DIY Pop-Up Ring Box Inspired by Studio Ghibli's "Howl's Moving Castle"

Two years ago my friend requested me to make a pop-up ring box for her wedding. She got inspired by a pop-up ring box by Peter Dahmen. It was a huge challenge for me and I made it. My friend was happy with the result, but for me, I was quite not satisfied with the result. So now I decided to remake the ring box with some touch of Ghibli Studio.

Welcome to this enchanting instructable where I'll guide you through the creation of a whimsical pop-up ring box inspired by the magical world of Studio Ghibli's "Howl's Moving Castle." Immerse yourself in the captivating tale of love and adventure as we bring to life a unique and memorable way to present a precious ring.

In the iconic film, "Howl's Moving Castle," directed by the visionary Hayao Miyazaki, a young girl named Sophie embarks on a captivating journey filled with enchantment and romance. The film's magical elements and rich aesthetic have captivated audiences worldwide, inspiring countless creations and imaginative projects. I choose Howl's Moving Castle because I just wanted to imagine Howl proposing to Sophie using this ring box.

In this instructable, I'll harness the spirit of "Howl's Moving Castle" by crafting a pop-up ring box using simple materials like cardboard and paper. The result will be a charming and personalized creation that will bring joy to your special occasion or even serve as a delightful gift for a fellow Ghibli enthusiast.

Whether you're planning a surprise proposal, commemorating an anniversary, or simply indulging your love for all things Studio Ghibli, this tutorial is designed to help you infuse a touch of magic into your special moments. So gather your materials, unleash your creativity, and let's embark on a journey to create a pop-up ring box that captures the essence of "Howl's Moving Castle." Prepare to unlock your imagination, as we delve into the steps required to bring this enchanting project to life. From the initial design and construction to the intricate details that will make your creation truly magical, we'll guide you every step of the way.

Get ready to witness the wonder of "Howl's Moving Castle" come alive in your hands as we combine the art of papercraft with the essence of Studio Ghibli's enchanting masterpiece. Let's delve into the world of cardboard, paper, and creativity, and create a pop-up ring box that will be treasured for a lifetime.

The inspiration was Howl and Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle, so I used navy blue as basic color of the ring box and yellow - orange - red to illustrate Calcifer. The supplies I used:

• Cardboard
• Jasmine paper (navy blue, orange, and red)
• Scissors
• Cutting pen
• Masking tape
• All purpose glue
• Super glue

To determine the size of the ring box I will make, I adjusted it according to the size of the ring to be displayed in the ring box so that the ring does not interfere with the pop-up paper mechanism, and the pop-up inside the ring box is neither too small nor too large. The ring I am using has a diameter of 2 cm. After adjusting it to the size of the pop-up mechanism design I have made, I decided to make the ring box with dimensions of 11 cm x 11 cm x 8 cm (11*11*3 for the box lid and 11*11*5 for the main box). Then I cut the cardboard based on this size. The cardboard that I used has the thickness of 0.5 cm.

• 1-3: After cutting the sides of the ring box from the cardboard, I then assembled them into two parts of the box, which you can see in the picture..

• 4-12: After that, I covered the two boxes with dark blue-colored Jasmine paper. Besides using Jasmine paper, I think you could also use fancy textured paper, which is thinner and makes it much easier to cover the cardboard boxes..

• 13-16: To attach the lid part and the main part of the ring box, I cut a piece of Jasmine paper measuring 10.5 x 8 cm. Then, I glued it on the inside of one side of the lid and also on the inside of one side of the main box.

• 17-20: In picture 17, you can see that there was a slight issue with the "hinge" part of the ring box, where the lid and the main box didn't seem to blend seamlessly. Therefore, I created a connecting element. This connecting element was based on the pattern found on the ring given by Howl to Sophie. I traced the pattern of the connecting element on Jasmine paper and glued it onto the hinge joint using super glue.

• 1-5: I made the ring stand using jasmine paper. i cut 3x20 cm jasmine paper, and to make the stand firmer or more rigid, I folded it to the size of 1x20 cm. Then, I folded it as you can see in the illustration.

• 6: I made a hook from a strip of jasmine paper to make the ring stand moves in place while the box is opened and closed.

• 7-8: I made another hook for the upper part to stabilize the ring stand

I learned the basic of pop up mechanism from this channel. It's very informative for a beginner like me.

• 1: After several trial and errors, I came up with this pop up mechanism design, inspired by Howl's wings and use the basic fold and slot as pop up mechanism. I decided to make the template so I just needed to print it out on a regular HVS paper and place it on the navy jasmine paper and secure them with paper clips. Then I cut the design using a cutting pen.

• 2-3: This is the base for attaching the pop-up wings. I cut them and glue them to the box as you can see in the picture.

• 4-5: I cut the pop-up wings

• 6-9: The pop up wings actually made of two separated parts, that I need to connect them using the slot I provided in the design. The final wings pop-up will consist of 3 layers of wings on the right and left side.

I really wanted Calcifer as the ring bearer.

• 1-4: I made Calcifer shape from red and orange jasmine paper. Double the red one.

• 5: I cut the paper to make a space for the ring. The ring I used was 2 cm in diameter, so that was the size of the cut.

• 6-9: Cut a strip from red jasmine paper about 0.8 cm width and about 7 cm long and glue the edge to the red jasmine Calcifer. This way I can make 3D Calcifer as the ring holder

• Then glue the Calcifer to the ring stand

Note: I bought a ring that look similar to Howl's ring in the movie. But I found an instructable on How to make this ring here

I really enjoyed the process and had so much fun in this pop-up ring box. It really piqued my curiosity about pop-up mechanism and pushed me to learn and experiment more about it. I realized that there are still many things to improve in this project, but I am still happy with the final result.

Thank you for reading this instructable to the end. If you have any question, please don't hesitate to write in the comment or contact me through my instagram @quinzyvarira. I will also upload some footages of the process in my instagram account.

I would love it if you wanted to support my projects, please consider helping me to cover the cost of designing, documenting and sharing these projects on https://ko-fi.com/quinzyvarira.

See you in the next instructable! 😁