Learn. How to Make Matchbook Favor Boxes.

May Day is tomorrow and Nebraskans know how to do it right!  This is the first place I've lived where people celebrate May Day and I love it!  Who doesn't want springtime goodies to show up on their doorstep? 

Last year I made some pixie stick baskets.  They were really cute and fast.  I decided to go with that theme again this year.  Cute and fast.

I have the Stampin' UP matchbox die that is available in the Occasions Mini catalog right now.  A couple of years ago I was making these boxes by hand.  I would work all evening and maybe finish 3 or 4.  With this die, I can finish that many in less than 30 minutes.

Isn't this one of the cutest things you've ever seen?  I totally CASEd this one from this post.   I used the Matchbox die and also the flowers #3 die to make the flower embellishment.  I used a jumbo eyelet, some wide grosgrain ribbon, stamped a little tag, and tied it on with linen thread.  I used some double sided designer paper to make the box. 

There are millions of ways to embellish and use these little boxes.  I was just thinking it would be cute to actually use them as a matchbox.  You could put matches in it and gift it along with a pretty candle.  How's that for a Mother's Day idea? 

I'm not going to show you the step by steps on how to embellish.  I'm just going to show you how to use the die cut machine and how to assemble this particular die. 

This is what the die looks like.  It is long and has one side covered in foam.  That's the working side.  That is where you will place whatever it is that you want to cut out. 

 

 

Now you'll make a sandwich with your clear cutting plates.  From bottom to top you'll have:

1. clear cutting plate
2. die, foam side up
3. item to be cut (paper, fabric, felt, etc)
4. clear cutting plate

You'll place that sandwich into your die cutting machine and roll it through.  Lickety split and you'll have your cut out box.

To assemble your box, you'll need to cut through the corner perforations and score at all of the score lines.  The score lines are placed exactly where you need them when you run the die cut through the machine. 

Use a bone folder to make your creases sharp.  All of the creases go one way except for the tiny scores on each side flaps (see above picture) and on top of the sides.  Those flaps help hold the box together.  If you are making your box out of cardstock, I've found that the friction enough is sufficient to keep the box together.  When using designer papers, you'll want to add some adhesives. 

Apply adhesive to the outermost edge of all sides.  The adhesive goes on the wrong side of the paper.  The you'll fold down the longer sides first.  The corners get folded underneath the smaller sides.  This is where those small flaps will be.  They need to be scored the other way so they can provide support in the corners. 

Score the lid at the lines and use adhesive at one edge to form your cover.  Fill your box with goodies and slide the cover over the top.

Embellish!

For this one I made two lids.  One was out of plain red cardstock and the other out of designer paper.  I used an EK Success edge punch on the sides to make the little extra detail you see in the picture. 

If you're celebrating May Day this year, why not leave some treats in a matchbox you made yourself?