I have seen some really gorgeous vintage choccy boxes on some of the blogs that I visit. I would love to own one, but have never seen them for sale here. Well, I started thinking, and I realised that if I can't buy one, then I can jolly well make one.For Valentine's Day, the husband has bought me some of my favourite chocs. I had planned on just covering over the heart shaped box to give it a vintage look, but the truth is that I love these boxes as they are, and it feels wrong to start blobbing glue all over them.
I make boxes of different shapes and sizes all the time, using a very simple technique. I had to learn how to make them years ago, when I desperately needed a hat box for a hat that I intended to wear to a wedding in London. I didn't want it getting squished on the train, and it seems to me that hat boxes sold in shops tend to be far too small for hats to fit into. So I started making my own. To begin, you need suitable card. For something like a chocolate box it needs to be strong and sturdy but not too thick. I had some pillowcases delivered yesterday, the card that came inside was perfect.
I will try to explain as simply as possible, and not get too wordy.
Using your template (in my case the heart shaped chocolate box), draw two shapes to become the top of the lid, and the bottom of the base of the box. I've included a photo to show you why I have to work speedily. As soon as she spotted me drawing on card, Gorgeous Girl picked up the pencil and added faces and bodies to my heart shapes!
Cut out your shapes.
You need sides on both pieces. You can make the depth of the box as shallow or deep as you want. I started with the base of the box. I squidged glue around the outline of the heart, and stood the card to be the sides of the box on there. This is important, I'll explain why in a bit. The side wall of the base of the box goes on top of the bottom piece of card. I used sellotape on the side to hold the side card to the base, as the glue isn't enough on its own. Don't worry about the whole think looking a mess, or the curves not being perfect, it will all be covered over. Continue adding the side card until the whole of the base has a wall going around it. Use as much sellotape as you need to hold it in place.
Once the bottom half of the box is complete, start on the lid. Now, with the base the side walls were attached by being slightly inside the heart shape. With the lid you want to attach the sides on the OUTSIDE of the heart. This means you have one larger half and one smaller half, and means one will fit on top of the other, thus making a working box. Following me?! Hope so. The sides to the lid need to be slightly thinner than the sides of the base, so you will be able to remove the lid easily. When you look at boxes from the side, they should look somthing like this ... 
Once you have made both base and lid, the fun can start ... decorating! I worked quickly so everything could dry overnight (I started the box on Thursday afternoon). I have some gorgeous craft paper, ivory with gold swirls on one side, brown and pink stripes on the other. I used the gold side to decorate the outside of the box, and the stripes on the inside.
Not only does this hide all of the glue and sellotape used, it covers any little mistakes and makes the whole structure sturdier. I wanted the lid of the box to be padded, and covered with fabric. I used ordinary padding for this. I swirled glue over the top of the lid, added a thin layer of padding and then cut to size and to neaten up. Then I covered it with white velvet, pulling it tight and securing with glue on the underside of the lid. After that I added ribbon, lace, a large satin bow and a vintage style flower. I secured everything with pins and left to dry.
This morning, with all the fabric nice and dry, it was a case of finishing off. First of all, I added more velvet on the inside of the lid, then finished off with a strip of satin around the edge to help hold the ribbon and lace in place. My Top Tip for hold things in place while it dries, is to use clothes pegs. Just move them every 5 minutes or so, you don't want them to become glued to the box!
After that, I added some pretty trim around the outside of the lid, and filled the inside of the box with tissue paper and petit four cases, to give the impression of having once been filled with scrummy choccies!
And that is how I made a vintage style chocolate box! It would be lovely to make and give as a pressie to a loved one, filled with homemade truffles or biccies.As I said earlier, you can use this basic technique to make any sort of box, any shape, any size, and decorated in the way you choose. It's easy and actually, quite good fun to do.