Planning for the Holidays

It’s never too early to plan for holidays weeks ahead of their arrival. I mean, everyone seems to agree with that when putting out decorations for holidays, right?

Well, Halloween is no different when it comes to decorations. While September marks the beginning of fall and harvest season, I don’t quite see many Halloween decorations up until October’s start. I find this a bit silly, especially since a lot of people start putting up their winter holiday decor after Halloween (which is two months until winter holidays). Why can’t people do the same when it comes to Halloween in September?

The same goes for stocking up on your Halloween candy boxes and bags to hand out come October 31st. Myself, I like to grab what I can a month or more in advance. It seems when Halloween comes around, the stores become crazed with shoppers frantic to get any little thing they can get their hands on before supplies run out. I’m not about that, especially if it means stressing me out more than is needed.

But doing it a month in advance seems to solve the problem most of the time, and that rings true for anything. Holiday gift shopping? Uh, yeah, best to do that months in advance. As everyone knows, the longer you put it off, the more stressed out you’ll make yourself (and the less chance of you actually securing the items you want to gift to someone else).

It’s best to treat your candy boxes and spooky decorations the same as you would the winter holidays, and that means purchasing and decorating over a month in advance. Some people are afraid to go out on a limb and be the first one in their neighborhood to begin decorating or have supplies stocked and ready in their home, but I promise you that it’ll make you feel ten times better knowing you tackled the things you need to do now opposed to waiting until the week of.

I always feel much more in control when I have everything done and ready in advance, if only because I feel on top of my game and leave myself no reason to stress. Half the battle of actually doing something is planning it out beforehand. Once that part is done, doing it is a breeze.

Take the stress out of your holiday season these next few months and get to work on the things you need now rather than later.

12 Single Paper DIY Gift Boxes

It is easier to make gift boxes and candy boxes. All you need are printed templates, scissors, cardstock, punch and ribbons to add color. Some gift boxes will require you to add glue, but others do not require glue, and instead, wrap up easily with the left top part interlacing with the left part. Below is a roundup of some simple DIY gift box projects that you can try at home. You can use the cards for valentine, wedding and Christmas gifts and the good thing is, you get to choose your color.

Simple Gift Box

This the simplest gift box that you can create with the top and the bottom curved. The L-shaped cuts on the top parts close easily. The pattern used to create the box is in form of a bow tie.

Heart Gift Box

True to its name, this box has a heart shaped top and bottom. Easily make it with one piece of paper. Cut the side strip with the heart shaped top and bottom attached to the sides of the strip. At the top of the box, you can add ribbons in any shape you like.

Elliptic Gift Box

This is an ellipse shaped gift box created from one piece of paper. The edges of the gift box are curved to enhance the looks of the box. It is optional but you can add a ribbon to enhance the appearance of the box even more.

Hearty Pyramid Gift Box

This is an advanced option of the heart gift box. The sides of the gift box are heart shaped while the bottom is triangular. The side forms a pyramid with the bottom. The size and color of the paper will be dependent on your needs.

Triangular Gift Box

This is a simple box with triangular top and bottom, created with a single piece of paper. The top is created to interlace and close the box with no need for glue. To create it, draw the triangular base and the rectangle sides attached to the sides of the triangle, and then crate the top with arms that interlace.

Curved Top Gift Box

This is a simple gift box with a square bottom on whose sides are attached the curvy sides. This box does not need glue and opens and closes easily.

Handbag gift

If you need a gift box shaped like a handbag, draw the base, the sides, which should be curved and meeting at the top. You can create any size you want. Add a ribbon to better the appearance of the box.

Hexagonal Gift box

This box has a hexagonal base and top and is created with one piece of paper with no need for glue. The top arms are created with shapes that interlace to close the box, and opening is as easy as center pulling one of the arms.

Butterfly Curved Gift box

If you are looking for a simple gift box to send your loved one a gift in, this is a good option. Its bottom is square with two of the curved sides bearing butterfly wings. You can use it for small gifts.

Decorated Love Heart Gift Box

This is for love birds; it has a heart-shaped top and bottom with an opening at the top. The box is decorated with different colors and you can even add a tag to communicate a message.

Pyramid Gift box

Like its name suggests, this box is in the shape of a pyramid. You can create any size and any color you need and add ribbons or other decorations you may need.

Diamond Gift Box

This is a simple gift box created to match the shape of diamond. The only hard task comes in folding the piece of paper to get the shape.