DIY Bride™

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a sucker for great packaging. When the boxed invitation trend started emerging a few seasons ago, I was positively giddy at the possibilities that’d make their way to our little crafty hands. Just think of all the different ways a box could be decorated! So, knowing I had a little baby on the way (and a 2nd DIY Bride book to write), I ordered me up some boxes and began to experiment with ways to have fun with a boxed invite (and baby announcement) design.

What I came up with is this beauty of a project that combines my packaging obsession with my favorite crafting tool, the die cutting/embossing machine. It’s a boxed invitation with a window cut from the top with a great little die.

• White jewelry boxes, 7 3/8″ x 5  1/2″ x 1″, product #451175 from PaperMart.Com
• Paper cutter
• Spray adhesive
• Decorative paper, at least 8 1/2″ x 11″
• Cuttlebug or other die cutting machine
• Top Note die, product #113463 from Stampin’ Up!
• White and colored cardstock for invitation
• Double-sided tape
• Scissors
• Tape measure or ruler

1. Measure the outside dimensions of the jewelry box lid. (Or you can be like me and set your box lid, face down, on the back of a piece of decorative paper and make folds where you’ll need to trim the paper.)

2. Using your paper cutter, trim the paper down to fit the dimensions of your box lid.

3. Spray the back of the decorative paper with spay adhesive. I like 3M brand. (Don’t use re-positional adhesive.) Apply the paper to the box lid, being careful to line up the edges of the paper with the edges of the lid and smoothing out any wrinkles as you go along.

4. This is pretty as-is, isn’t it? Before you guys start asking: I don’t know who made this paper. It’s a few years old and part of the endless stash of scraps I’m trying to use up.

5. Next up: the die cutting machine. I have the Cuttlebug from ProvoCraft. Other manual die cutting machines like the BigShot by Sizzix will also work.

6. As luck would have it, the Top Note die is almost exactly as deep as the box lid and fits perfectly within the width. Place your die, cutting side down, in the center of the box lid.

7. Now, sandwich the die+lid between 2 of the die cutting machine’s plates. For the Cuttlebug, I used 2 “B” plates. Your machine may vary so do a little experimentation with plates or shims to get the best cut for your particular machine. It’s worth noting here that the box lid is a super tight fit with these plates and some come out a little smooshed on the edges. I can usually smooth them out with my fingers but some have looked damaged.

8. Run your die sandwich through the machine in either a forward or reverse motion, whichever you normally use for your die cuts. Do NOT go forward and then back thinking you’ll get a better cut. You’ll just end up dislodging your die and it’ll cut twice but not in the same spot.

9. Ooh, look! The window has been cut. Save that cut piece! It’ll be great for other projects like seating cards, favor tags, or …? You tell me.

10. For the interior of the box, the invitation, I cut a piece of solid-colored cardstock to the inside dimensions of the box. This is the mat around the invitation. I then created a template in MS Word for the invitation that was 1/4″ smaller (length and width) than the mat and printed the invite.

11. Using double-sided tape, I attached the invite to the mat. Beautiful.

12. Each jewelry box comes with a cotton batting liner. Don’t let that go to waste! I cut strips, about 1″ wide and 1″ long to use as padding in the 4 corners of the box. This props up the invitation. I stuck them down with double-sided tape.

13. Insert invite into box.

14. Place lid on box. Voila!

1. If you’re including maps, RSVP cards, envelopes, and other extras, they’re easily stored underneath the invitation. You may or may not need the cotton if you have bulky items in your invite set.
2. How to mail these? It’s best to put them in a bubble-mailer or inside another shipping box. You could wrap them in kraft paper and send them but you’ll get no protection, especially around that window area. I won’t kid you: these suckers will be expensive to mail. But look how cuuuuuute they are!
3. If you want to seal up the window on the lid, use overhead transparency film and apply sheets with double-sided tape on the inside of the lid. This is important if you’re sending candies or other small goodies that can escape.
4. Stampin’ Up!, if you’re not aware, is a direct sales company. They don’t sell directly to the public. Instead, they have representatives/demonstrators from whom you’ll need to buy this die from. My friendly neighborhood demo, Blythe (also my MIL), can be found here. If you want a demo of your very own, hit up the SU! website here.

Related posts:

1. Update on the L Letterpress Machine
2. 'Tis The Season To Save Some Cash
3. Free Download: Cupcake Wrapper
4. Guest Submission: Blythe's Bag in a Box Project

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