These Accordion-Book Boxes Are the Perfect Craft Project for Book Lovers

Is it a box? Is it a book? Is it a craft? It’s all three!

Surprise — it’s a box with a book inside! Turn a ho-hum gift box from your gift-wrap stash into an art book keepsake. Get creative with your page-turning masterpiece — comic books, counting books, and photo albums are all fair game! These can also be made as elaborate birthday or holiday cards for special loved ones. You can write a long message or tell a fun story like a comical history of your friendship. The options are limitless!

What you’ll need:

• 2-piece gift box
• Paper roll 
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Felt
• Tacky Glue
• Letter stamps
• Ink Pad
• Markers
• Crayons
• Colored pencils

Make it:

Cut a long strip of paper the same height as the inside height of the box. Accordion-fold the paper so that each “page” matches the width of the box. 

Cut a piece of felt that matches the height of the box and is about one to two inches wider than the depth of the box. 

Glue the felt to the top of the box, and wrap it around to glue to the back — but not too tight! Leave a little slack in the fabric so it curves out a bit around the “spine” of your book box.

Give your book a title! If you have small letter stamps and an inkpad, use them for the title. You can also write the title on the front with a marker or colored pencil. 

Use stamps, drawing utensils, or collaged paper to create your pages. These books can be scrapbooks, comic books, or story books. You can even print small photos to make a memory book.

Use the glue stick to adhere the first page to the bottom of the box.

September 6, 2024| Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Grown-Up, Older Elementary, Paper, Tween to Teen