How to Make Handmade Pillow Boxes

I love pillow boxes, so when my friend Sandra McGriff shared a tutorial she'd found on the blog "Blue, Purple & Scarlet," I was thrilled and started collecting paper towel rolls to make my own. I tweaked the tutorial a little, and here is my project. I'll be making my own pillow boxes from now on!

I began by collecting paper towel rolls to up-cycle into pillow boxes. I also began experimenting with painting the paper rolls.

I cut each paper towel roll in two and then cut gentle curves into each end. This kept the pillow shape nice and soft.

 I also added a triangle cut on each end so the recipient could easily open the inner tab. Then I simply pushed each side of the ends down. The paper naturally made a pillow shape, even without scoring the paper.

I used red poster paint and Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in gold metallic and tried a few combinations. I found that since poster paint is dry and can crack on cardboard, the second layer of fabric paint softened the poster paint and gave it a lustrous glow. I left an area unpainted on one side to adhere my Vista Print "Toltec Jewels" logo stickers.

 

 

 

The finished pillow boxes turned out nicely and were easy to create in an evening. Now to fill them with goodies and mail them off!

Toltec Jewels is an author by day, jewelry maker by night. Her literary work is housed by the San Fransisco MOMA and is published internationally in popular magazines, literary quarterlies, and university publications. She has won a number of awards for literary and jewelry arts. She is happiest making handcrafted jewelry with her entire family, snuggling with her doggies and grandkids, sewing, singing, reading, and learning jewelry techniques. She is the host of Jewel School Friends, a community of expert and emerging artisans taking inspiration from each other and Jewel School. Join her on Facebook for networking, fundraising for Beads of Courage, jewelry making challenges, contests, give-a-ways and of course, cool beads and jewelry!