Boxing Day

The Handkerchief Box - Revisited

Tangerine Box

Seven Sided Herbal Tea Chest

Fernando Flea's
Teeny-Tiny-Tricky Trunk

Pumpkin Box Production

Hearts & Flowers

(Think Outside the Box!)
by Jim Gerrish

Just in time for Valentine's Day, a fold-flat box decorated with Hearts & Flowers but usable any day of the year for you and a helper from the audience to produce heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, real bottles of real wine plus wine glasses, and all kinds of flowers and silks with Valentine's Day messages (or other stuff) written on them. Other themes are easily accomodated.

This is a modern variation of the old "Jap Box", or "Hank Box", as it is known to politically correct wizards. But where that box could only conceal one or two silks, this one can conceal and produce large solid objects, even livestock, if it will fit in the box. It also can fold flat and be shown inside and out before each new production, if you wish. Then add the bottom (showing both sides first) and produce a large amount of objects as described above.

Make it yourself from some 3-ring notebook binders and a plastic tray from the Dollar Store (sources given). It can be easily made in a kitchen workshop without power tools, or take it to the woodshop and make yourself an elegant heirloom magic prop. Can also be used in combination with Boxing Day (see left), or as a stand-alone production effect with a different modus operandi (that's "method of operation" for muggles) which allows you to "think outside the box".

You are not limited to Valentine's Day productions or decorations, and you don't have to keep calling it "Hearts & Flowers" just because that's the ridiculous name I first gave it.