A Pile of Gift Boxes🌟 CCC 2025
These handmade gift boxes are perfect for adding a personal touch to your holiday wrapping.
This tutorial includes ten different sizes, with both square and rectangular designs, so you can create boxes for everything from small trinkets to larger presents.
Each Christmas gift box looks especially beautiful when made from double-sided patterned paper. The contrast between the inside and outside designs adds depth, and you can mix and match papers to make the lid and base stand out from one another.
This little detail makes a big difference and gives every box a one-of-a-kind look that feels extra thoughtful.
Because the templates are designed for cutting machines, they come together neatly and quickly. The Cricut gift box SVG scores the fold lines and cuts the templates precisely, so all you need to do is fold, glue, and decorate.
Add ribbons, tags, or embellishments if you like, or keep them plain for a clean and simple finish.
It’s also a great way to use up patterned paper that’s too pretty to hide away in your craft stash.
This DIY gift box set is a great project to make ahead of the holidays so you have a supply of ready-to-go packaging.
You can even resize the templates in Design Space to create your own custom dimensions.
It’s an easy and creative way to elevate your gift presentation while showing off your love for handmade crafting.
This project is part of the 2025 Christmas Craft Countdown.
Materials list for handmade gift boxes
Here is a list of the materials that I used to make this project.
Please note that some of the links included in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.
- Cricut machine
- Light blue Cricut cutting mat
- Scoring wheel or scoring stylus (don’t have one? Try these tips)
- Coloured Card or double-sided scrapbook paper (ideally 215gsm / 80lb or higher)
- Glue (I like Bearly Art Glue and Collall) or double-sided tape
This project is suitable for the following types of Cricut machines: Explore series, Maker series and Joy Xtra. The boxes are too large to cut on the Cricut Joy.
Hand-cutting versions are included for seven of the ten boxes. The other three are too large for the templates to be printed, so they have not been included with the hand-cutting versions.
Foundation learning
If you're new to making papercrafts with your cutting machine, check out these links to get you started.
They include videos on topics such as: which file to use with your type of cutting machine, how to load the files into your cutting machine's software, how to cut cardstock with your type of cutting machine, how to recolor and modify/customize the cut files and tips for displaying your projects.
The following tutorials are Cricut-specific, but many of the ideas will work similarly with a Silhouette or ScanNCut machine and any cut files that are shared in them are compatible with all types of cutting machine.
- How to score with a Cricut (even without scoring tools)
- Print then cut tutorial
- Design Space tools (Combine, Attach, Slice, Weld, Flatten, etc.)
- Pattern fill tutorial (for making backgrounds & cutting images to a specific shape/size)
- Free envelope SVGs that can be sized to fit any card
- Presentation boxes for handmade cards
- How to write inside cards with Cricut pens
- How to cut layered designs at a small size
- Design Space tips & tricks
- Cricut pens tutorial
- How to mount multiple designs in the same frame with magic guides
DIY gift box video tutorial
Watch the video below to see how to make this project. Keep scrolling for a written tutorial.
Written tutorial (with photos!)
Here’s how to make a whole pile of gift boxes in different sizes using a Cricut machine.
The templates come in two styles based on the final box size. I’ll show you examples of both in this tutorial.
Step 1) Download the cutting files & upload to Design Space
Get the files using the box below.
Purchase the File(s)
This cut file is available as part of the Instant Access Bundle.
Or, purchase this design individually here
Before you upload the SVGs to Design Space, you need to unzip the download folder that they come in.
- How to unzip a folder on Windows computer
- How to unzip a folder on a Mac
- How to unzip a folder on an iPad/iPhone
- How to unzip a folder on an Android device
After unzipping, upload the SVG file(s) into your cutting machine software.
Not sure how to use cut files with your type of machine? The following links lead to videos on how to open cut files in:
- Cricut Design Space
- Silhouette Studio
- CanvasWorkspace (for ScanNCut machines)
The download folder also contains printable PDF versions of the templates for hand cutting.
If you are using Cricut Design Space, start a new project and then click the “Upload” button on the left of the screen.
You can then either click “Browse” to find the file on your computer, or drag-and-drop it.
Select your chosen gift box size from the “SVG Files” folder within “Cutting Machine Versions”.
Press “Upload” on the next screen.
After uploading, the design should be automatically inserted onto your Canvas.
To hide the left sidebar (to give you more space for designing!), click the arrow that’s about half way down the page.
If the design doesn’t get inserted onto your Canvas, it will show under “Uploads” in your “Recently Uploaded Images”. Click on it and then press “Add to Canvas” to put it onto your Project.
The two smallest gift boxes have all the pieces connected when they load:
All the other boxes come with more pieces. This was required, to ensure that the boxes can be cut on various paper sizes.
Step 2) Check the size of the SVG
Click the SVG design and make sure it has loaded in at the correct size.
Resize it if needed, to fit the measurements below.
Box A – 3 x 3 inches, 1 inch deep
Set file size to 8 inches wide, 14 inches tall
Box B – 3 x 3 inches, 2 inches deep
Set file size to 12 inches wide, 22 inches tall
Box C – 5.25 x 7.25 inches, 1 inch deep
Set file size to 14 inches wide, 32 inches tall
Box D – 5.25 x 7.25 inches, 2 inches deep
Set file size to 18 inches wide, 38 inches tall
Box E – 5.25 x 7.25 inches, 3 inches deep
Set file size to 22 inches wide, 46 inches tall
Box F – 5.25 x 7.25 inches, 4 inches deep
Set file size to 26 inches wide, 54 inches tall
Box G – 6.25 x 6.25 inches, 1 inch deep
Set file size to 14 inches wide, 30 inches tall
Box H – 6.25 x 6.25 inches, 2 inches deep
Set file size to 18 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Box I – 6.25 x 6.25 inches, 3 inches deep
Set file size to 22 inches wide, 44 inches tall
Box J – 6.25 x 6.25 inches, 4 inches deep
Set file size to 26 inches wide, 55 inches tall
Step 3) Format the score lines
You need to format the score lines of the design to tell the Cricut to score them instead of cutting them.
Click to select the design, then press “Ungroup” in the Layers panel to separate out the pieces.
For the two smallest boxes, you’ll be left with two subgroups showing in the layers panel.
The larger boxes have more subgroups as the sides come separate to the main box sides.
The shapes that appear at the top of the file are for the bottom part of the box. The shapes that appears at the bottom of the file are for the lid of the box.
An easy way to tell them apart is that the lid pieces have circle cutouts in them.
To change the lines to “Score”, open up one of the subgroups by clicking the chevron arrow.
Click the top layer within that subgroup. It looks like single black lines.
Change that layer to “Score” in the Operations dropdown.
Click the subgroup name to select that whole subgroup (i.e the new score line and the coloured piece underneath).
With both layers selected, click “Attach” (the paperclip icon). Attach is what tells the Cricut to do the scoring on that underlying shape.
Repeat those steps for all other subgroups.
You’ll know when you are finished because all the subgroups will show a paperclip icon in the layers panel and say the word “Attach”.
Step 4) Cut out all the pieces
If you’re going to use two different papers for the lid and the base then you’ll need to change the colour of one of them to separate them during the cut process.
That way, when you go to cut the project, it will split them up into two colours of paper.
When you’re happy with how the project is looking in Design Space, click “Make” and follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the pieces.
To change the paper size, go into the dropdowns over on the left side of the screen and choose the paper size that you want to use. You need to change it for every single colour.
To save space on your cardstock, you can move things around by clicking and dragging. Make sure when you’re moving things about that nothing overlaps because otherwise, it won’t cut out properly.
TIP: New to using cardstock with your cutting machine? Check out these machine help guides for Cricut, Silhouette and ScanNCut that go through every step of the process, including tips for getting the best quality cuts from your machine.
Step 5) Stick the gift boxes
The two smallest sized gift boxes are the easiest to put together as you have less pieces to stick. We’ll go through those ones first.
Decide if you will be using glue or double sided tape to put your boxes together. I find tape easiest as then the sides hold their place straight away without any drying time, but glue can be stronger – perhaps better for if you’re adding anything heavy into the box.
My favourite glues to use on papercraft projects are Bearly Art Glue and Collall All Purpose Glue.
These are great because they don’t “warp” or bend the cardstock like some glues do. You can use as much of it as you want and the card stays perfect – and it dries perfectly clear too!
However, I am using the E-Z Runner Grand double-sided tape measure for my boxes.
Start with the base of the box. This is the piece (or pieces) without the circle or square cutouts.
First, first inwards along all the score lines. The poinsettia paper you can see below will be the pattern on the inside of my box.
Position the card so that the colour or pattern you want to appear on the outside of the box is facing upwards.
Add glue or double sided tape to all the tabs.
Fold each tab inwards, then stick it to the next side of the box, at a right-angle. This is how the sides of the box are formed.
You’ll be left with rectangular pieces “sticking up” above the sides of the box.
For the bottom of the boxes, you can either glue the remaining rectangles to the inside of the box to hide the join lines and tabs, or fold them to create a secondary way of hiding the contents within.
I prefer to glue mine down.
Repeat the same for the lid.
For the lid, the final rectangles must be glued inside. This creates a small semicircle to make it easier to take the lid off the box, as fingers can grip on to them.
For the larger boxes that come in sections, gather all the pieces of the base together.
Fold along all the score lines. In this picture below, the white paper will be on the inside of the box.
Turn it over so you can see the colour you want on the outside of the box, then add glue or double sided tape down all of the tabs.
Attach the four sides to the tabs.
The tabs on the new side sections go closest to your starting piece.
Add tape or glue to the tabs along the outside-side of the box, then fold up the sides in the same way as before.
It’s a little trickier with the bigger boxes.
When all the sides have been created, you can choose to leave the rectangles folded over to cover the contents of the box, or glue them down to the inside.
I glued mine to the inside.
Repeat the same process for the lid of the gift box.
Your gift boxes are now all finished!
Easy Cricut gift boxes to make with a Cricut
Creating your own Christmas gift boxes is a satisfying way to elevate even the simplest of presents.
With a mix of sizes and shapes to choose from, there’s plenty of room to experiment with different colour palettes and paper types.
Once you’ve made one, it’s hard to resist trying out more combinations — especially when you see how professional they look when finished.
Love making gift boxes with your Cricut?
Here are some other similar projects that you may enjoy:
- Giant circular gift box
- Presentation boxes for handmade cards (free)
- Halloween monster treat boxes
- Flower box displays
- Boxes shaped like books
Happy crafting,
Sarah x
