My Sub Makes: Surprise Lucky Dip Gift Box

This idea is both a way to present gifts, and a gift itself!

It's a box that holds little surprises and hidden treats that are only revealed when you plunge in and pull one out.

I made one of these Surprise Lucky Dip Gift Boxes for my husband, for Father's Day, but you could potentially use this box for many different occasions and purposes. How about...

1) Redecorating the box for another occasion? (e.g. fill it with candy for Halloween, Valentine wishes, or Holiday family gift lists).

2) Make the weekly chores fun? Put your weekly to-do list on note cards and pop them in the box. Get the kids involved by making them responsible for the task on the card that they pull out.

3) Make a decision box? (fill it with lists of books you want to read, or ambitions you want to achieve - let the box decide which you'll tackle first).

Want to make your own Surprise Lucky Dip gift box?
Here's how....

First you'll need a box! Now, the size of this box is up to you. It will primarily depend on the size (and amount) of gifts you want to put inside the box. I went for this mid-sized diaper box.

Next, you will need an empty instant oatmeal tub. Put the tub in the center of the closed box and draw a circle around it, on to the box. Make sure you draw around the bottom of the oatmeal tub (not the top) as it is smaller at the bottom. The top of the oatmeal tub has a lip and cover that you will be using later on.

Carefully cut out the circle you have drawn on the box, leaving a hole. It is important that you don't make this hole any bigger than the circle you have drawn. Test it by sliding the oatmeal tub into it. It should slip into the hole and then the lip of the oatmeal tub should catch on to the rim of the hole (not fall through).

Ok, on to the next stage. You'll need something to line the inside of the box with. This lining is what holds the gifts snug inside. I literally took an old (clean) duvet cover out of our closet and cut it up. You can use any soft fabric (or even a plastic bag trash bag if you don't have anything else available).

Drape the cloth inside the box.
Then fix it in place by sticking it to the outside of the box lid with masking tape.

The aim here is to make sure it is securely attached. Yes, it looks a mess, but it will be covered up eventually, so don't worry about it. Do ensure that you keep the shape of the hole in the center of the box, while you are taping down the cloth though.

Take another rectangular piece of cloth and lay it across the top of the box, covering the hole.

Cut a new hole in the center of this piece of cloth, just slightly smaller than the one below it.
Set this aside for the moment.

Now take the oatmeal tub and measure roughly three inches from the lip at the top of the tub. Cut it straight across and discard the lower portion of the tub.

Wrap masking tape at the top (just under the lip of the tub) and along the bottom edge where you cut. (Note: The tape helps to hold the tub in place in the box and also covers up the rough edges at the bottom of the tub).

Now push the tub into the hole in the box. The lip on the tub should sit on top of the rim of the hole and hold the tub in place (see below).

Once the tub is in place you can pull the cloth taut and tape it down to the outside of the box.

Next you need to cover the box. Gift wrap is best for this. I used some brown wrapping paper I had stashed away. Start with the bottom of the box. Again I just used masking tape to hold it in place.


For the sides I took more care as I couldn't use tape because it would show. I opted for Mod Podge glue instead (my favorite!).

I liberally covered the sides with glue and then used paper until the whole box had been wrapped. With the outside complete all that was left was to decorate.

This is the part where you can personalize your gift box the most. Use paper, ribbons, paint, stickers.. whatever you like that will ensure a smile from the gift recipient.

I opted to use this circus decorative paper (mainly as it was what I had on hand). I coupled it with matching white and red ribbon.

I decorated the sides of the box and also the cover of the oatmeal tub (see above). I made a couple of tags to write the recipient's name on (in this case my husband) and wrote a message too. I attached them to the top of the box.

Then came the fun part of filling the box with surprises and treats. For ideas of what you can include in your gift box you can check out my Father's Day post .

But remember that YOUR gift box should be personal to YOU and your loved ones. So think about them when you consider the decor on the outside and the hidden treasures on the inside.

If you do try your hand at this project yourself, please send me photos! I would love to see what you come up with. Or let me know if you have any more cool ideas about what you would use your surprise lucky dip gift box for. Until then....

Happy crafting!
MSTTF