A sunshine box is an easy-to-make and creative DIY gift that helps you spread positivity.
Here are the steps to make one–
I recently learned of a thoughtful way to spread joy and positivity!
SUNSHINE BOXES!
A sunshine box is a gift basket or package full of yellow items, that is meant to serve as a little pick me up for anyone going through a hard time.
You can make and send one:
- To a friend or family member in medical treatment or in recovery (for example as a wisdom teeth removal gift or IVF care package)
- To loved ones away at college or deployed overseas
- As a sympathy gift for someone grieving
- To someone who may be lonely or doesn’t have a lot of family contact (like for senior citizens in a nursing home)
- As a thank you gift
- As a birthday gift
- To go with open when letters
The great thing about making a box of sunshine is that you don’t have to be very crafty to make it.
I surely don’t consider myself very crafty, but found it extremely easy to put this fun gift together.
Below, you will find all the steps (& pro-tips) to make a unique gift package that will bring a smile to anyone’s face!
psst.... make sure to keep reading and grab the free printable below!
Making The Box
Step 1:
First thing is to pick any container that suits your purposes.
You see- a “sunshine box” doesn’t have to be made with a box at all.
You can make a basket of sunshine, a bucket of sunshine, sunshine bags… I’ve even seen a mason jar of sunshine.
For this (and other projects like my baby shower box), I chose to use this corrugated mailing box because it is sturdy for mailing, affordable and available in many different sizes.
Step 2:
Now that you have your box or container, it’s time to decorate it.
For maximum sunshiny-ness, you can paint the box flaps yellow, wrap them in paper, decorate with yellow Washi tape or draw sunny designs right onto the box.
I wanted something a bit more 3-D so I used these cute, stick on yellow butterflies from Amazon.
Another great idea is to cover the box in yellow stickers like these VSCO stickers from Amazon.
Step 3:
Finish prepping your box by filling it with yellow packaging materials.
Some examples are: yellow tissue paper, yellow ribbon OR yellow shredded paper (which is what I chose).
What To Put Inside Your Box of Sunshine
One of the easiest ways to stock your box is to visit your local grocery store, Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, etc and grab small gifts that are yellow.
You can also order more unique gifts online, using Amazon, for example.
Some ideas for yellow things (or gold things) to include are:
- Keychain
- Snacks
- Juicy Fruit Gum
- Candle
- Markers
- Fridge Magnet
- Glasses
- T-Shirt
- Journal
- Perfume
- Stuffed Animal
- Soap
- Lotion
- Drinks
- Gift Card
- Socks
- Yellow Nail Polish
- Mug / Glass
- Bath Bombs
- Puzzle / Crossword
- Flowers
- Lemon(s)
- Picture Frame
- Book
- Tea or Coffee
- Stickers
- Bubbles
- Fun Straws
- School Supplies
- Lip Balm / Lip Gloss
- Water Bottle
- Face Mask
pro tip: Take your box up a notch by having a theme.
For inspiration, check out 12 *themed* BOX OF SUNSHINE Ideas to spread happiness.
Sunshine Box Sayings
After stocking your box, finish it off by:
- Writing a sweet sunshine box saying (examples below) onto yellow paper and pasting it or tying it like a gift tag onto the box
- Printing one of my free printables below and sticking that into the box.
Here are some examples of what to write-
- Sending you a box of sunshine because you light up the room
- Heard you had some cloudy days so here is a little bit of sunshine
- You brighten my life with your friendship, so I’m sending you a box full of sunshine to brighten up your day
- I hope this brightens your day
- Wishing you a day that’s as bright as the sun!
- Sending a little sunshine your way to brighten your day, like you always do mine
- This box of sunshine won’t take the pain away, but just know that the sun still shines even on a rainy day
- You shine as bright as the sun
- A box of sunshine for my sunshine
- You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear how much I love you.
Download Here:
FREE SUNSHINE BOX PRINTABLES
** these digital downloads are PDF files
** for best results, print on white paper or white card stock
// These printables are for personal & non-commercial use only. Not authorized for resale or retail use //
How to Make A Sunshine Box
A Sunshine Box is the perfect gift to brighten someone's day.
Making a sunshine box is not only very easy, it is so much fun.
In this post, you will find suggestions on what container to use, what to put inside your sunshine care package, how to decorate your sunshine box, sunshine box sayings to write and best of all, you will find TWO sunshine box printables at the end of this post, to help you top it all off!
Materials
- Box
- Yellow Tissue Paper or Shredded Paper
- Yellow Gifts & Items
- Sunshine-related Note, Card or Print
Instructions
- Choose your box (or basket, bag, bottle, etc)
- Decorate your box (with wrapping paper, paint, stickers, etc)
- Stuff the box with yellow gifts
- Add a sunshine note or card (or download the free printables in this post)
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
And there you go! Your sunshine box is ready to make someone smile!
Other UNIQUE CARE PACKAGE ideas:
- 25 Incredibly Helpful Items to Put in a Period Care Package for Her
- How to Make the Ultimate Gluten Free Care Package for Your GF Friends
- How To Make HOMELESS CARE PACKAGES that ACTUALLY make a difference
Dede says
First time hearing of this! Cool idea… I’m definitely going to use it 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Deze says
You’re always welcome girlfriend!