The embellishments were made using “Candy and Cupcake” stickers and microbeads from Martha Stewart Crafts, available online or at Michaels.

Grab your scrapbooking paper, decorative punch, double-sided tape, paper cutter or scissors, and embellishments, and your box, and let’s get started.

Cut a strip of paper almost as wide as your box (or smaller, if you want the box to show in the margin).  Next, cut a coordinating strip of paper about three-quarters the width of the first strip.

Use the decorative punch to punch one side of the smaller paper strip.

Wrap the bottom paper around the box, making sure it is centered, creasing the corners.  Secure with double-sided tape.  I like to slip the paper band off and make sure the tape is pressed down securely and the edges are creased.

Repeat with the second strip, aligning the non-punched edge with the edge of the bottom paper.

Add an embellishment to the top of your box.  Three-dimensional scrapbooking stickers are perfect.  I also used gift tag stickers, with the recipient’s name written with a ball-point glue pen, from Martha Stewart Crafts, then topped with super fine glitter (also from Martha).

For an alternate layout, punch both sides of you top strip and center it over the bottom strip.  There are so many ways you can make this project reflect your own unique style.

You can fill your boxes with anything from soap to fudge and everything in between.

And, if you see this post after the holidays have passed, just remember that you can use this technique to decorate boxes for any occasion.

Here are two of the projects.

Using the same techniques of layering punched and decorative papers and embellishments, I made Christmas cards and gift boxes today.

That holly edge punch is from Martha Stewart Crafts.