There are many instances at school when you are troubled by your or someone else’s mistakes. An accidental water, juice or ink spill on your pencil pouch and, in the worst case scenario, your pencil box or pouch becomes unusable. To help you out in such cases, we are going to make a perfect craft — an instant paper pencil box; though temporary, it may come to your rescue when you are literally in the middle of a pencil box crisis.

Things you need:

1. Two papers, if you have coloured ones, they will give a vibrant look. But for an instant rescue, you can use an ordinary drawing pad paper or just a simple white paper.

2. Glue stick

3. Scissors

4. Stickers, beads or anything to decorate (Optional)

Directions:

1. To put your pencils in the box, you need at least 9 inches long 7.5 inches wide paper. If your measurements are smaller than this, you won’t be able to put pens and pencils in it, but only rubber, sharpener or other small stuff.

2. Three fold the paper, so that each side measures 2.5-inches wide, see pictures 2 and 3.

3. Open and two-fold both flaps of the paper, in opposite directions, see picture 4.

4. Fold the top and the bottom corners inwards from the first flap, picture 5.

5. Notice the other flap still unfolded, picture 6.

6. Turn to the other flap and repeat the same steps by folding the upper and lower corners inwards, picture 7.

7. Open the middle part of the folded paper, picture 8.

8. Notice the slit in the middle, indicating the two flaps we just folded; now fold the top and bottom inwards, see picture 9.

9. Carefully, open the slit from the middle, picture 10.

10. Viola! A box is created, picture 11.

11. To make it firm, you need hard paper or cardboard pieces, insert them in the sides and in the middle, so that the box retains its shape and doesn’t get lose easily, pictures 12, 13 and 14.

12. To make the cover, you need another paper, just measure the box from all sides, cover it loosely then glue it at one side, picture 15.

13. Insert the box in its cover, and decorate the way you want, picture 16.

There you go, an instant pencil box — you can make anywhere at anytime.

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 5th, 2022