DIY origami gift boxes

gift boxes are super cute for special occasions.. but i always forget to buy them which is really annoying. i find myself handing over birthday gifts in festive themed boxes left over from christmas.. ooops!

thanks to this DIY i can now hand over trinkets in snazzy little handmade boxes- my gifting woes are over. this simple origami box can be made to any size, once you learn how to make them you'll never be stranded again.. hurrah.

with valentines and easter coming up this is a great time to impress peeps with your paper folding skills!

all you need is some paper, craft knife and a ruler! i used a large sheet of wrapping paper but you can also use scrapbook or any patterned paper.

1. you need 2 squares of paper in total -one of which one needs to be 1.5cm smaller. (my large square was 25cm and the smaller was 23.5cm!)

2. fold the square in half and press firmly along the fold. open it out again rotate it 90 degrees and then fold in half again. open it out and you should now have a + shape fold in the paper as shown above.

3. repeat the process but this time fold diagonally! so fold corner to corner to create a triangle- open- rotate- fold into a triangle and open. you should then have a x shape fold in the square. (it should look like the square is divided into 8 portions.)

next take a corner and fold it into the middle as shown above. remember to keep pressing all the folds well as it will make things easier later.

4. continue to fold in the corners until you create a square as shown above.

5. take one side of the square and fold it in half (towards the middle) as shown above. repeat on the other side to create a rectangle.

keep pressing down well when you make the folds.

6. open out the rectangle back into the square and then open up 2 triangles to create this shape above.

7. tuck one triangle side upwards towards the middle and pull in the sides of the square to create the shape above. (you'll get the feel of it- it's almost like you're making a boat shape.)