Monday, February 07, 2011

The Box Tutorial

This is much easier done in person, but we'll give this tutorial a try. Disclaimer: I used 
a card that was too thick so it was difficult to work with and therefore looks
 a little rough. But I didn't want to do this all over with a better one, so here we go. 
Above: supplies for project.  Click on any photo to enlarge.
You need a perfect square and since most cards are rectangular, you will need to make
 it a square. The easiest way for me to do this is to fold it over as you see and then 
cut along the sides of the triangle. You will see the message side of the card I folded a 
little smaller as the bottom of the box needs to be a bit smaller so the lid will fit on it. 
 As you get experienced, you may want to center your square over the design you want, 
but it's always fun to see what ends up being on the top of your box. Sometimes a sweet 
signature turns up on the bottom of the box !
Your two squares should look like the above.
With your ruler, draw straight lines-a big "X" from one corner 
to the other on the wrong side of the squares.
The folding is the key to the success of the card. It's a little difficult and must 
be precise.  Fold two sides into the center of the square as shown above. 
They should meet exactly at the center.
Fold again as shown above, lining up exactly along pencil line. 
After folding is finished, open card flat. 
Repeat with the other corners, as shown. Fold into center once, and then 
again to line up with pencil lines.  Open flat again. 
Your card should look like this. Now take up your scissors.
Cut along folds to the point of the center four squares as shown. Do this ONLY on 
two corners, not all four. (This is very easy, but maybe the hardest part to explain!) 
Start folding up the non-cut corners into a box.
Crisp your folds and hold your box together as you bring the cut 
corners together and tuck them in place. 
A small piece of tape can hold this together well. As you can see mine is not 
perfect as  it was difficult to fold precisely because of its thickness.  
Now start on the bottom of the box.
It's always fun to see what design ends up featured on the box top. These 
are fun for little pieces of jewelry, to hang on a tree, to stack in a little pile, to use as
 little favors at a tea party, or as a craft to teach young girls --- and so many other 
things you creative ones may come up with. I always look at cards
 I receive now and think if they would make good boxes or not! 
If you have questions don't hesitate to ask!
See this earlier post for a much prettier view of these boxes!

13 comments:

  1. That's so neat. I have plenty of supplies so will give it a try. Thanks for the good instructions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Even though I have opposable thumbs, I'm not handy at such things. I love the little boxes! Could I just send you my cards and your send them back as boxes? = )

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such cute little boxes. That is just the kind of project I needed after a day of too much thinking, so I got a piece of scrapbook paper and made one. Then I went back and read the directions which told me I should have made one square a little smaller than the other! So I have 2 very nice tops!! Thanks for a fun project.
    Rhondi

    ReplyDelete
  4. I got a little lost on the cutting part, but that is just me. I can't fold napkins!! The box is precious though and I always save cards. I'll have to take a careful look again.

    XO,
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  5. Adorable! SO sweet to share!! Your tutorial is great! Can't wait to give these a try:) Blessings~~Shine

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your box! It's adorable! Thank you so much for the tutorial. I hope to try it soon and use up some pretty cards.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Neat idea. I will try this. I have a drawer full of cards!

    Carol

    ReplyDelete
  8. Podso,
    Guess what I'll be doing during the upcoming forecasted snow storm for our area? What a clever idea!
    Thank you for sharing!
    Fondly,
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can't wait to try this!! And, what a fun way to recycle beautiful cards! Thank you, Dotsie.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I remember the tiny boxes that Emma made after you taught her. I love the design on the front ~~ how it becomes something sort of framed that it didn't on the card. She sat in her room doing one after another. Wonder if she could make one now?

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's finished up well. It'd never occured to me one could actually turn cards into pretty little boxes. Thank you for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lydia grace6:34 PM

    You are an amazing woman!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is very handy! Thanks for the technique!

    ReplyDelete

I enjoy the conversations that come with comments!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...