Origami Boxes

I've been obsessed with origami boxes lately. I have TONS of scrapbooking paper, but I don't scrap. I make cards and decorations and that's it. 
I've discovered the 12x12 sized paper that I have so much of is PERFECT for making these boxes. They're really simple and there are so many ideas to use them for. I tried several different tutorials. One way you make a few cuts, and the other you just fold. Yet another has so many different folds I got confused, but they all turn out looking the same.  The link below goes to the pattern that was the easiest one to follow.

Origami Box (and top)

When making the bottom: You'll see a picture on the site that has the paper with a white "A" and "B" on each side. Just before you create the sides, when you fold them over towards the middle, make sure they overlap just a little bit. This will make it so that the bottom will fit inside the top, and it will peek out from the bottom for added cuteness.

(Coordinating colors of designed paper with one bold color look great!)

I haven't decorated or written on mine yet, but I saw some really cute ideas tonight. One woman glued crocheted flowers on top of hers. Another girl put her initials with a little gold star in the corner. For gifts, you can still use bows and/or ribbon. I love the idea of covering the top with beads, charms, coins, etc.

Here are a few of mine:

 These three are my favorites so far.

Ideas for your Box:

Family Home Evening - Type up a list of all (or just your favorite) primary songs. (You can do Hymns too if your kids are a little older.) Look up the scripture that goes with each song and read them. Talk about the lesson the song/scripture is trying to teach. Share experiences.
Sing the song, have a prayer, and BAM.
FHE in a box.

(I did this because I forget to plan ahead. After I cut out the song titles, my 2 year-old helped me fold them and put them in the box. 
These are definitely kid friendly.)

Gifts - I put my husband's Father's Day gift, a pocket watch, in one of these. They're much cheaper than the boxes you buy at the store. And remember that Origami Shirt tutorial I found from Martha Stewart? Made one in a matching color and used that on top of the box! These make me want to create more homemade gifts. Cutting the paper into smaller squares, I can use them for lots of little things.

Bedtime story and song - Every night, I read my kids a story and then we sing a song. We were in a rut though, and for about a week, every night I told them the story of the Three Little Pigs and we sang Popcorn Popping. I was getting a little sick of huffing and puffing and blowing the house down EVERY NIGHT (but they STILL squealed and giggled EVERY TIME.) So I typed up the names of some stories, cut them up, put them in a box. Typed up children's songs, nursery rhymes, and lullabies, cut them up, put them in another box. If we haven't made our weekly trip to the library, we pick a story out of the box. Songtime, we pick a song out of the box. I was excited about this idea because at the end of the day, my brain is FRIED,
so less thinking on my part is just lovely.

Thanksgiving - Each day of November you can write what you're grateful for on a slip of paper. On Thanksgiving day, open the box and read a few while you're seated around the table.

12 Days of Christmas - My sister is awesome. In her little town, each year she and her kids pick a family and they do the 12 Days of Christmas for them. They take them shoes, and toys, baked goods, and all sorts of loveliness. I thought it would be fun to do a smaller version of 12 Days with these boxes. Using festive paper is fun and they turn out gorge with reds and greens.

Christmas countdown - This year, I'm going to make a countdown calendar. I'll have 24 boxes, each with small treats and a quick, meaningful message for us to read each night. My girls love the holidays, period. Extra treats each night? Bonus.

Memory box - My dad died when I was 8, so my husband and my kids never got to meet him. I want to make a box dedicated to him. I have yet to find paper that reminds me of him, but in it I'll include a few pictures, a ring that belonged to him, some hand-written memories of him, and a little bit of the cologne he used to wear. I know it will be a while before my kids really understand what it's about, but I think the box will be a great way for me to make sure his memory doesn't die. 
One of my friend's had a dog pass away last week, so made a memory box for him. She glued his name on top in wooden letters, and everyone in her family will write their favorite memories of Quiche. (Such a cute name for a little dog!)

Journaling - I received a few pages of questions that I can answer in a journal. Once all of the questions have been answered, it will actually be a pretty full personal history. I don't like the idea of sitting down and trying to remember everything in chronological order. So this is a great way to get it done. The questions are fun to answer, and fuel for my brain when I have writer's block.

(I thought this would be a fun gift along with a 

nice/matching journal and a pen.)

Vacation box - If you have a small bottle of sand, a few shells, or just some small mementos from your latest vacation, put them in the box with a postcard or a note that tells where you went, who you went with, when you were there, why you loved it so much, etc.

Love notes - I realize some days my husband and I are home with each other all day, but until the kids are in bed, we don't really see each other. So I thought it would be fun to have our own little mailbox. Throughout the day, I'll put a note in it for him. Just a small thought like, "Thank you for helping me get dinner ready," or "I liked how you looked in that shirt today." And each night we can open it and read our love notes.

(If you want copies of the journal questions, songs, or have questions in general, go ahead and e-mail me at NSisifo(at)yahoo.com !