Gifts for under £10 - Gift Box

An affordable and cute gift which will work for any of your friends is a 'gift box'. You can customise it, and you can spend as much or as little time on it as you want, and make it whatever size you want.

1. Get a box (this is pretty obvious but oh well) that is the size/shape you want. You could get a plain one (http://www.paperchase.co.uk/invt/00470841/) to customise, or one that is already covered/decorated (http://www.paperchase.co.uk/invt/00508520/). I particularily like shaped ones (http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/paper-mache-heart-box-with-lid/571817-1000) as it makes the gift different and looks really pretty on display.

2. Decorate the box. You could do this in many ways, such as with paint, or with pictures of you and your chum that you are giving the gift, in a collage-style with patterned paper (paperchase is good for this). Ripping the paper gives it a vintage style. You can basically decorate the box however you want, but if you do rip the paper, make sure the edges are stuck down properly or you have used clear PVA on top, so that the edges don't peal. Skip this step if you bought a patterned box. You could even add some shredded tissue paper inside!

3. Add small things to the box. By this I mean sweets or handmade bracelets or cookies - things that won't cost a lot. Buy a big bag of sweets such as starbursts that are individually wrapped and empty them into the box. This will act as your 'filler' and make it look like there is more in the box. Bracelets & cookies are also good as it will show your friend that you spent time on their gift.

4. Add a few larger items. Bath bombs from lush (https://www.lush.co.uk/product/445/Twilight-Bath-Bomb) work really well, as they all smell amazing, and most people like them. They also have the added bonus of being quite inexpensive. You could also use things such as mittens/gloves in the winter, or buy them some jewelery instead of making it. Make-up is great, especially if you know that there is something that you know they want, but stay away from foundation, as you could get the wrong colour. Joke presents are always good to put in gift boxes (http://www.hawkin.com/fairy-poly-glider), but make sure there are some good things as well!

Overall, this present is great if you're running out of ideas - if you don't want to use a box you could get a small bag from somewhere like Primark and put the gifts in that!

- L x