Make and decorate your own pillow boxes for your favors

Pillow boxes: cute and easily dressed up for any occasion.

I love how simple these guys are, and how endless the options are to customize to your own theme.

This is my simplified, easy-to-make tutorial — please adapt, improve, invent, and be creative.

What you'll need for these DIY pillowboxes:

• Paper, card-stock works best, one side printed (you can use an 8.5×11” scrapbook paper that is printed on one side, or print your own paper with an image covering one side of the page).
  
• Printer, or you can use a pen and hand trace template onto the non-patterned side of your paper.
  
• Scissors or preferred cutting utensil/method.
  
• Glue or two-sided tape I used two-sided tape because it has no dry time.

These are the templates, created for 8.5×11” paper. Click on template image for full sizes:

Step 1: Print template on the non-patterned side of your paper.

This will be the inside of your box. The solid black lines are where you will cut out your box. In this image you see two mirrored shaped and then that skinny guy to the right attached, that is your glue tab.

Step 2: Cut cut!

Cut along the solid black line. In this image you can see that on the other side of my printed page there is my pattern of black stripes. Printing the template on the inside leaves guides to make the box, while the outside is clean and pretty.

Step 3: Fold

Fold along the dashed line. Fold so the non-patterned paper against itself, the patterned side will be to the outside.

Step 4: Tape or glue.

Use double-sided tape, or glue the patterned side of the tab to where it hits the opposite un-patterned side. The box will lay even and flat.

Step 5: Pop out!

Pick up the flat box, and put the folded edges between your fingers and gently squeeze to pop it open. The shape will be like a tube with two tabs at each open end. Here is looking in one side and through the box. You can see the template printed on the inside. Fold along the dotted lines bending each curved tab in.

Step 6: Fold in each tabbed end.

Fold along the curved dash line, bending the tab in. As these fold in the box with take shape and become stronger. These tabs make up the sides of the box, and hold in your favor goodies. Fold each of the four tabs in, the two sides will overlap. See image to left one is folded in and the other with fold on top of it.

Ta-da!

All four curved tab/sides are folded in, and the long skinny tab is glued to the other side of the box holding it together.

Now how about some decoration?…

For a belly band:
This is paper that wraps around your box, you can print information on it, just use another decorative piece of paper, get creative. I used just a white piece of paper for this example to contrast my stripes.

• Print template out just like you did for the Pillow Box.
• Cut the solid black lines.
• Fold the straight dashed lines so the template side is on the inside and glue (or double-sided tape) the tab on the inside of the band. This leaves you with a free sleeve to slip over your pillow box.

For shapes to use as decoration:

• Layer cut from different papers
• Mix and match and experiment

This is your blank canvas now go forth and create.

Do these DIY pillowboxes seem like too much of a pain in the ass?

Or maybe you just want some extra inspiration for your DIY project? Here are a fave pillowboxes from Etsy: