Treasure Box for Children

Once, I had to think of a quick birthday present for a young girl I had never met and didn't know what she wished for. Also time was short. Cash was the obvious solution, but a paper money bill in a birthday card is somewhat boring for young kids, so this is what I did:

I fancied up an old cigar box by covering it in a scrap of beautiful fabric with some gold patterning, "gemstones", buttons and anything gold and shiny I could find. I lined the box with a scrap of blue velvet and then I just filled the box with loose change and used a gold ribbon to tie the box shut. The embarrassment I initially felt by not having a "proper" gift for her soon dissipated: the little girl was so happy for the gift that she spent all afternoon counting and recounting her "treasure". All in all it was not a lot of money, but for younger children it is often the number and not the value of the coins that makes them feel "rich". After spending the "treasure", the box can be reused as a beautiful jewelry box.

This idea can easily be adjusted for boys. Just cover the box in "boyish" wrapping paper or fabric and put for example matchbox cars or baseball cards inside instead. This is a cheap, quick, but personal way to make a lovely gift for someone.The variations are endless.

By Vicki from Copenhagen, Denmark