How to Make a Gift Box with Wallpaper

Are you ready to elevate your gift giving with wallpaper that is as thoughtful as the gift inside. Spoonflower’s Smooth Wallpaper offers a slight satin finish and can be ordered in one foot increments. The best part? You can apply any Marketplace design (or your own) to go with any theme or holiday décor. You can even create your own personalized wallpaper!

If you’re short on boxes for your smaller gifts, you can still use your favorite designs on a $5 Smooth wallpaper swatch with a handmade paper box. Follow the instructions below to see how we’re ditching the tape this gift wrapping season. 

Shop the featured designs

Materials

• 1 24″ x 12″ wallpaper swatch 
  • Featured designs 
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Scissors or X-Acto knife

Step 1. Cut out your paper squares.

To make our box we’ll need two square pieces of paper. To make sure the top fits nicely over the bottom, your bottom piece needs to be at least 1/2″ smaller than the top piece.

If your paper isn’t square, use a ruler to measure out a square, mark with a pencil and cut with scissors or an X-Acto knife. Your box can be any size you’d like, but for this tutorial we’re using paper that is 12″ for the top and 11.5″ for the bottom which will give us a finished box measuring 4″.

Step 2. Fold the paper squares in half.

Starting with your smaller square piece (the bottom of the box) fold it in half vertically pressing down the fold to crease it well. Unfold and lay flat. Now fold your paper horizontally also being sure to crease it well. Once both folds are done unfold the paper again and lay it flat. Repeat for the second piece of paper. 

Pro Tip: Use your nails or a credit card to push down along the folds and make extra crisp creases.

Step 3. Fold your paper into a diamond.

Starting with one corner, fold it up to the new creases in the center so it makes a small triangle and crease that edge well. Repeat this process in the remaining three corners. In the end our paper should look like a smaller diamond. Repeat for the second piece of paper. 

Step 4. Make the paper creases.

Rotate the diamond 45° so it’s a square, and fold the top edge down to the center where all the corners meet and crease. Then fold the bottom edge up to meet it in the middle, crease it well and unfold both the top and bottom so we’re back to our smaller square. Repeat for the second piece of paper. 

Step 5. Turn your paper square into a rectangle.

Next unfold the top triangle shape up so it lays flat and repeat with the bottom triangle. Now fold in both the left and right edges to the middle and crease well. Our piece should look like a tall rectangle with triangles at the top and bottom. Repeat for the second piece of paper. 

Step 6. Create an L with your paper.

Now we’re ready to start forming our box! There will be a few creases running horizontally across the folded paper, but we want to stand the top triangle up at the third crease from the top so it makes an L shape. Fold it flat at the third crease and press well to get a better edge. Repeat for the second piece of paper. 

Pro tip: If you feel like you’re a few creases short, double check that you rotated your paper 45º in step 4.

Step 7. Unfold the edges.

Now lift and partially unfold the far edge up so it forms a corner with the first piece we stood up. Repeat this process on the opposite long edge so you have two corners of the box made. Repeat for the second piece of paper. 

Pro tip: Depending on which direction pieces were folded try re-creasing them to get a better end shape.

Step 8. Finish your box!

To finish your box, fold one top triangle flap down into the box so it lays flat against the side and the bottom. Repeat this process on the last side and the box top. Now you can create the top for the box starting with step 2 using the larger square of paper you cut previously.

Bonus paper project! See how to make a Danish Christmas star with Spoonflower designer Lilyoake. 

Wrap your presents with care!
Shop these designs to make your presents pop.