25th Anniversary

25th Anniversary

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

3 x 3 x 3 Gift Box

I’m back!!! After several months of family health issues, I’m finally feeling as though I’m ready to be back in the blogging mode.  I made these cute gift boxes back in December for my sister-in-law, who was hosting her bunco group and wanted some pretty boxes to put her gifts to them in. So I made 10 all with different styles, but all basically the same box. I had some people recently ask for the instructions on how to make them, so here they are.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions about my instructions. They make perfect sense in my head, but I realize not all of you inhabit my head, and that’s probably a good thing!  If you need translation, I’m happy to help!

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Start with a 9 x 9 piece of More Mustard cardstock

Use the Simply Scored tool to make folding/cutting lines at 3” and 6” on two sides. It should look like a tic-tac-toe board when you’re done. Then using the Fiskars cutter (or paper snips), cut in 3” from the edge toward the center on each of the score lines. This should cut off all of the corner squares of your tic-tac-toe board.

Next, take 4 strips of Whisper White cardstock cut 1-1/4” x 3”, and trim the long sides with a scallop border punch. Use the Simply Scored tool to score lengthwise down the center of the strip so it will wrap around the corners to hold the walls of the box in place.

Use Cherry Cobbler ink to stamp the flourish from Elements of Style on each of the walls of the box, then fold the walls up and use Tombow glue to adhere the white strips to each corner, holding each corner for a few seconds to make sure it was dry enough to stay in place.

I lined the inside of my boxes because I knew what I was putting inside would be heavy enough that it would need reinforcement. I dotted a 3” x 3” piece of cardstock (or designer paper) with Tombow glue and dropped it in the bottom of the box. (It may need to be shaved down a bit, but 3 X 3 is a good start point). Then I used a 3” x 12” piece of cardstock (or designer paper), scoring it at 3”, 6” and 9”, dotted it with Tombow glue and pressed it against the insides of the box. Again, the lining is completely optional, and if you’re concerned that it needs the extra reinforcement of another layer of cardstock, you can stamp the cardstock to make it look like designer paper.

To make the lid, use a 4-1/8” x 4-1/8” piece of More Mustard cardstock, and score it at 1” on all 4 sides. Then use paper snips to trim in 1” on the score lines on two opposing sides. Then trim diagonally from the corner to the cut line to leave a triangular flap to glue on the inside and hold the sides together. (Note: You could use the same method to assemble the box if you didn’t want to have the scallop trim on the outside, or conversely, you could trim the flap off the lid and use an oval or a circle to wrap around and hold the sides of the lid together. See the photo of the River Rock box where I used a small oval and eyelets on the lid.)

Stamp the outside of the lid with Elements of Style in Cherry Cobbler ink. Then fold the sides with the gluing flaps to the inside. Dot Tombow glue on the flaps and hold the sides in place for a few moments to keep them straight.

I lined the lid by dropping a 3-1/8” x 3-1/8” square piece of cardstock, dotted with Tombow glue, inside the lid.

Use sticky strip to adhere the scallop ribbon and the pleated ribbon around the sides of the lid. On the top, cut around a circle from the Lace punch in Cherry Cobbler, punch 2 fancy flowers from More Mustard. Wad both of the fancy flowers up to make them pliable, push an Antique Brad through the Lace punch circle and one of the fancy flowers and layer them on top of a large scallop circle punch in Cherry Cobbler. Use sticky strip to layer white Waffle Paper to the back of the scallop circle and use dimensionals to adhere it to the top of the box lid.

I hope you enjoy these boxes.  I had a great time making them! Here are some more photos of the other boxes I made for my sister-in-law. They are all the same box, just decorated differently.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the other decorations.