Christmas Wrapping How To: A book box from a shirt box

Books are sacred objects to me, you should always treat them right. I once had a bad experience when giving a book as a gift. I had just wrapped the book by itself and when it was opened the recipient ripped the book jacket as well as the wrapping paper, oops! So to avoid that I always give my books in a box.

Anyone can easily take a shirt box and with a few cuts and folds, turn it into a book box. I choose to do this because the book would be swimming in a big shirt box and you save on some wrapping paper and wrapping difficulty. The example below is a gift for my mother this year for Christmas (I am not a big Danielle Steele fan, I just hope she doesn't see it in the blog, which is funny on multiple dimensions).

1.) Choose a box lid or bottom into which the book fits crosswise. You will only need one or the other, this is a good way to get rid of mismatched or extra box parts. The other dimension should be a box height more than twice as wide as the book, since we will fold it over in order to make the lid.


2.) Make a cut on each side of the box at the edge of the book. This will allow you to make the first of the two folds that will turn half of the box into a lid for the other half.



3.) Score the box on a line between the two cuts so that it will be easy to fold. Fold the box.



4.) Score the box again along the line shown and then make another cut on each side of the box. This will allow the next fold of the box.


5.) It won't be perfect, only a perfectionist would insist on boxing their books, but you may have some ends on the box that should be cut so they don't pierce the wrapping paper later.

Voila! A book box from leftover shirt boxes to protect your precious written lump of civilization on its way to a lucky loved one.