Follow these instructions to make a pillow box for small gifts and party or wedding favors. This is a terrific box that resembles a pillow in shape and makes an elegant package with the addition of a ribbon. The pillow boxes also offer the nice feature of storing flat. The project includes printable patterns in a variety of sizes and designs, including one for Valentine's Day.
Project Extras: Use the special Father's Day printable patterns to make pillow boxes for Dad, or make pillow boxes for Thanksgiving with printable patterns that feature fall colors!
Related craft: For Father's Day gift bags, download Aunt Annie's printable patterns in the Tube-shaped Gift Bags craft project.
Choose a box to make. Download and print the pattern. You can select a colored pattern or a black & white pattern that you can print on colored cardstock or cover with decorative paper. For Valentine's Day, print one of the black & white patterns on red cardstock or print the special Valentine's Day Box pattern on white.
Extras: Use the special "Dad" box patterns for Father's Day or whenever you need a box for a small gift for Dad. For fall season gifts, use one of the printable Fall Colors pillow box patterns.
Make a lightweight box by printing directly on cardstock. For a stronger box, print on computer paper and trace or transfer the pattern (see how) to cardboard before proceeding.
Patterns are Adobe PDF files. The Adobe Reader is available for free.
All of Aunt Annie's project patterns are designed to be printed on standard letter-size paper (8.5"x11" or A4). When printing from Adobe Reader, you may need to select Auto-Rotate and Center or Choose paper source by PDF page size to ensure the best fit.
Cut around the box pattern on the solid black lines. Try to make your cuts very smooth and accurate. The box will be stronger and fit together better if the cuts are made neatly.
Using a straight edge or ruler and craft knife will make some of the cutting easier, but be sure to protect the table with a cutting mat or thick piece of cardboard. Caution: Be careful. Craft knives are sharp and should not be used by children.
Score along each of the two straight fold lines and the four curved fold lines in red. On cardstock, use an empty ballpoint pen or bone folder to make an indent—not a cut.
If you are using light- to medium-weight cardboard or poster board, use a straight edge and a craft knife or scissors to make a half-cut.
Cut a rectangular piece of decorative paper larger than the box pattern by ¼" to ½" all around. Center and glue. Fold the excess paper over and glue, or trim away.
Tip: It is very important to use a strong adhesive when laminating decorative paper to cardstock. Glue sticks and glues marked as suitable for children will not provide a strong enough bond. When using a spray adhesive, follow the instructions for a permanent bond. Double-sided sheet adhesives are convenient but more expensive than other options.
Fold the box in half and glue the tab to the opposite side. Be sure that the glue tab is inside of the box. Let the glue set before going on to the next step.
Gently pinch the two box edges, causing the top and bottom to bow out. Push both flaps in at each end of the box. You may need to use your fingers to "encourage" the crease on the curved fold lines.
Add decorations to the box as you desire. You can do something as easy as adding a layered band of decorative paper to enhance the pillow box. The bands on these boxes were made with strips of paper cut from Aunt Annie's black polka-dot digital paper or Spring Series digital paper collection.