Handmade Monday - Gift box tutorial

Hello to you all. Today I've got a useful little gift box to share with you and a tutorial to boot!

You know how when you buy a small present, (I mean physically small) and you've wrapped it and it just looks well...disappointing....insignificant. This little gift box should make sure your kind thought is the 'start of the show' and will look as gorgeous as it's contents.

You will need:

A4 sheet of card
Stamp
Ink pad
Fiskars Paper Cutter with scoring blade (or ruler and something blunt for scoring eg crochet hook/knitting needle)
Scissors
Double sided tape or glue
Hole punch
Ribbon

First cut your A4 sheet to this size, 8.25" x  6.5" (21cm x 16.5cm), using either your paper cutter or ruler and scissors

Then ink up your stamp with your chosen colour and stamp away until you have covered the sheet with your design. This is the best bit!

Next turn your card round, so that it is landscape. You are going to score your sheet on the stamped side at 2" 4" 6" & 8"  or  5cm, 10cm, 15cm & 20cm.
You should have a little bit at the end left over. Thats fine you'll see what this is for later.





Can you see the score lines?

 Turn your card around so that it is portrait and score 2" (5cm) in from the long edge.

Just in case this isn't showing up on the photograph I've done one on white paper drawing in the lines. Hope this makes it clearer for you.

Now taking your scissors, you are going to start at the bottom of the long edge and cut up to the line that you have just scored, at each of your 2" (5cm) intervals. It should look like this.

Now remember the tab. Do the same cut up to the scoring line and then across to the short edge so that you have taken away a small long rectangle shape. Like this......



See the bottom right hand corner?


Now fold along all of your scoring lines. Can you see it's starting to take shape now isn't it?

Add double sided tape to the sections which will form the bottom of the box and the little tab and carefully start to join them altogether........

.......tucking the tab inside the box.

You should end up with something like this.

Not finished yet. Pinch the top together and push in the sides of the box at the same time so that you force the box into this kind of a shape.

Punch a hole through all card layers at the top edge of the box ..........

........and secure with a ribbon.

Well done - you did it!!!


I've added a little gift tag to mine which you may want to do and of course it's not just card you can use, you can also choose to make this box with some of the gorgeous papers you can find in the shops. You can make the box taller or smaller according to your needs and use it for earrings, gift cards (altho' I do use another kind of a box for those) choccies in fact anything that is small but deserving of this box.

I've posted this with Christmas in mind but of course it could be used at any time in the year. I like to make mine in batches on a cosy Winter's night with a glass of red wine in one hand and a stamp in the other!

Now before you rush off to get your gift box essentials why not pop over to see Wendy the host of Handmade Monday. She has a fabulous giveaway at the moment so make sure you check it out along with the great contributions from the Handmade Monday crafters.

I'll pop this onto the 'My Tutorials' page for ease of reference.
Good luck.

Easter Treat boxes

"Mum are we still getting Easter eggs this year?" my fourteen year old asked anxiously a couple of days ago. He was probably recalling the 'faux pas' I made at Christmas when I wrongly assumed he wouldn't want a stocking hanging up (The decision came out of necessity as I couldn't find one of the stockings). I just smiled knowingly, I think he was forgetting he has a chocolate fiend for a mother. Anyway little did he know that I had a cunning plan up my sleeve.

I know both of the boys are suckers for these...............

But they needed a home, so I made these little treat boxes.

Looking a bit empty...

Lets fill them up....

Having boys, I tried to make them a little bit more masculine through my choice of colour for the card stock and designer paper with a geometric pattern and I used linen thread rather than ribbon.  I really liked the higgledy piggledy lettering of the sentiment.

  I know that when they receive them I'll get a wry little smile from each of them meaning "Mum's been crafting again", but deep down I know they'll appreciate them.

Happy Easter!

I have had a lovely couple of days picnicing by a lake and the most splendid bike ride yesterday both in glorious 'summer' sunshine and as someone commented.  "All of this and it hasn't even cost us a penny".
Hope you are all enjoying this glorious weather and thank you for all of your lovely comments, it really does make my day.