Here's a fun paper craft that the whole family can enjoy! Cute little village shops in the shape of half pint milk cartons. Print, cut, fold & fill them with candies, treats or small gifts. Punch a hole at the top and tie with ribbon or lace for an elegant touch. Perfect as party favors or to decorate your festive Spring holiday table. (assembly instructions at the end of this post)
Cut out each box on the outer lines. They should look like the photo above.
If you have a scoring board & scoring tool, score on all vertical, horizontal & diagonal lines. If you don't have these tools just carefully fold on the lines.
Flatten the vertical and horizontal folds with the flat side of your scoring tool (or other flat instrument such as the flat part of a pencil or pen). DO NOT flatten the diagonal lines. It is sufficient to score them or fold them gently by hand because they will automatically fold inward as you assemble the box.
Apply double-sided tape to the vertical flap (the narrowest vertical section). Adhere it to the opposite side matching up the folds. It should now look like the photo below:
Gently fold the bottom sections so that they begin to overlap with each other. One side will fit almost naturally into (under) the other side. Try both ways to see which one seems to fit best and sit the flattest.
Put a few drops of tacky craft glue or thick "vinyl" type glue (PVA glue, white craft glue) on the tip of the flap that will go underneath. Smooth the glue with your finger to reduce lumps and bumps. Stick the two flaps together so the bottom of the box looks like the photo below:
It is helpful to put your hand inside the box and hold the bottom flat against a hard surface for 20 to 30 seconds, so the bottom of the box sits nice and flat.
If there is a gap at the sides of the bottom, add a few drops of glue as shown in the photo above, and smooth it into a line with your fingernail or a toothpick. Put your hand inside the box again and hold it down against a hard surface for 20 or 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Now the bottom of your box should sit perfectly flat, like the photo above.
Click Photo for Purchase Link
Printing Instructions:
- Right click on the ZIP file and choose where you want to have the files unzipped.
- Double click on the JPG file that you want to print. It should open in your computer's default image viewer. Look for the printer symbol and click on it to choose the printer, paper size, orientation (landscape is best for this project) & other settings. If you don't see a printer symbol you can right click on the image and then select "print".
- I recommend printing on cardstock if you have it. I use lightweight cardstock (office card) that is 160 gsm (approximately 60 lbs).
- Let ink dry completely before cutting & assembly.
Assembly Instructions
Cut out each box on the outer lines. They should look like the photo above.
If you have a scoring board & scoring tool, score on all vertical, horizontal & diagonal lines. If you don't have these tools just carefully fold on the lines.
Flatten the vertical and horizontal folds with the flat side of your scoring tool (or other flat instrument such as the flat part of a pencil or pen). DO NOT flatten the diagonal lines. It is sufficient to score them or fold them gently by hand because they will automatically fold inward as you assemble the box.
Apply double-sided tape to the vertical flap (the narrowest vertical section). Adhere it to the opposite side matching up the folds. It should now look like the photo below:
Gently fold the bottom sections so that they begin to overlap with each other. One side will fit almost naturally into (under) the other side. Try both ways to see which one seems to fit best and sit the flattest.
Put a few drops of tacky craft glue or thick "vinyl" type glue (PVA glue, white craft glue) on the tip of the flap that will go underneath. Smooth the glue with your finger to reduce lumps and bumps. Stick the two flaps together so the bottom of the box looks like the photo below:
It is helpful to put your hand inside the box and hold the bottom flat against a hard surface for 20 to 30 seconds, so the bottom of the box sits nice and flat.
If there is a gap at the sides of the bottom, add a few drops of glue as shown in the photo above, and smooth it into a line with your fingernail or a toothpick. Put your hand inside the box again and hold it down against a hard surface for 20 or 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Now the bottom of your box should sit perfectly flat, like the photo above.
Fold the top parts together so that they form the "roof". The diagonal folds go inwards almost automatically, as you pull the top pieces together to form the roof-line (the top "tab" part of the milk carton). If you want to punch a hole in the top so that you can add ribbon or lace it is helpful to hold the two pieces together with binder clips so the parts don't move while you are punching the hole.
Alternatively, you can glue the two pieces together, if you want to use the boxes for display instead of filling them. In that case, don't punch a hole.
If you have questions please comment below and I will try to help you as best I can!
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