So, the other day I was at a party, and they had these cute favor gift boxes. They were very intricate, and probably not cut out with a Cricut because the detail was too fine. But it gave me an idea. I should make a simple favor gift box for those of us who like simple yet cute. And that is how I came to create this simple favor box!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you purchase an item from one of my links. This will not change the price you pay.
Supplies needed to make a simple favor gift box
As always, we need to start off with a supplies list, so here is the simple supplies list of the simple favor gift boxes:
- Cardstock – you can use either 8.5″ x 11″ or 12″ x 12″ cardstock. Any paper with a design or simple solid color will do.
- Glue – I used my faithful Bearly Art Crafting glue for this, but any glue will work.
- Cutting Machine – I used my Cricut Explore Air 2, but any cutting machine will work.
- Cutting Mats – I use these cutting mats with my Cricut.
- Scoring Stylus/Scoring Wheel – I use my scoring stylus with my Cricut, but if you have a Maker, you will need the scoring wheel. Or, if you have neither a scoring stylus nor a wheel, you can add the fold lines afterwards with a pointed edge.
- Optional – Crinkle Paper Shreds – You only need this if you want to add a little color and fun to the inside of your gift box.
- About 5 minutes for design modifications/checks and assembly.
Now that we have our supplies, let’s start making these simple favor gift boxes!
Accessing the Simple Favor Gift Box SVG File
So, we can’t make this simple favor gift box with the SVG file. So, you can get a copy of the file here at my shop.
Using the Simple Favor Gift Box SVG File in Cricut Design Space
Once you have a copy of the simple favor gift box file, there are a few items we need to do with the file, to make sure there are no hiccups along the way.
- Unzip the file –
- Right-click on the file with your mouse and select Unzip
- Select a location where you want the file to be saved.
- Hit Enter and your file will be unzipped and saved.
- Upload the file to Cricut Design Space.
- Select the Upload Icon on the left side of your screen.
- Select the Upload Image button.
- Select the File from the location where the file was saved from above.
- Select the file from your DS Recently Uploaded documents. There should be a green rectangle around it.
- Hit the Add to Canvas button.
Once the simple favor gift box is in your Cricut Design Space Canvas, we need to make a few quick modifications to the file to make sure it cuts and scores correctly.
- Select the design and verify the dimensions.
- A good size for this gift box is 8″ wide.
- Ensure that the lock proportions lock is locked.
- Check the current width, and adjust only the width to 8″.
- While the whole design is selected, hit the Ungroup button.
- On the right side layer panel, you will notice there are still 4 items grouped together, a rectangle and 3 lines. Select all 4 of these items.
- In the Operations Drop-Down Menu change the operation from Basic Cut to Score.
- Select the entire design, and press the Attach button to attach the score lines to the gift box design.
If you are happy with the size, you can make duplicates of this as many times as needed.
Pointers On Setting Up your Cutting Mat
If you are using an 8.5″ x 11″ card stock, you can fit 1 of these gift boxes on one sheet comfortably. You can squeeze 2 onto a sheet. To do this, you will need to reduce the width to 7.75″ and align the paper with the edges of the design and not the edges of the cutting mat.
If you are using 12″ x 12″ cardstock, you can fit 2 gift boxes onto the cutting mat comfortably. If you reduce the size of the boxes to 6.5″ wide, you can fit 3 boxes onto the cutting mat, but the boxes will be very small when assembled. And if you go even smaller, to 6″ wide, you can fit 4 boxes on the cutting mat, but the boxes will be even smaller.
Assembling your Simple Favor Gift Box
Once you have your gift box cut out, all that is left to do is assemble it! So, at this point, you should have 1 piece per box. And as all box assemblies are the same, you should have a weird-shaped piece like the picture here.
Folding along the Score Lines
The first thing that we need to do is fold the box along all the score lines. There is no best way to fold this or none I have found. I like to fold the vertical lines first, and then the horizontal, but you simply need to fold along the score lines until you have folded the box on all 10 score lines.
Gluing the Box into shape
Next, you will want to pull out your trusty crafting glue and apply glue to the little tab on the side of the box. Apply the glue to the top of this tab and attach it to the underside of the opposite side of the box. This will give the box its shape.
Next, we need to glue the bottom of the box shut. You can apply glue to 1, 2, 3 or all 4 bottom pieces. I like to use lots of glue, so I applied glue to all 4 pieces. Two bottom panels had glue put on the bottom, and the other two sides had glue on the top to hold it all together. You will need to hold the bottom flaps closed while the glue dries so that the box stays a box. I found that putting the box on the table and holding the inside down for a few moments did the trick.
Fill the gift box with a treat!
Now, all that is left is to fill the simple favor gift box with a treat! You can also use some crinkle paper shreds to add a bit more character to the box.
Finally, slide one dove over the other at the cut lines so they line up to close the box.
And that’s it! Your Simple Favor Gift Box is Complete!
Things I Learned Along the way
So, let’s talk about how this project went. It is complete, and I’m very happy with how it turned out, but as always, something had to be learned, so let’s jump in!
- At first, I wanted to make a box that didn’t need glue. But then I started to think about adding cut lines and making weird shapes to get it all to close nicely, and it was too much chaos for me, so I went with simple lines and glue.
- When gluing the bottom flaps of this box, I found it a bit awkward to hold the bottom closed. So, the method I mentioned above (side panel first and then the bottom) seems to work best. When I tried to glue it all at the same time, things were ungluing and ripping.
- If you have short fingers, holding the inside of the box down during gluing can be a bit of a challenge. The back side of a pencil works great to hold the flaps down while they dry.
- If you try to close the doves before the glue has dried, there is a very good chance that the whole box will come unglued. I recommend you wait 5-10 seconds for the glue to dry before you try to close the box.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can a simple favor box be used for?
The design of this box is simple. And I did it that way on purpose. This way you can use it for a bunch of occasions, such as:
- Wedding favor boxes,
- Baptism favor boxes,
- Birthday party favor boxes,
- Stag & doe favor boxes,
- Housewarming party favor boxes,
- and more!
How big is a favor box?
The design I created, and with the dimensions that I suggested in the above tutorial (8″ wide), the final favor box is a 2″ cube that is almost 4″ tall at the top of the doves.
You can make the boxes smaller, but a 2″ cube is a good size for favor box.
I have made several sizes, with the width ranging from 6.5″ to 8″. They all work well, but the smaller the box, the harder it is to fold, and the harder it is to fill with a party favor.
What type of card stock to use for favor gift boxes
I used 65lb cardstock for these boxes. If you use lighter cardstock, such as 24lb, the box will not be rigid. Also, the box will not travel well.
You can use heavier cardstock, such as 80lb or 110lb, but those are much more expensive and, let’s be honest, these are going in the garbage after they are brought home and the treats removed.
Did you enjoy this craft?
Did you enjoy this craft? Let me know in the comments below! Did you make this simple favor gift box? Let me know how it turned out!
If you enjoyed this craft, be sure to check out my other paper crafts here.
If you are looking for a craft that matches the theme of this gift box, check out this matching card here.
Is it possible to make these without a cricut machine?
The files that I have created will work with any cutting machine. But the concept of the box can be done with a sketch on cardstock and scissors as well.