Hello, Crafters.
The Clearance Rack is being updated today! I have no idea which products will be available nor how much discount will be applied to individual products but I can tell you some discounts will be as high as 60%! I can also tell you that certain products sell out really quickly, especially paper products! Don’t miss out, check it out as soon as possible. Products on the Clearance Rack are “once they’ve gone, they’ve gone!”
When I went to start on a card to share with you today, I decided to have a play with the beautiful Pretty Pillow Box because I’m planning on making one for everyone who will be joining us at Vicki and Leigh’s for Christmas dinner this year! In the evening, we will be joined by some of Leigh’s family which always results in plenty of fun and games. Christmas this year will be even more special because last year we were in lockdown and couldn’t meet up!
The Pretty Pillow Box dies include one main die for the pillow box, three dies to make different designs on the flap, three different tag designs and four flower dies – two large and two small. There are various different ways to put the boxes together and my original idea was to seal the end flaps and have the flap opening. I’d found my box of Velcro dots but was very disappointed to find they were so old, the self-adhesive glue dots on the backs of them had become non-sticky sticky – I’m not sure how to word it but the sticky was too “runny” to be of any use!
The first pillow box I made (see first two photographs) is Hubby’s favourite because he says it looks very Thai. To create this box I used just the main die, adhered the two ends using Tombow and Velcro Dots to close the flap. This is when I found out they had aged very badly! For the purposes of today’s blog, I sealed the flap down! I made the flower using one large and one small Real Red Cardstock (CS) flowers adhered one on top of the other. Even like this, the pillow box looks gorgeous, and the options just keep getting better!
To create the second pillow box (see the third and fourth photographs) I inserted the small decorative die shown in the photograph in position inside the pillow box die before I ran them through my Big Shot. I used the Kraft 6″ x 6″ Paper for all my pillow boxes and this cardstock curls by itself so I used a Post It Note to keep the small die in position! I found the little Red Resin Hearts which I had left over from our Spring/Summer Mini catalogue and they fitted on beautifully.
The third pillow box I made was the one with the Sheer Real Red Ribbon Bow. I used the small die to make the two holes (the right-hand side hole can be seen in the photographs) in the flap at the same time as die-cutting the pillow box. My ribbon is decorative but to use it as a closure, fold the box as normal, fold the flap over and use a pencil to put marks through the holes onto the layer underneath. Next it’s a simple job of punching two holes and threading the ribbon through. By the time I had reached this stage, I had started adhering the right-hand side and front flaps down and leaving the left-hand side flap as the opener.
The fourth box I made was the one with the “lacy” design on the flap. Before I go any further, a few words about folding the box which has score lines in the appropriate places. First, fold the straight line across the flap and between the top and bottom half of the pillow. Make sure that the curves of the side flaps line up perfectly before burnishing the fold line with your Bone Folder. Carefully pinch the curved score lines for the end flaps making sure you pinch the outer-most ends – the pointy bits – of each score line. Doing this will make closing the pillow box much easier.
To cut the lacy flap, place the die (shown in the photograph) in position in the flap of the die before running through your die-cutting machine. Take a piece of Real Red CS that measures 3 5/8″ x 1 1/2″ and carefully line it up on the pillow box die just above the flap score line. You will probably find it easier to use a Post It Note to hold it in place. To adhere to the pillow box, add some Tombow on the lacy side then add the Real Red CS in position. The base line should be just above the fold line on the pillow box.
The last pillow box I made is the handbag. After die-cutting a basic Kraft pillow box, I did a Real Red CS piece in the same was as the box above and adhered it in position so the stitched line on the Real Red Cs is just about visible. For the handle, I cut a 9″ piece of the Real Red Mini Ruffled Ribbon. I used Snail (Seal) on the box lid which was a mistake! I recommend you put the adhesive on the ribbon! Unfortunately, the ribbon has made the box a little bit wonky but not enough for me not to use this design again.
I thoroughly enjoyed making these boxes and I have so many other ideas for different designs. As you can see, I haven’t added any sentiments or tags. For Christmas, I may add each guest name to their box instead; that way I can vary the gift inside and make it a bit more personal for the recipient! I hope you’ve enjoyed this little diversion from cardmaking; I’ve certainly had a lot of fun preparing it!
I’ll be back with you soon. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe. Happy crafting.
JanB. xx
Products used for this project: please click on any of the links to be taken to my 24/7 online Stampin’ Up! shop. The Hostess Code for OCTOBER 2021 is X7SSNQ92 Thank you. xx
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These are absolutely gorgeous Jan. I was thinking they would make the most adorable gift card boxes for Christmas. I absolutely love them. Thank you once again for sharing your incredible talent.
Many thanks, Donna. Unfortunately, the pillow boxes aren’t big enough for gift cards! One way round this could be to put s note inside the box with a note that says something like: SURPRISE! Exchange this note/voucher with Gramma Donna for a Gift Card from………………” Not ideal but I did something similar a few years ago when a gift didn’t arrive in time for Christmas. I found a picture of the gift and put it in an envelope! The recipient was really surprised and very pleased! xx