The Easiest Way to Decorate Care Packages
Yes, kids are happy to receive card packages, but it’s fun to create themes for your packages and decorate them. If you aren’t super artistic, that’s not an issue, as this is the easiest way to decorate care packages.
By using wrapping paper, you can quickly create a fun theme, whether it’s a color or seasonal or something for a kid’s birthday. You can mix and match to create a more elaborate look or stick with one design for the entire package.
This tutorial for how to decorate care packages shows you exactly how to line your care package boxes to make them look pretty, even if you’re like me without an artistic bone in your body. You can do it.
And – as always – I will put out the caveat that you do not HAVE to do this. Your kids will be happy to receive any care packages for you. Decorating makes it fun, but it is not a competition.
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Materials You Need to Line a Care Package
- Wrapping paper or solid-colored kraft paper
- Measuring tape
- Quality Scissors or paper cutter
- Elmer’s Glue or glue sticks – and you know you have those in a bin somewhere
- Cricut Joy Xtra (optional)
- Vinyl sheets (optional)
- Letter stickers (optional)
A Note About Wrapping Paper
If you’re like me, you have a stash of wrapping paper rolls somewhere in the back of a closet. That’s what I use when I make these – generally – but the solid kraft paper is perfect for additional decorating.
However, you want the wrapping paper to be the thicker kind, not the cheap paper that I often stock up on accidentally right after the holidays. If your wrapping paper has dotted lines on the back to help you cut evenly, that’s all the better.
The thin paper has a couple of drawbacks. The first is – as you probably already know – that it tears easily as you’re cutting it instead of slicing cleanly. But when you use Elmer’s glue with the cheap, thin wrapping paper, the liquid in the glue absorbs into the paper and wrinkles in a way that’s really hard to smooth out even as it dries.
So go ahead and get good wrapping paper to use for lining your care packages. I like solid colors that I can use for a variety of themes as well as some of the designs that are from when my kid was little like Minions and Disney, etc.
How to Line Your Care Package
Be sure that you choose a box that will fit your care package items. You don’t want to go through the work of decorating the inside only to realize that what you want to send won’t fit or that it has a ton of extra space given the cost of shipping.
Be aware that if you choose a flat rate box from the post office, you have to use USPS priority rate shipping, which is great in that there’s no weight limit, but it isn’t cheap. I prefer Pirate Ship where you can ship via USPS or UPS but is significantly cheaper.
Once you’ve chosen your box, decide how you are going to line it. While some people line just the flap, I prefer to have the lining go partway or all the way to the bottom, as I think it looks better.
You can also line the bottom of the box, though I don’t generally do that. It will be covered by the items in the box, so I don’t see the need. If you choose to do this, I strongly suggest making the paper for each of your flaps go to the bottom of the box.
Use your tape measure to get the exact measurement of the width of each of your box flaps and the length measurement as far down as you plan to line the box. If you’re anything like me, write them down because you won’t remember them two minutes later.
You can do this either before or after you tape box together. If you plan to line the bottom of the box, measure this, as well, but put the box together first.
Roll out the wrapping paper on a flat surface, then use the measuring tape to mark the length and width of each of the spaces you want to cut out on the back side. I make three marks along the paper then use a straight edge to connect them to ensure I cut the correct size.
Use your scissors to cut as closely along those lines as possible. If you have a paper cutter, cut outside the lines and then trim to the exact size with your cutter, which will generally give you a straighter and more accurate cut.
Apply the glue or glue sticks to the cardboard flaps. Be sure to do just one at a time, and get as close to the edge as possible, then do a criss-cross across the center of the area.
Quickly apply the wrapping paper, starting at the top edge to get it straight, then smooth it flat down the flap. If you make an error, you can carefully peel it off then try again.
Repeat for the rest of the flaps. If you are lining the bottom, do this last to cover any excess paper from the flaps.
You can stop here, or you can decorate it further with additional themed sticker images or letters to make sayings.
How to Add Stickers
If you plan to add stickers, think about what you want to have your box say and look like before you start. You can either purchase stickers or make them with a Cricut or cutting tool.
If you make your own, I prefer vinyl sticker sheets to cardstock or construction paper. They have cleaner edges and stick better because they are sticky all around rather than you adding glue that either leaks out the sides or doesn’t make it to the edge so the letter gets damaged during packing and shipping.
The two-inch letters are typically the best size to use, whether you make your own or purchase premade letters (and numbers). Smaller sizes can be harder to read, and larger stickers make it challenging for words to fit.
Note that I used one-inch letters in this example as my two-inch stickers seem to have disappeared at the moment. They work, but they aren’t ideal.
If you have your own Cricut or Silhouette or similar machine, make your stickers and go. If you don’t, look at your library, as mine has one I can use at a very reasonable cost to make and create all sorts of things.
Lay out what you want to say and any stickers you want to use on each flap of the box. When I’m concerned about space, I do this before I attach the wrapping paper so I can see it laid out on all four at once.
You want words to stay only on the foldable part of the flap that stays visible when the box is full. The words should go around the box and be facing towards the center of the box.
If you use a phrase, you can choose to start the phrase on the smaller flap or the longer flap, depending on how long the words are in the phrase. Generally, it makes the most sense to start it on the longer flap, as that’s the way boxes face as people open them.
Design stickers work when you have them fully on the outwardly folding flap as well as partially into the box itself. Think about a skeleton or a balloon rising from the interior of the box, for example.
Once you have everything fully laid out. Carefully remove the sticker backs one at a time and place them, knowing that once you put them in place, they are not moving.
Pack and Ship Your Designed Care Package
Once you have your care package lined and designed, fill it with your favorite items for your kid. Use packing tape to shut it, and you’re ready to go.
Note that you can design the outside of your box, but it’s more likely to rip off if you use wrapping paper, and some of the designs are hard for shipping services to work with, so I don’t recommend it the same way.
We’ve already talked about Pirate Ship, my favorite shipping service, and that article has everything you need to know to get your box on its way cheaply. Have fun!
Share these tips to decorate care packages with your friends, too!
Decorating care packages is a great activity to do when you have a care package packing party. You can do it assembly line style or put out a variety of paper (and ask them to bring some of their own) and see how unique each package turns out.
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