Gift Box Ornaments

I know it's not Christmas yet.  I know Thanksgiving hasn't even come and gone yet.  BUT if a girl doesn't get her Christmas crafting done early, it just won't get done!  So please don't be angry with me for posting about a Christmas project.  Just look at it this way: I'm posting this tutorial in time for you to make a whole tree of my...

I love making crafts that use items I already have around the house that may otherwise be thrown in the trash.  I had a small gift box just sitting around.  It was the size that earrings or a bracelet go in.  I thought it looked like the perfect size for an ornament.  

I had some little Christmas-y miniature things I bought from Michaels that I thought would be the right size for the gift box.  I pittered and glinked and came up with what I think is a pretty cute ornament.  Here's what you have to do to make one.

Trace the gift box (you can use the top or bottom of the box) onto scrapbook paper.  You need to trace a the bottom of the box twice: once for the outside and once for the inside.  Do the same for the sides.  

 You want to cover the whole box with paper.  I used two different patterns.

Cut out the traced pieces.  (The side pieces for the inside of the box are missing in the above photo.)

Before you cover the box with paper, you may need to straighten some of the sides.  If the gift box has been used before, it may have a side that's a bit crooked.  Mine did.  So I cut a popsicle stick to fit in the box and hot glued it to straighten up the side.  When your box is straight, Mod Podge the paper to the box.

If you're doing a snow scene like I did, you don't need to cover the inside bottom edge of the box with paper.  You can cover it with GLITTER!!!  Just cover the bottom inside edge of the box with Mod Podge and sprinkle glitter over it.

 You can use any other embellishments you want.  I cut a small popsicle stick to look like a banner.  I painted it with pearl paint and stamped a design on it.  I hot glued it and my miniatures to the inside of the box.

Of course, you have to have something to hang your ornament with.  I simply took some string, folded it in a loop, knotted it, and threaded the loop through a bead.  I hot glued the bead to the top of the box.  You'll need to cover the edges of the box with something unless you covered them with paper.  I used tiny ric-rac to cover the edges of my box.

Check out the finished ornament!

Isn't the snowman just adorable?!

 Here it is on a tree.  (No, I don't have my Christmas tree up already.  I wouldn't mind if I did, though...)

And just so the other half of the box didn't go to waste... 

I used the other half of the box to make a super-girly ornament.  I made it the same way.  I put sparkly yarn around the inside edges of this one, and I used something like glue dots to make the silhouette stand out from the back.

If I had a little girl, I would have used a picture of her to make a silhouette for the ornament.  Wouldn't that be cute?

Here's one last look at the two ornaments.  Don't throw those small gift boxes away when you get them.  Save them to pitter and glink your tree! :)