Christmas is a time filled with family traditions, for many people the food traditions are important and we have those but I am so not into food and so the the tradition I have carried on from my family is wrapping all the presents under the tree in the same way.

One year my mum used wallpaper, another it was all brown paper with pretty ribbon and I have continued the trend with my own version each year. A few years ago it was furoshiki wrapping and I was tempted to do that again but this year I have decided on something a little different...paper house gift boxes!

It started out as just being for the Creative Directors school friends but once I got started I was hooked and now I am literally surrounded by house shaped gift boxes with presents inside for not only friends but teachers and of course family too.

I decided to personalise each box with the recipients name and "Joy" or "Noel" and have included windows and a door on the walls of the boxes. These cut-outs create a lovely shadowbox effect when the box is empty or provide tempting glimpses at the tissue wrapped gifts inside. Trimmed with ribbon, I have made the boxes into hanging bouquets of one or more houses for each person. 

There are lots of uses for the little boxes aside from the gift giving part. They make great decorations with or without an LED light inside, they can hang from your tree, sit on your windowsill or be strung up to make a garland/bunting. I am planning to make a set of the small ones filled with chocolate and use them instead of bonbons on the Christmas table, one per place setting. I also think they would looks sweet decorated with little pompoms on the roof to make them look like ginger bread houses and this could be a fun activity for the children in the days leading up to Christmas.

Oh and of course, the boxes are still able to be used for all these things by the gift recipient as I have made then so that they open and close at the top so you can get the present inside and out without having to damage the box.

So if you have a trinket to give or would like to make your gift decorative this year please feel free to contact me or see some more options here. 

I ship these boxes as pre-cut flatpack so that you can easily assemble without the need for any glue or tape (although if the item inside is fragile you may like to strengthen it and take care, also not recommended for anything heavy, it is only paper!)