How to Make “Faux” Gingerbread House Gift Boxes
You only need a little puffy paint and a kraft box to create a festive and creative Christmas gift box! We walk you through how to do it in our “faux” gingerbread house gift box tutorial.
One of my favorite family traditions is baking gingerbread houses and eating gingerbread cookies! When my kids were younger, we tried to decorate gingerbread cookies and houses every year. Most of those houses were pretty messy and overloaded with my kids’ favorite candies!
As my kids got older, they took gingerbread house decorating more seriously. Now that they are in their 20s, I have to frequently referee disagreements about our yearly gingerbread house theme and decorating guidelines.
(If you find yourself in a similar situation with grown-up kids, my advice is to say, “Everyone gets to decorate the houses however they want!” LOL!)
(the year of the pink bubblegum and lighthouse gingerbread)
We are not expert gingerbread house decorators by ANY means, but myself and my family really enjoy the creative process of making the houses each year.
Decorating elaborate gingerbread houses has picked up popularity over the last few years. Inspired by that trend a few years ago, I thought decorating kraft gift boxes to look like gingerbread houses would be fun.
Instead of frosting, we used puffy paint and a brown gift box instead of gingerbread.
This would be a great craft project for a kid’s party!
One of the best things about this gift box is that you can use it year after year!
TIP: You could do something similar with brown paper lunch bags and paint pens.
A few years ago, I briefly mentioned these DIY gingerbread gift boxes in my article on creative Christmas gift wrap ideas. Today, I’d like to share a bit more about how to make them.
Gingerbread Gift Box Supplies
- Sturdy, brown (kraft) gift box that has a removable lid.
- White puffy paint
- Pencil
- Ruler
Step One: Draw the House
The first step is to decide how you want your house to look. Do you want several windows? A large door? Do you want to draw in the roof? If you’re stuck for ideas, you can get some inspiration by looking at real gingerbread houses.
I recommend sketching out your design on a scrap of paper before you start on your box.
Using a ruler and pencil, draw your design on your box.
Step Two: Decorate
The next step is to paint over the drawn lines with puffy paint. Before you begin, tip the paint dispenser upside down and tap to remove any air bubbles. This will help prevent paint splatters.
Trace around the lines. Be careful as you decorate, since the paint takes a little while to dry. We used Tulip puffy paint, but you can try other brands and thicknesses until you find one you like.
The last step is to let it dry. Please don’t touch it until it’s completely dry. Don’t place anything on top of the painted surface, as it might stick when stored.
Decorating Tips:
- As you can see, the paint will not be perfect, but I think that’s part of this craft’s charm.
- Go slowly and practice on a scrap of paper until you get a feel for how the paint flows out of the tube.
- You can use a straight pin to spread and even out the paint a bit.
- Watch where you rest your hand so you don’t smear already painted portions of the box.
- You can trace things like Post-it notes, spools of thread, and cookie cutters to help you draw precise shapes on the front of your box.
If you’re feeling really festive, this gift box would be adorable to hold our DIY Paper Gingerbread Garland craft kit!
