Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble. I hope you’ve got your enchantments ready because we are going to be brewing a bewitching new papercraft today! So, gather up some pretty paper, a lock of hair from your great-great-grandmother, and possibly some eye of newt; it’s time to make a spell book gift box.
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My lovely patrons chose this spellbinding design! Each month, my Patreon subscribers help me select a couple of the projects I create, and this design was one of the top picks for the month of September.
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Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
“What makes this spell book so special?” you might ask. Well, like most grimoires, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Not only does this spell book have a captivating cover and some enchanting illustrations on the pages inside, but there are not one, not two, but three hidden compartments where you can store all your mystical ingredients and runic treasures.
Spell Book Gift Box
Materials
- Cardstock
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Bone Folder optional
- Decorative Ribbon/Gems optional
- Velcro optional
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
Instructions
- Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of your spell book gift box pieces.Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Assembling the Top "Pages"
- To make your first group of pages (aka hidden compartment), take your large beige piece that has one rectangular hole in it, along with your two thinner rectangular strips.Fold each of the strips along the score lines so that the tabs flare outward. Attach the two strips together with the tabs at the end and form a rectangle. Attach the rectangular shape to the interior of your main piece, around the perimeter of the hole.Fold the sides of your main piece inward and attach the little tabs to the walls adjacent to them. Then, add some glue to all of the tabs remaining, fold the solid-rectangle underside piece inward, and attach it all together. When you flip it over, it should resemble the 4th picture.
Assembling the Bottom "Pages"
- To make your second group of “pages,” take your large beige piece that has three rectangular holes in it, along with your three, thicker rectangular strips.Take one of your rectangular stips and fold along the score lines, making sure that the tabs flare outward. Use the tab at the end of the strip to attach the whole thing together and form a rectangle. Repeat the process with the other two strips as well.Attach the three rectangular shapes to the interior of your main piece, around the perimeter of each of the holes.Fold the sides of your main piece inward and attach the tabs to the walls adjacent to them. There won’t be a bottom piece to attach at this time. This section will resemble the 5th image shown here.
Assembling the Cover/Spine
- Start by attaching the two pieces of your cover together using the long tab provided. The wide rectangle area will be the spine, so make sure that it is in the center. This is also a good time to attach the decorative pieces to the front cover, including the layered wings of the moth. (You can see in the photos that I attached the decorative pieces at the end of this step, but that was just because I wanted to make sure that everything fit as I had intended…just in case.)Also, attach your two interior decorative lining pieces together. Fold both pieces along their score lines.Note: The outside cover piece has a larger spine area than the interior, decorative lining. This is intentional. When this all comes together, the outside spine will curve slightly in order to make this look more like a book.Glue the interior lining piece to the inside of the cover—attaching the front and back portions, but not the spine. Use the score lines provided as a guide to know where to line up each side. Your liner will end up being about 1/4″ away from the edge when attached and there will be a gap between the center area and the spine of the book.
Assembling the Book Spine Hidden Compartment
- Take your two beige, interior book spine pieces. Fold both along the score lines and attach the interior tabs.These two pieces are quite similar. One has long tabs and is missing an end—this is the piece that will house the drawer. The other has all four of its sides, but no long tabs—this will be the drawer that slides in and out of the compartment.Take the piece with the long tabs and attach them to the interior, spine-area of the book, with the hole side on top. Then you can slide the drawer inside. Attaching a ribbon to the top of the drawer is also a nice idea: not only will it act as a ribbon bookmark for your spell book, but it will also make it easier to pull the drawer out later on.
Finishing the Book
- Take your two decorated sheets of paper. Fold the tab on the left side of each sheet. Attach the sheets to the top of your two hidden compartment page sections we assembled earlier by gluing the tab to the left sides of each compartment.Take the compartment that has three holes in it (in this case, the one that has the beetle design on top), and glue it into your book. Use the tabs on the bottom to attach the whole thing directly to the inside of the back cover of the book.
- Next, take the elongated hexagon piece and fold it in half. Add some glue to one side and attach it (folded edge up) to the left side of your smaller page compartment. This will act as a hinge so that you will be able to move this section slightly once it’s inserted into the book.Add glue to the other side of the “hinge” piece and attach it to the inside of the book, connecting it to the spine compartment.Add some decorative ribbon and gems to the outside of your spell book to make it even more magical. I also added a ribbon clasp that wraps around the right side of the book and used a small piece of Velcro at the end so that I can keep all the creepy-crawly things inside more easily.
Notes
View the full-size tutorial photos below.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Bone Folder (optional)
- Decorative Ribbon/Gems (optional)
- Velcro (optional)
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
How to Make It
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of your spell book gift box pieces.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Assembling the Top “Pages”
2. To make your first group of pages (aka hidden compartment), take your large beige piece that has one rectangular hole in it, along with your two thinner rectangular strips.
Fold each of the strips along the score lines so that the tabs flare outward. Attach the two strips together with the tabs at the end and form a rectangle. Attach the rectangular shape to the interior of your main piece, around the perimeter of the hole.
Fold the sides of your main piece inward and attach the little tabs to the walls adjacent to them. Then, add some glue to all of the tabs remaining, fold the solid-rectangle underside piece inward, and attach it all together. When you flip it over, it should resemble the 4th picture.
Assembling the Bottom “Pages”
3. To make your second group of “pages,” take your large beige piece that has three rectangular holes in it, along with your three, thicker rectangular strips.
Take one of your rectangular stips and fold along the score lines, making sure that the tabs flare outward. Use the tab at the end of the strip to attach the whole thing together and form a rectangle. Repeat the process with the other two strips as well.
Attach the three rectangular shapes to the interior of your main piece, around the perimeter of each of the holes.
Fold the sides of your main piece inward and attach the tabs to the walls adjacent to them. There won’t be a bottom piece to attach at this time. This section will resemble the 5th image shown here.
Assembling the Cover/Spine
4. Start by attaching the two pieces of your cover together using the long tab provided. The wide rectangle area will be the spine, so make sure that it is in the center. This is also a good time to attach the decorative pieces to the front cover, including the layered wings of the moth. (You can see in the photos that I attached the decorative pieces at the end of this step, but that was just because I wanted to make sure that everything fit as I had intended…just in case.)
Also, attach your two interior decorative lining pieces together. Fold both pieces along their score lines.
Note: The outside cover piece has a larger spine area than the interior, decorative lining. This is intentional. When this all comes together, the outside spine will curve slightly in order to make this look more like a book.
Glue the interior lining piece to the inside of the cover—attaching the front and back portions, but not the spine. Use the score lines provided as a guide to know where to line up each side. Your liner will end up being about 1/4″ away from the edge when attached and there will be a gap between the center area and the spine of the book.
Assembling the Book Spine Hidden Compartment
5. Take your two beige, interior book spine pieces. Fold both along the score lines and attach the interior tabs.
These two pieces are quite similar. One has long tabs and is missing an end—this is the piece that will house the drawer. The other has all four of its sides, but no long tabs—this will be the drawer that slides in and out of the compartment.
Take the piece with the long tabs and attach them to the interior, spine-area of the book, with the hole side on top. Then you can slide the drawer inside. Attaching a ribbon to the top of the drawer is also a nice idea: not only will it act as a ribbon bookmark for your spell book, but it will also make it easier to pull the drawer out later on.
Finishing the Book
6. Take your two decorated sheets of paper. Fold the tab on the left side of each sheet. Attach the sheets to the top of your two hidden compartment page sections we assembled earlier by gluing the tab to the left sides of each compartment.
Take the compartment that has three holes in it (in this case, the one that has the beetle design on top), and glue it into your book. Use the tabs on the bottom to attach the whole thing directly to the inside of the back cover of the book.
7. Next, take the elongated hexagon piece and fold it in half. Add some glue to one side and attach it (folded edge up) to the left side of your smaller page compartment. This will act as a hinge so that you will be able to move this section slightly once it’s inserted into the book.
Add glue to the other side of the “hinge” piece and attach it to the inside of the book, connecting it to the spine compartment.
Add some decorative ribbon and gems to the outside of your spell book to make it even more magical. I also added a ribbon clasp that wraps around the right side of the book and used a small piece of Velcro at the end so that I can keep all the creepy-crawly things inside more easily.
I’ve always thought that hidden compartments in desk drawers and fake decor were awesome. So, when I had the chance to design a gift box that looked like a witch’s spell book I had to incorporate that concept. Of course, just a hollow box shaped like a book wasn’t going to do it for me, though. In the end, I let my creativity run a little wild with this one, but I don’t regret it one bit!
I use Adobe Illustrator for all my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other fun freebies available on my blog!
Enjoy making this spell book gift box! I’d love to see your results, so be sure to share them with me by either tagging me on Instagram or by sharing your work in my Facebook Group.
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 2 Comments on Spell Book Gift Box – Halloween Cut File
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Kris Ohanu
September 20, 2023 at 9:29 am (3 months ago)Absolutely endless possibilities <3 Thanks so much <3
Mandee
September 20, 2023 at 10:03 am (3 months ago)You’re so welcome Kris! I’m really glad you like this one. 😊