Written by Claire Schneider
Thanksgiving has passed, and now it’s time to put holiday cheer into full effect! One of my favorite things about Christmas is decorating our home and warming it up with endless amounts of the spirit of the season. Our team at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has come up with three festive ways to use your old moving boxes in ways that will not only be fun to create with your family but will also be conversation starters with visitors and guests.
Gingerbread house
The Christmas season would not be complete without building a classic gingerbread house. Instead of making one from a kit, why not make a one out of your old moving boxes? This is a traditional yet whimsical design item for your home that will undoubtedly be a statement piece. You could use the house to disguise a dog kennel, hide presents, house your Elf on the Shelf for the night, or it can even be the main centerpiece for the Holiday Express train. The options are endless.
Here’s what you need to build you gingerbread house:
- 1 wardrobe box
- 1 dish pack
- 1 medium box
- Paint in a variety of colors
- Packing tape
- Hot glue gun
- Batting
- Box cutter
To start, I cut out the frame of the house using the wardrobe and dish pack boxes. I used the dish pack for the roof and the wardrobe box for the sides making sure to cut out a door on one of the sides. Next, I took my two roof pieces and painted three draped lines on each one to add some character. Then I taped the sides and roof pieces together on the inside of the house using packing tape. Next, I cut out the batting to look like snow and glued that to the edges. The nice thing about this part is I didn’t have to worry about cutting my edges perfectly straight; edges have the appearance to line up flawlessly since it is covered.
Next, I used my medium box to cut out the wreath, candy canes, and gum drop pieces. Finally I painted and glued them to the house for a festive look.
Name tags
Instead of using the same name tags on your gifts each year, get creative and assemble your own unique ones! This is a very simple and achievable craft which will make your friends and family feel special this holiday season.
Items needed:
- 1 medium box (depending on how many tags you plan to make)
- Paint
- Festive ribbon
- Box cutter
For the shapes of the tags, I looked up Christmas patterns and printed out my top three. I then traced them on the box and carefully cut them out. Next, I painted them and added a ribbon to the top. Last, use the back to write the recipient’s name or even a cheery note.
Card holder
Over the years I’ve thought I should get a card holder but never found one that I truly liked enough to purchase. So this year I decided to make my own out of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® boxes.
Here’s what I used:
- 1 dish pack box
- Burlap
- Paint
- Ribbon
- Box cutter
- Hot glue gun
For my card holder I decided I wanted to have a more vertical orientation, so the dish pack box was the perfect option for me. Next, I cut out a 12” x 24” section of the box. With the burlap I purchased at my local craft store, I cut out a rectangle a few inches longer and wider than the cardboard piece. Then I wrapped it around the cardboard and glued the edges. Now that I had my background, I then stenciled my holiday message. Since it was going to hold the holiday cards I will receive, I decided to go with “Season’s Greetings”. Last, I attached red ribbon in a crisscross fashion where I will clip on the cards as I receive them.
I hope these festive crafts gave you a few fun ideas on how to recycle your old moving boxes this holiday season. Visit our Pinterest page for more holiday inspiration!
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.
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