Bride Dress and Groom Tuxedo Party Favor Boxes

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Damask Chair Party Favor Box

Although I'm more of a tomboy than a girly-girl, I did save every wedding party favor as a little girl, dreaming of the day I would marry my sweetheart. I don't know why I have such a thing for boxes, but I do love how it's hiding a small surprise. The ones I love most serve double purpose, whether to be decorative or in this case, to show a guest to their seat.

I used a heavyweight vellum which allows the damask pattern to be seen yet not obstruct the guest's name. A square tag is glued to the front, with a couple's special day and message.

The 1.75" cube has a chair backing that is 4.25" tall. Two boxes can be cut from a single sheet of 11 x 8.5" paper. In this example I've used Silver Stardream cardstock. The font used here is Great Vibes.

Damask patterns have always been used in classic decor in such a broad range, and I struggled for quite some time to have the design be strong enough to hold the name tag. I also think it looks just as complete without the name tag, so it's perfect for occasions other than weddings.

My Damask Chair Box is now available in my Etsy store for instant download. I've saved the files in SVG, DXF, MTC, and PDF formats. Thanks so much for your kind comments!

Mysterious Stationery Box, All Things Paper

Open, says me! I can finally open up and share more about my Mysterious Stationery Box, which was included in Ann Martin's wonderful book, All Things Paper. Being the eagle-eyed blogger she is, Ann was able to call upon creatives all around the world who work with paper, and showcase just how versatile paper can be.

My project is based on a common Japanese box (Karakuri Bako), which is traditionally made of wood and fabric to hold jewelry in evenly divided compartments. The mystery behind it is how the lid is double-hinged, allowing it to reveal the main compartment (above), and the smaller side compartments (below).

 

I make the lid stay closed snugly by gluing panels that just friction-fit within the compartment. I shot a video showing how it works that I hope Tuttle will show it soon on their site. This isn't the first time making this box - actually I made it as my grad project while attending Emily Carr College so many years ago. I didn't have money to buy the best materials back then, so when Ann asked me to create this project, I have to admit I was eager to re-do it with proper materials.

Lineco Binder Board did exactly as advertised. Lineco's board scared me at first because after applying glue to most of the surface, it did bow, but flattened itself out as it dried (I used to apply Lineco glue to matte board, then pile on phone books and wait overnight).

In the photo below I'm protecting the compartment with scrap paper while applying glue to a tab with a brush, another splurge since college and one that I was so pleased with because it allowed me to control the amount of glue better than spreading with a credit card. The Japanese patterned paper is made by hand and I was assured it will not tear even with repeated use because of its long fibers.

This project can be daunting for beginners, but I hope it inspires you to look at paper as a strong structural component to your creations.

Another project in this book that caught my eye immediately was Allison Patrick's Phone Book Letter Holder. I love how she's given the diminished Yellow Pages a new life. Simple yet stylish, using materials around the house - my favorite combo.

Want to win your own book? Simply visit Ann's giveaway post!

Paint a White Christmas

Need snow? Paint yourself a winter wonderland. Daiso sells pearlescent white paint for $2 in a small tube. Use a fine brush, load it up, and let the paint scrape against the edges of your craft project (in this case a party favor box).

Try to make it look like natural snow drift by painting from one direction (so don't coat every edge).

This triangular party favor box is sold on Etsy, along with other dinner party paper decor. Half-moon shaped flaps are on both ends to allow easy access to your stocking stuffer. Perfectly size for biscotti treats.

I am so thankful for the time everyone offered me on the Make The Cut Forum. Below are some responses I got from my testers and the above photo taken by Brigit. I love the way she inset those panels and inked the edges of the tags - something I've only recently learned about.

Brigit (Zing): I love the design of your bow it's so pretty when put together, I used glue though. The pillow box I just did after the zing plugin and it cut perfectly, I love it, it went together so nicely, here they are.

Laurie (Cricut): have cut out three of the gift card boxes. The perferations work differently on different types of paper. It worked great on a doublesided 12x12 sheet. I used some solid regular card stock and it was much more difficult to fold the end flaps. But all in all they cut out great and are really neat little boxes. Such a great idea.

Pam (Pazzles Inspiration and the Pro software): Your bow worked out fine for me except that sometimes I'm a little fumbled fingered..lol  I mainly  create and design greeting cards and rarely do scrapbooking and when I cut your files, I actually used scrap papers that I had on hand.  I cut the cube box using some GA Pacific White Card from Walmart and for the Pillow Box and Bow I just used some lightweight paper because I think those two items would be better cut from it than from cardstock.  You are more than welcome to use my comments as they are quite nice cutting files!

No Peeking! Boxes

My nephews are old enough now to want gift cards, but young enough to still be curious about what's under the tree, so I designed a pillow box glued shut with a tear strip so they can "Let 'er rip!" on Xmas day. The handles separate so you can still add it last minute to wrapped box or easily hang it off the xmas tree branch.

I also designed my version of the perfect paper bow – never crushed, always centered, with just the right amount of tilt to the double loops, and no glue needed (my ode to origami masters) – and of course it's all one piece of paper. The box is also glued shut using the "ribbon" which is perforated for easy tearing. Stardream, Mars Red Metallic, 81# Text was used for this bow.

I'm selling these die cut patterns on Etsy along with two bonus gift tags that go with them. I've also had the great pleasure to meet a diverse group of skilled cutting crafters on http://forum.make-the-cut.com who have happily helped me test out my files on cutters other than my dear Silhouette. I'll be following up with a post of their comments and what papers they've used.

Tricked your Treat!

Who won the "What's inside the coffin contest?" No body. The answer is fish skeleton! Make no bones about it - I even put the answer in my Etsy listing! Please, no booing! Thank you all for playing! I had a screech :)

One more if you dare? Why couldn't Dracula's wife get to sleep?  Because of his coffin.

Crouching Spider, Hidden Candy

OK so it wasn't hard to guess what was coming, but I hope you've enjoyed the unveiling of my die cut Halloween coffin boxes. This one has a spider web made of black vinyl hidden on the inside of the coffin's lid. A small length of fishing wire is attached to the spider so kids will get an extra hidden surprise as they reach for the goodies inside. I have always loved shiny black on matte, a subtle and entrancing effect.

Here are some of my prototypes. Can anyone guess what's inside? I'll give you a hint - it's white and emaciated. Please be very specific - only FULLY correct guesses will qualify.

I will email a free SVG or DXF spider file to anyone who guesses correctly by next Monday, Oct 10, 2011.

Knuckles

Pale knuckles grip the coffin's edge... 

my latest trailer for an upcoming die cut bundle for Etsy.

Die cut spider

Scary movies know thrills are intensified by allowing your imagination go wild before they reveal the ending. Here's my teaser - stay tuned for more. Happy 1st of October!

Quilled Butterfly Keepsake Box / Card / Gift Tag

 

Found this keepsake box at Daiso for $2. It's covered with a diamond patterned paper. 

The embossing is subtle enough to accept quilling pieces easily.

Strathmore blank cards are my favorite type to glue finished quilled pieces on because I like the contrast of having a textured paper as my background. The deckled edge also gives it a handmade quality versus having the typical straight cut.

 The free background on this gift tag came from Shabby Princess, Spring Breeze theme. The font is called Fling. After hole punching the tag, I threaded the two ends of a tied bow through, which allows the bow to sit front and center and the ends are free to be tied any which way behind.

A huge thank you to Nancy Babb for helping me edit my latest butterfly quilling tutorial PDF. Having her insight made the "how to" instructions easier to follow. 

I thank everyone for their input and helping me improve. Your comments on this blog encourage me to keep doing what I love.

Party Animals

I have wanted to make these party favors since laying hands on my Silhouette die cutter, as I've always been into boxes. After quite the learning curve, I've finally posted my patterns on Etsy. I've made 5 different animals, perfect for a baby shower or a jungle themed birthday. Thanks for looking!