By a show of hands, how many of us have received a homemade gift and thought it was the worst possible gift ever? On the other hand, how many of us have ever received a homemade gift and thought it was the greatest gift ever? The thing is that a homemade gift is basically always the best, and if you think they are terrible than you are probably egotistical and materialistic. (Just kidding. Not kidding). This is because a gift doesn’t have to be expensive or even that pertinent to hold value. Still, if you want to make a homemade gift that will be universally appreciated, I suggest you start handing out handmade candy boxes.
Allow me to explain.
Just about any craft store is going to sell unfinished candy boxes, which you would then buy and decorate and stuff with [preferably] homemade candy. Or, if you are really gung-ho and not willing to cop out, you can make your own candy boxes using cardstock and templates.
Consider decoupage. The word “decoupage” is obviously French, therefore you would think that it has French origins. Well, get this. Someone out there supposedly uncovered that original decoupage (which was obviously not called by this French word yet) was actually tomb art. That’s right. Tomb art. In Siberia, of all places, they supposedly cut out pieces of felt and used the cutouts to decorate the tombs of their loved ones. The Chinese caught on, and then the Italians became famous for it. Don’t ask me where the French word came from all of that.
The point of me providing you with that free history lesson is to show that decoupage is quite artisan and classic, therefore beloved by all. Thankfully, in our day and age, it is a lot easier to accomplish. You can literally cut some pictures out of a magazine and Modge Podge them to just about anything. In this situation it would be your homemade candy boxes. Then, after your joyful recipient finishes savoring their final bite of homemade confectionary, they can use the decorated box for storing keepsakes, or jewelry.
The thing that I like best about making these is that I can personalize them. I can theme them based on whomever I’m giving them to, and I can give them to just about everyone I know. You can even consider lining the inside of the box with satin, or the bottom with a piece of felt. You can paint the inside for added flare or decoupage a solitary cutout at the bottom, to be a little bit of a surprise when the candy is all gone.