Upcycling: Dreidel Treat Boxes for the 8 Nights of Hanukkah

- November 25, 2013

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel

You're a sparkly little one

A box made out of paper

that was easy and so fun

For Hanukkah this year, I decided to fiddle around with some tissue paper tubes to see if I could come up with a way to turn them into dreidels. As you can see, my tinkerings were a success!

What I love most about this project is the versatility. You can paint and glitter them any color to match your home or table decor. They make a great treat for guests at each place setting:

They can be filled with a different small gift for each night of Hanukkah and strung on a garland -- a Hanukkah spin on the Advent Calendar!

I sterilize my tissue tubes in the microwave, but if tissue or paper towel tubes make you squeamish, you can still use my template on basic cardstock.

This is a fun family project. When done assembly line style, you can whip up a whole party's worth of dreidel treat boxes in an afternoon.

The tops of the dreidel boxes are designed for easy open and closure, so after the treats have been removed, the boxes can be reused the next year.

Dreidel Treat Boxes

Materials (for one dreidel box)

Tissue Paper Tube
Paper Dreidel Template (for 5" circumference tube, click HERE, for a 5.25" circumference tube, click HERE)
Small precision scissors
Piece of tape
Tacky Glue
Acrylic paint and paint brushes
Fine tip glue pen
Micro glitter
A soft paint brush (for brushing away excess glitter)
pencil
Dowel (1/4" x 3.5")
Glue Gun (or more tacky glue)
Clear acrylic sealer (optional)

Sterilizing Paper Tubes: In the microwave, place one cup of hot water and one paper tube immediately next to it. Microwave for 1 minute on high. This will kill any bacteria, and the steam will loosen any tissue, which you then make scrape off.

Step 1: Print out the template that is sized to the measurement around your tube. I found that most tubes come in either 5" or 5.25" sizes, so I made a template for each. Cut out the template, leaving the blue tab off. Then, as shown above, wrap around the tube, bringing the two ends evenly together and affixing with a piece of tape. Set aside the Hebrew lettering graphic for later reference.

If not using paper tubes, print the template on heavy stock. When cutting out the dreidel, leave the blue tab on. You will need this to connect the sides of the cut-out together to form the box.

Step 2: Use a small pair of precision scissors to cut out both the tube and the template as shown above. This saves you the step of having to cut out the template twice. You can now remove the template and save it for your next tube.

Step 3: Now begin folding. First, fold the sides. Gently press down on one side, then the other. Use a fingernail, credit card or bone folder for sharper creases.

Step 4: Next, fold in the rounded top pieces (fig. 1). If you fold them down in sequence, you will be able to tuck the final piece under the first, to seal the lid. Flip the box over and fold in the triangular bottom pieces (fig. 2). Then, fold them outward (fig. 3). Last, fold over the side flaps on each triangle (fig. 4).

Step 5: Run a bead of tacky glue along each flap. Then bring the triangular pieces together so that the seams fit together tightly. Hold in place for one minute to allow for the glue to set.

Step 6: Allow box to dry for five minutes. When dry, pop open the top and arrange upside-down in preparation to paint. Paint entire outside of box with acrylic paint.

When dry, you may go over alternating sides with a second color. On my boxes, the white took two coats of paint. At this point you may wish to paint the dowel. I chose a bright metallic silver.

Step 7: When paint has fully dried, use the fine glue pen to outline each side of the box (one side at a time), then sprinkle with glitter. Continue with remaining sides. Set boxes aside to allow for glue to dry (approx. 10 minutes). With a soft, dry brush, brush away the excess glitter.

Step 8: Using the Hebrew lettering graphic for reference, sketch the Hebrew letters on each side of the box with a pencil.

Step 9: Use the fine-tip glue pen to go over the pencil characters. Sprinkle with glitter. When glitter is dry, use the paintbrush to remove excess. To preserve the glitter and give the boxes more longevity and a finished look, spray with a light coat of acrylic sealer.

Step 10: Open the box. Put a small dab of hot glue or tacky glue on the end of the dowel. Insert into the bottom of the box. Fold the lid pieces back in sequentially, then tuck the final piece under the first to seal and hold the stick in place as it dries.

The finished boxes can be filled with candy or small toys. Then, they can be given out as individual favors, or tied on a length of cord and hung for an eight-nights-of-Hanukkah gift.