper of width about a centimeter more than the height of the box(tissue paper or newspaper will also do) ..Mix glue with water and stick the thin strip along the sides of the box all the while
sticking over the edge of the card board and the joint between the base and the side . Apply glue (mixed with water )with a brush over the strips as you stick. Stick as many strips as you think is required all around so that the edges are covered so also the joint at the base.The paper and the glue together will make the box strong.

Now let it dry and then decorate with wrapping paper or colour paper.( I have used white chart paper for the sides and a gold colour paper that I have cut out from a old wedding card, on the inside of the inner box and the top of the outer box)..
Follow the same for the outer box .Obviously the size of the heart for the outer box should be a little bit more, for the  inner and the outer box to fit.

I have decorated the outer box with a quilled flower.
I think it will be a wonderful valentine's day gift.

box

This is an ideal way to recycle old greeting cards or wedding cards.

Both the boxes are made from square sheets with the square to make the inner box slightly smaller than the sheet to make the outer box ,so that it fits.

I have taught this box to summer class students and also to lot of my students I have made a lot of these boxes over the years to box small gifts for my friends.

To make this box, take two square pieces of paper the paper for the outer box should be slightly bigger than the inner one. I have used an old wedding card ,I have made sure that the picture is at the center of the paper.



Turn the paper around and find the center .

Fold one edge of the square to touch the center.

Fold again the folded part as shown below.

Unfold ,

Repeat on all four sides,

You can see a triangle on each edge of the square.Now make a cut starting from the base of the triangle
until you reach the large square in the center(where I have marked ) on two opposite sides.

Fold the uncut edges along the folds that we have made earlier in such a way that the triangle lies flat on the square in the middle , Stick the triangles with glue to hold it in place.

Now fold the cut edges over as shown.

Stick the triangles of the cut edges too on the square at the center.

The picture is at the center of the box. This will be the outer box. Now repeat the same procedure for the inner box .