Around August, maybe even September, while traveling the US highways in my day job I had an idea floating around in my bored brain. Making a gift box filled with greeting cards, gift tags, and small 3″ x 3″ note cards.
While, briefly, home in October I went to the Club Scrap website to see what they had to offer. I get their notices of sales on all of their stuff. One item in particular I had to have. The Serenity Stationary Hideaway kit. Sadly doing a search on their site for this item no longer shows the kit. They must have sold out of these.
The card sizes to be held in this gift box will measure:
- 3.25 (3-1/4″) x 4.75 (4-3/4″)
- 4.25 (4-1/4″) x 5.5 (5-1/2″)
As you can see, in the above photo, there are two spaces that are just the right size for an assortment of gift tags and another spot for 3″ x 3″ note cards with envelopes.
What you will need to create your stationary box.
- Paper trimmer that will cut 12″ x 12″ paper.
- 4 sheets of 12″ x 12″ cover weight (heavy) card stock.
- Scoring board that will fit 12″ x 12″ paper. If you don’t have a scoring board you can use a ruler and a bone folder or stylus to make all the score lines.
- White glue of any kind. Whichever you prefer.
- You can use a hot glue gun as well.
- Scissors.
- Bone folder.
- Lastly, you will need some paperclips, binding clips, or clothes pins.
The box I am creating will hold Christmas cards. I’m using Club Scrap’s “Musical Interlude” papers which came out in the early 2000’s. Three sheets of the 12″ x 12″ are the Musical Interlude paper and I don’t remember what the plain red card stock is from.
The red card stock with the trumpets will be the box lid. The plain red card stock will be the box. Score all four sides of the card stock lid paper at 1-5/8″.
For the box itself you will score all four sides at 1-3/4″. Sorry for the blurry photo. I’m not very ambidextrous.
Now for the box inserts. You will need two pieces of heavy weight, or cover weight, card stock for this. From one sheet of 12″ x 12″ card stock you will get the two smaller inserts. The first cut will be at 4-1/4″ x 12″.
Turn the 4-1/4″ paper horizontal and cut at 11-1/2″.
Next will be the other small insert. This one measures 4″ x 11-1/2″. Use the remainder of the card stock you cut the 4-1/4″ piece from.
Flip the 4″ x 12″ card stock horizontally to cut at 11-1/2″.
The final insert is larger and you will use the other piece of 12″ x 12″ card stock for this. This piece of card stock will be cut at 8-3/8″ x 11-1/2″.
Flip the 8-3/8″ x 12″ horizontally and cut at 11-1/2″.
You will have two left over pieces of the 12″ x 12″ card stock from your three insert pieces. You can use these in your cards or set them aside for a different project.
Next we will be scoring the insert pieces. Begin with the 4-1/4″ x 11-1/2″ piece.
Along the 11-1/2″ length you will be making your score marks.
First score is at 2-1/2″.
Second score is at 4″.
Third score is at 5-1/2″.
The reverse side of the 4-1/2″ x 11-1/2″ insert piece that has been scored.
Next will be the 4″ x 11-1/2″ insert piece.
Check to make sure you have the right paper in the score board. I get so distracted a times that I don’t check and I make a mess up and have to cut more paper. This time it would be really bad because these are the only two pieces of this instrumental paper I have.
Place it horizontally on your score board.
Your first score will be at 3″.
Second score will be at 4-1/2″
Third score will be at 6″.
The back of your 4″ x 11-1/2″ scored insert will look like this.
Now you will make one mountain and two valley folds. This is important. The middle score line will be the mountain fold. Press and crease both of these inserts.
The last piece to score is the 8-3/8″ x 11-1/2″ insert. You can’t mix this one up with the other two 4’s. Should not have said that, I’ll go and do it the next time 😦
This piece will be scored first on the 11-1/2″ horizontal width at 4-1/8″.
The second score is at 5-5/8″.
The third, and final, score is at 7-1/8″.
Just as you do with the previous two inserts. The center score will be the mountain fold while the outer two will be the valley folds.
Next step is glue. Use a white glue of our choice. Or the hot glue. I’m not a fan of hot glue because it attacks me. I don’t care for things that bite and I give them a wide berth. Another thing I don’t like about hot glue is all the spider web like stringers that it leaves behind.
Or hot glue.
You will also need to have a good supply of paperclips, or clothes pins, or binder clips.
The lid and the box will be constructed in the same exact manner for each of them. Using scissors, cut the fold line from the bottom of the paper up to the fold line. Do not cut passed the fold line. You will do this on two sides of the paper.
When finished your box or lid piece will look like this.
Do this same thing to both the lid and the top.
Starting at any corner of the box or the lid, fold in one of the flaps and test fit it into the corner.
You will see that the flap piece extends over the top of the box or lid side just a smidge. You will need to cut away a small amount of the paper to solve this problem.
This will allow the tab to fit properly in the box or lid corner without peaking out over the top and making both the box and lid ill fitting.
Complete this step on all four sides of both the lid and the box. It helps to crease your score lines well with a bone folder before you get to the actual gluing part….which is next.
Fold the flap back on the side. This will give you a reference of where you put the glue.
Add the glue of your choice – white glue or hot glue.
If using white glue spread it around in an even layer from the crease line out to the three cut edges.
Adhere the tab to the side wall. Making sure to line up the edges well while creating your corner.
Attach your clip to the glued on tab.
Do this to all four corners of each of the box and lid segments of this box.
Now we will be gluing the insert pieces. You will do these next steps the same way with all three of the insert pieces.
Add the adhesive of your choice to one of the inner mountain folds.
Spread the glue out evenly. This time it is not critical that you don’t get glue all over the place. The mountain fold will be glued to itself.
Then press the inner mountain pieces together and apply pressure along the width of the fold.
Attach the clamps of your choice to the glued mountain folds.
Once the glue has dried…about an hour….remove the clamps from all of your pieces. Lay the larger insert into the bottom of your box.
Next you will add one of the smaller inserts into the left side of your box. It doesn’t matter which one you pick up first.
Your last small insert will be laid on the right side of the box. Place it in so the mountain fold is going in the opposite direction of the one on the left.
Test fit your lid. It will fit, I assure you.
Now take a look at your handiwork and get to making cards that will fit in the four sections of this box. Don’t spend too much time looking at my table top. I’ve got a mess going on there.
I hope to have this filled with Christmas cards, gift tags, and note cards in the next few days. I’m quite busy with Joe and all of his various doctor appointments after his emergency appendectomy in Chandler, Arizona last week. Let me tell you….that man has more “Ologists” he’s seeing now than I can keep straight.
- Urologist
- Nephrologist
- Cardiologist
- Neurologist
- Oncologist
- Pulmanologist
I’m really surprised he isn’t glowing in the dark with all the X-rays, CT scans, MRI’s, and sonograms he’s had over the past week. So if you think I have “done a runner” it is only to the doctors around the Oklahoma City Metro Area.
His CT scans and X-rays done in Arizona show some areas of his lungs that are a little worrisome to the doctors. I’ll post my creations when I can. I’m also going to be tied up with my bookwork and some much needed house cleaning while home. Crapazoid 😦
Sis, thanks for checking in on me the other day to see if I was still alive 😉 Now you can see what I’ve been up to…a great mess is what I’ve been up to 😀
Hope you all have a great weekend and will be able to get some crafting done. If you have any questions about the construction of this stationery box leave a comment with your question and I will do my best to answer them.
Leslie
