Picture the scene; It's the night before Christmas, the lights are twinkling, and the fire is crackling as you gather in front of the tree.
Everyone's excited and looking forward to the morning when they will hopefully find that Santa has visited and left them some goodies.
It's a pretty perfect scene, right? So what do you do if you want to dial it up a notch this Christmas?
There is one way, by making a personalised Christmas Eve Crate.
This year, you can make Christmas eve extra special with a handmade, personalised Christmas eve box for the kids or someone special. Making your own Christmas eve box is one of the easiest crafting projects, so if you've got limited experience, this is the perfect project for you.
Making your own Christmas eve box or crate is also a much cheaper alternative than buying one from the shops, so this way, you can spend what you save on even more presents.
- Cameo digital cutter (or a steady hand and pair of sharp scissors)
- Scissors
Supplies you'll need:
- Wooden box (get a box from just £2 at The Works)
- Acrylic paints
- Christmas embellishments
- Rose gold Vinyl (or any other Christmassy colour you like)
How to Make a Christmas Eve Crate
Step 1 - Paint your box
Choose a colour you think they will love that's also Christmassy. We tend to use red or green as they are great for Christmas.
Pop a generous blob on the lid of your wooden box and take a large, flat paintbrush and spread the colour across the top. The key here is to not paint to the edges, so you maintain that homemade look. If you want to take that rustic look a step further, finish the colour with rough brush strokes and leave the edges unpainted. Then, set the box aside to dry. This will take around 20 minutes if you've only given it a nice and light coat.
Step 2 - Create your lettering
Whilst your paint is drying, grab your gold or silver vinyl and your Cameo machine (if you have one). Create lettering that reads "Christmas Eve Box" and prefix that with the name of your lucky recipient EG. "Rosie's Christmas eve box".
For the lettering, we like a mix of a seasonal italic font for the word 'Christmas' and a second font that's more playful for the rest of the message. When you're making the letters, it's essential to make sure your lettering is sized to fit the top of your box.
Step 3 - Place your lettering
Place your lettering on top of your painted box. Whilst doing this, you must stick them down firmly and smooth them out. Just so they lie flush on the box
Step 4 - Personalise
To finish off the box you can personalise it with some of their favourite Christmas Embellishments. You can add anything from stars, pom-poms, little candy canes to little Santas to give it that extra touch.
And there you have it! Just four easy steps, and you can make your own Christmas crate in just a few minutes.
There are alternatives to vinyl lettering too. You can use wooden lettering to spell out your festive message, or, if you are a confident painter, you could even paint your message onto your box.
Once you've loaded your personalised Christmas eve boxes with wrapped gifts, Christmas PJs, games and sweet treats, place them under your tree and give them out on Christmas eve. The family will have great fun opening their boxes and enjoying what's inside, making your Christmas eve super special!
