Good morning friends! Boy have I got a fun project for you today! I recently did this as a class, and everyone really enjoyed it so I thought I'd share it with you as well.
This box holds standard A2 size cards. It's big enough to hold several dividers and lots of cards! I got this project idea from MayMay on youtube. I loved the size of her box. So, the measurements of the box have come from her.
Let's get started!
Here's what you'll need:
*Plenty of chipboard for the structure of the box
*Cardstock to cover the box
*Designer Series Paper
*Tear'n Tape
and whatever you want to embellish your box with
You're going to need measurements for everything. All of these are cut from Chipboard. I used the chipboard that I get in my monthly Paper Pumpkin kits. This stuff is like FREE GOLD! lol. I save it every time. It worked perfectly for this project.
Box:
- Base: 3 3/8" x 5 7/8"
- Front: 6" x 4"
- Back: 5 1/4" x 6"
- Sides (cut 2): 3 1/2" x 4"
Lid:
- Top: 3 1/2" x 6"
- Front: 1 1/2" x 6"
- Sides (cut 2): 1 1/2" x 3 1/2"
Insert:
- Back: 5 7/8" x 4 1/4"
- Sides (cut 2): 3 3/8" x 4 1/4"
Next, You'll want to figure out what you want to cover your box with. I used Grapefruit Grove Cardstock for mine and then used the Happiness Blooms Designer Series Paper (from the new Occasions catalog) for the lid. You can do whatever you want. It's your box! :-D
The measurements for each piece are just 1/4" smaller on both numbers. So the piece that covers the base of the box will be cut at 3 1/8" x 5 5/8" and so on.
You'll do this with every piece that's listed above EXCEPT for the insert. I mean, you COULD cover the insert if you want to. It's your project. But the inside of the box is just the exposed chipboard, so you'd probably want to cover all of it then. It's up to you.
OK, so now you have all of your chipboard base pieces AND you have all of your cardstock/DSP pieces. Now you need your binding strips. This is what's going to hold everything together! The binding strips will all be 1" and scored at 1/2" longways. They'll be cut to the length of each of your pieces. This will make sense when you start assembling your box.
But, here are the measurements for your binding strips and the number of each size you'll need:
2 = 1" x 1 1/2"
4 = 1" x 3 1/2"
4 = 1" x 4"
4 = 1" x 6"
2 = 1" x 4 1/4"
Here is where the Tear'n Tape comes in. Notice in the photo that I have put tape down BOTH SIDES of the score line on each strip. You'll want to put the tape as close to the edge (not against the score line) as possible. This is the tedious part, but I promise it all goes a LOT faster from here on out. :-)
Alright, let's put a box together. Shall we?
The first thing you'll want to do is to lay your box pieces out so they make sense. And then, lay the coordinating binding strips between each piece. Like this:
Laying it out ensures that we put the correct pieces in the right place. So you see, in the middle is the BASE. The BACK is at the top, the FRONT is at the bottom and then the SIDES on the side. Anywhere that two pieces need to be attached, is where you will put a binding strip.
You want to make sure, when you're putting the box together, that you lay each piece NEXT TO BUT NOT ON TOP OF the score line on the binding strip. These pieces will fit together perfectly and if you overlap the score line, they won't. So be mindful of that. It helps to have the one piece laying flat on the table and then stand up the piece you're joining. This will help your pieces to "lock together" when you bind them.
You'll notice that the back is a bit taller than the rest of the box. That's how it should be. We'll be using that part to attach the lid and it'll line up fabulously at that time.
Ok, let's get that lid put together!
Set the lid aside for just a minute and put the insert together. I found that having the insert in the box helped me line up the lid easier. So, I recommend doing that before you attach the lid.
Up til now, you have put the binding strips on the OUTSIDE of the pieces. But now, you'll want to put them on the inside. This will ensure a nice snug fit for the insert into the box.
Once you've got your insert put together, go ahead and slide it into place inside the box. Remember, this will be a VERY SNUG fit! The insert is there for structural support. It's going to help your lid line up right and keep it from wobbling, and it's also going to make the box itself SUPER sturdy!
Ok, NOW you can put that lid on. You'll find it much easier to go ahead and set the lid on the box how it should fit, lined up with the insert, and then attach the other half of the binding strip on the back of the box. Now you should have a pretty fabulous and sturdy box that's ready to be decorated. :-)
You can use liquid glue or Tear'n Tape to attach all your cardstock and DSP to the box. Whichever you feel most comfortable using. I wouldn't use just regular snail if you plan to really USE the box. But that's just my opinion.
Once you have all your naked sides covered, embellish however you like. I used some Grapefruit Grove and Lovely Lipstick cardstock to cut the layered butterflies from the Beauty Abounds dies. Then I stamped "KINDNESS CHANGES EVERYTHING" from the Abstract Impressions set, and cut it out of Whisper White and the layer out of Pineapple Punch, using the Layering Ovals set.
The last thing to do is to cut some dividers for your cards. I used Whisper White cardstock and cut it into 5" x 5 5/8" pieces. You can make as many or few as you need.
Then on the LONG SIDE, I used the envelope punch board to create the tabs. The first tab I made by lining up the left edge of the paper with the center of the punch on the board. I punched, and then moved the paper down to the 2" mark and punched again. This created the first tab. For each divider after that, I started 1/2" farther to the left and ended 1/2" farther than the 2nd punch. This creates that cascade effect so you can see all your tabs better. Once you've got your tabs all punched, you'll want to trim the excess paper from each side of the tab, so that only the tab is on the top of the dividers.
There you have it friends. Your own absolutely beautiful Greeting Card divided storage box! I put 20 heavily embellished cards with clear sleeves AND envelopes in the box along with 5 dividers and had room to sort through each card. So, that gives you a good idea for how many it holds.
I hope that you've enjoyed this project tutorial. Now that I have my own, I think I will make a few more and give them as gifts (full of cards of course!) to our moms and nana for Mother's Day this year! What a fabulous gift that keeps on giving throughout the year!
Please leave a comment below letting me know what you think of today's project and if you do or plan to make one yourself. I really love interacting with everyone!
Thank you so much for spending some time with me today. I hope you'll "FOLLOW" my blog so that you can be notified when I post the next project.
Until next time,
Happy Crafting!
You can find all of the supplies I used today (except for the chipboard) in the icons here below. Clicking on one of them will take you directly to my webstore where you can purchase the products to make your own!
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