The Many Uses of a Gift Box

by Jeff Bogle | More from this Blogger

Other than pine needles, I do not know of anything in greater abundance this time of year than gift boxes. Whether they are laying around as leftovers from last year or freshly folded flat and nestled inside of the new bags full of goodies you are just now carrying through the door, there are bound to be a few extra gift boxes laying around your home right now.

Gift boxes are extremely useful as ingredients in crafty projects, storage solutions and as toys themselves.

Consider the following alternative applications for a lonely odd-man-out gift box that is not fortunate enough to be the vessel for a lovely holiday gift this season:

1) A Bed for teddy bears, dolls, figurines, etc. Use some tissue paper as the bedding (fitted and/or flat sheet) and a spare, small blanket as, well, a blanket for your child's friends! 2) A Storage System for kids books, drawings, craft projects. Organize the books by age level (0-1, 1-3, etc.) or by season (Spring/Easter books in one box, Autumn/Halloween in another and so on). 3) A Shield for pirate or medieval game play. Draw and color on the outside shell of the box top. Have your kids make "their" symbol/crest/design on the outside and on the inside affix a 2-3 inch wide slice of the bottom of the box in the middle - bowing it enough to give your child space to slide their arm in. 4) A Tray for a birdseed pine cone! 5) A Wagon or Car for small dolls/bears. A shoebox or a deeper rectangular gift box would be ideal. Attach a string to one end so you child can pull it around the house.

And to think you were just going to break down those extra boxes and toss them into the recycling bin. Imagine all the fun you and your kids would be missing out on!

Feel free to comment and share your own fun ways to use gift boxes and shoeboxes!

Additional Links

More Kids Craft Ideas Tips on Frugal ways to have fun

Learn more about Jeff Bogle

Jeff is married to a lovely redhead and is fortunate to have in his life an amazing young lady, age three.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger