Making Recycled Valentine Boxes

Make a Valentine card holder from a recycled box.

It's customary for elementary schools to have a Valentine's Day party, during which students exchange cards and candy. Some teachers help their students make special boxes ahead of time, but others don't. Rather than head to the store to pick up an overpriced Valentine's box your child will use only once, why not make one at home? Decorating a recycled box with craft items you probably already have on hand is a great project for you and your child.

Things You'll Need

• Rectangular box (such as a cereal box)
• White glue
• Wrapping paper or self-adhesive wallpaper/shelf paper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Craft knife
• Scissors
• 1/2-inch to 1-inch-wide ribbon, 2 inches long
• Self-adhesive Velcro dots
• Valentine stickers

Instructions

1. Close the box. Use glue to seal the openings of the box closed. Allow the glue to dry.

2. Apply glue to the outside of the box and wrap it with wrapping paper. Or you can wrap it with self-adhesive paper. Use white, red, or patterned paper that's suitable for Valentine's Day.

3. With your pencil, draw a line across the top and sides of the box 2 inches from the top.

4. Use your craft knife to cut the box open along the lines you drew. This forms the lid. The back of the box, which you didn't cut, serves as the box's hinge.

5. Outline a mail slot on the front of the box with a pencil and ruler. The slot should be about 6 inches wide and one half inch deep. Cut along the lines with your craft knife to create the card slot.

6. To make the box's closure, glue the top inch of the ribbon to the center of the lid. Stick one side of a self-adhesive Velcro dot at the bottom of the free end of the ribbon. Stick the other part of the Velcro dot on the box, making sure it lines up with the one on the ribbon.

7. Use Valentine stickers to decorate the outside of the box.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can see the lettering or graphics on the box through the first layer of paper, wrap the box with additional layers of paper until the images on the box no longer show through.

• Try to match your ribbon to the paper you're using.

• Only adults should use a craft knife as it's extremely sharp and dangerous.

References

• Family Fun: Valentine Mailbox