How to Make a Papercraft Christmas Advent Calendar

Cut a panel of cardstock 6 x 6.5”, score the longer edge at 3” and 6” leaving half and inch over for the gluing tab.

Top Tip: You can make the pillow boxes any size you like, just remember to add the gluing tab to the size you require.

Use an old CD to draw out curved edges, two on either side.

Cut along the edges continuing the curve into the gluing tab.

Punch a small half circle in to the edge of one side.

Use the CD as a guide to emboss four more curved lines the other way up to create an eye-like shape.

Carefully push in the ends ensuring to push the punched ones in first.

Fold a large piece of brown wrapping paper in half and hand-draw a star shape using a pencil.

Carefully tear around the drawn edges so that you have two star shapes when finished.

Place the stars one on top fo the other, then use a needle and thread to stitch around the outside edge. When you are about three quarters of the way around, fill the parcel with your chosen gift and then finish sewing up.

Top Tip: If you have one, a sewing machine could be used to stitch around the outside edge.

Wrap a length of twine a few times around the star and secure in place with a blob of glue.

Trim an 8.5 x 6” panel and score along the longer side at 2”, 4”, 6” and 8” leaving a half inch tab at the end. Turn and score at 2”.

Snip diagonal cuts as shown in the step image below, then fold and crease along the score lines.

Fold all the scored sections, gluing at the tab.

Fold in the four end flaps creating a box shape.

Hold the open end of the box between your thumbs and middle finger, then squeeze the two sides together whilst using your index finger to push the other two sides inwards.

Punch two holes into the top of the box and thread through a length of twine.

There are loads of different parcels and boxes that can be made from paper, from super-simple wrapped crackers to mini envelopes in all kinds of shapes and sizes, the possibilities are endless!

Top Tip: I found it best to tailor my packages to the items that would be going in them - there's noting worse than spending time making a box or parcel only to find it's not quite big enough!