Step by Step for How to Make an Origami Box With a Lid

Construction paper is strong enough to make origami boxes.

A small box can often provide handy storage for your items, and you can make a simple box with a lid out of two pieces of paper. With only a few small folds, your box can begin to take shape. You can use any kind of paper you like, including construction paper, business stationary, gift wrap or even pages from a magazine.

Things You'll Need

• Piece of sturdy paper, 9-by-12 inches
• Piece of sturdy paper, 8 3/4 by 11 3/4 inches

Instructions

1. Lay a piece of 9 by 12 inch paper on a firm surface in front of you. This will form the lid of the box. If the paper is colored on only one side, place it colored side down. Fold the paper in half the long way and unfold, creating a crease in the center of the paper.

2. Fold the two long edges of the paper to the crease you just made and then unfold it again. You should now have three parallel creases running across the paper.

3. Fold the paper in half the short way. Unfold the paper.

4. Fold the two short edges to the crease you made in Step 3. Do not unfold the paper.

5. Turn your folded paper so that there are three creases running horizontally across the page and the raw edges of the paper are in the middle. Fold in each of the four corners until they line up with the horiztonal crease closest to them. None of the corners should go all the way to the center crease.

6. Fold the two strips of paper in the center. Look closely at your paper and you will notice that the strips of paper in the center are not covered by the corners. Fold these two strips of paper back over the corners and press the creases so that the corners are held in place by the strips of paper.

7. Grab the center of the strips that you folded in Step 6 and gently pull your hands away from each other while holding the center of the inside of the box in place. This should cause your box to take shape. Make it sturdier by sharpening the creases at the corners and along the edge of the box. This is now the lid of the box.

8. Repeat Step 1 through Step 7 with the 8-3/4 by 11-3/4 inch piece of paper. This forms the box itself. To put the lid on the box, simply slide the lid over the bottom of the box. Since the lid was made from a slightly larger piece of paper, it should slide into place easily.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make a larger or smaller box by user larger or smaller pieces of paper.

• Use sturdy paper, such as construction paper or card stock, so that your box has some strength. If you do want to use gift wrap or other thin paper, use several layers to give the box strength.

References

• "Origami Magic"; Florence Temko; 1993