I've had a really nice response to this box so I've put together a tutorial. My hat's off to the ladies that do this on a regular basis because it's a lot of work! I screwed up the window part of the box on my first take of photos so I had to re-do a few. Oops!
So, here it is:
Supplies: paper cutter, key tag punch, (hearts punch is optional for decoration)crop-o-dile, jumbo brads, ribbon, scoring tool, 1 piece of 12"x 10"cardstock, patterned paper, acetate.
On the 10" side of your CS you're going to score at 2" and 8". I love my scor-pal and give it a hug every once in awhile to let it know it's appreciated.
On the 12" side of your CS you're going to score at 1", 2", 4", 7", and 9".
Cut out the places marked with an "x" and cut on the solid black lines. The rectangular figure is going to be your window. From the outside edge measure 1", on the sides measure 3/4" from the fold, on the inside edge measure 1/2" from the fold. I made sure to measure it a little larger than my actual window so I would have a wide margin of error for my keytag punch. Have I told you all that I'm measuring inept? Click on the photo to see an enlarged view.
Cute out your rectangle with an exact-o. It doesn't matter if it's not precise as you'll be covering it up with patterned paper. You'll notice that it's not centered but there's a reason for that. I'll explain later...Adhere your piece of acetate to the OUTSIDE of the box. I tried it on the inside and every time I removed the item meant to be in the box, it would catch.
Here comes the measuring part that is a matter of taste. You can use just one piece of patterned paper that has bee punched out with the key tag punch to cover the acetate...
...or if you're a layering freak like myself, you can add more. I cut and punched my patterned paper first and then traced the opening onto my 2 pieces of matting. They don,t have to be perfect because they'll be covered once again with your patterned paper.
Set aside the PP front of your box. Use a bone folder and crease all your folds.
Add adhesive on the places shown here.
Attach your sides as shown.
Finish closing the box as shown.
Fold over the lid and adhere as shown.
This will give you a nice lip on the box that will make it less fragile.
Add the "face" onto your box.
Add what ever paper you want to the lid to make it purdy.
Using your wicked awesome Crop-o-dile, make your holes for jumbo brads. Because I have quite a few layers, I made one hold and then enlarged it just a bit so I didn't have to force the eyelet into the hole.
Do this to both sides of the lid.
Add your ribbon as shown and make a nice bow at the top to make a handle.
Add your velcro dots to the lid. See why the window needs to be a little lower?
Here's the finished product with a slightly different ribbon on top. I forgot to take a pic of the other one and I've already given to the hubby that ordered it for his wife.
I hope you guys have a chance to make some cute things with this tutorial. Come back and post in the comments section to show me what you've all come up with! I'd love to see! If you have any questions, shoot me an e-mail and I'd be happy to answer. Gotta get back to work! Ske-doosh.
