Last-minute gift packing

There’s still time for those 11th-hour gifts

There are so many occasions when you might need to lay your hands on a small gift at short notice –for a kind neighbour, perhaps, who takes in your parcels when you’re out, or for a girlfriend who’s invited you round for coffee and a chat. We’ve got the solution: you can make this attractive gift box in just five minutes. All you need are some paper cups with a metallic finish and a selection of edding gloss paint markers in fantastic colours. The colours in the edding gloss paint marker range include trendy pastels in a variety of shades – ideal for transforming paper cups into awesome gift boxes in a flash! Choose from pastel yellow, pastel rose, pastel blue and pastel green, and don’t worry because all the colours are not only smudge-proof and waterproof, they’re also completely opaque.

Category: Special gifts
Products: Paint markers
Materials: Paper, carton and cardboard
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Downloads: Images (ZIP)

Step-by-step

Step 1

You can see all the materials at a glance in our photo. For this idea, you’ll a set of edding 751 gloss paint markers containing 8 pens in a selection of colours that includes 4 pastel shades plus gold, silver, black and white.

Step 2

Cut a series of slits roughly 2 cm deep around the rim of the cup. Before using a gloss paint marker, you need to activate it: shake the marker vigorously with the cap on, then remove the cap, place the nib on absorbent paper and pump it up and down gently a few times until ink appears in the nib. Now you’re ready to get decorating. (And don’t forget to always store the marker horizontally after use.)

Step 3

The cup can be decorated however you like – with good luck wishes, for example, or intriguing clues about what’s inside. The gloss paint markers are not only smudge-proof and waterproof, they’re also completely opaque, making them superb for shiny surfaces. If you want to use multiple colours, it’s always best to let one colour dry before continuing with the next.