How to Make a Homemade Gift Box

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  • terysloc Flag

    Homemade Gift Box demo
    I liked the presentation. Very user friendly. So-to-speak.

Mary Gallagher-Stout
Mary Gallagher Stout, LLC
http://marygallagherstout.artspan.com/  
540 840 6619

Mary is a Studio Artist and Instructor at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton VA.  Ms. Gallagher-Stout is a highly sought after decorative consultant and professional artist. Mary has studied in France, Italy, and Mexico to supplement her formal education.  Ms. Gallagher Stout holds a BA in Philosophy and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rosemont College in 1996.  She owns and operates a successful decorative painting company that services commercial facilites as well as private residences.  In 2008, she interned on HGTV's hit series Designed to Sell and in 2007 she was a Graduate Resident Artist of Virginia Commonweath University's Summer Studio Program.

Mary is currently focusing on her studio art and has been invited by esteemed curator and educator, Trudi Van Dyke, to be a part of an upcoming exhibit.  Ms. Gallagher Stout recently collaborated with award winning artist, Chelsea Owens, on her Wonder Womb Installation. Wonder Womb will be on exhibit at the Workhouse Art Center, Building W-16, for the entire month of March, 2009.

Mary offers private workshops in decorative painting and fine art.  This Spring, Mary will be teaching sculpture and mixed media to children ages 8-10. Classes fill quickly so be sure to register early.  For more information and the detailed course description visit www.workhousearts.org.

Feel free to check out Mary's portfolio of painted wall treatments:  www.decorativepanache.com and give her a poke on Facebook!

 

 

 

How to Make a Homemade Gift Box

In this video series, artist Mary Gallagher-Stout demonstrates how to make beautiful home made gift boxes for any occasion. Mary demonstrates how to fold and cut the boxes, as well as shows how to personalize the boxes with ribbons and candy.

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Transcripts

Mary Gallagher Stout: Hi! I am Mary Gallagher Stout and today we are going to be making handmade gift boxes that we can give as favors or presents to our loved ones and friends. It's a very easy, very fun activity that is kids friendly and family friendly and inexpensive. These boxes can be used for wedding showers, for baby showers, for birthday parties, Valentine's day, the variety and the applications are endless. So the materials that you will be needing to create these miniature gift boxes or favors, if you will, are an X-Acto knife, paper, the dimensions of the paper we will be using today are 6x6 inches. It's really up to you whatever design that you like for your box. When we are creating the lid, we use a 6x6 piece of acetate or Dura-Lar paper which you can purchase at an art store but they are used for transparencies when you are doing something with your overhead projector, that's the acetate. It can be either printed on with lovely script or clear, it's up to you. A straight edge ruler, I also use a square ruler, it's not necessary but I find it's a lot easier to measure out a square with a square ruler. I also use, would recommend using a cutting mat to cut your paper on to because just like when you are cutting vegetables, it's better to have something to cut the knife into so you are not damaging any of your tables or any of that stuff and it's just easier on your hands then it's easier to cut. You are going to want to top everything with a pretty little bow. So be sure to pick up some ribbon, you are also going to want to make sure you have all sorts of fun things to put inside your box, for birthdays, balloons and candy are a great idea, for baby showers little bottles and pacifiers are great idea to put inside. Candles for weddings, you can fill them with little tea lights and some confetti and for Valentine's day, it would be great to fill your box with some chocolate. Remember when you are working with knives, like X-Acto knife and children that you need to be aware of where their fingers are at all times because you don't want anybody to get a boo-boo. Before we get started, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a painter and sculptor, studio artist at the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia and I own an operate my own decorative painting company. I can't wait to show you how to make these beautiful little boxes. Let's get started.

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