My friend and neighbor taught me a new craft the other day. She has this wonderful book that shows how to make your own greeting cards. Along with the cards, there were more than a few folding projects where you can make envelopes out of the letter you just wrote. She showed me how to make two different kinds. I just love doing it and promptly came home and made three of them and sent off thank you notes. It was a load fun.
So after I sent off my notes I wondered about other things I might make and since I didn't have the book handy, I went on the internet to look for paper folding projects and found directions for folding up your own little paper box. Ever since then, I have gone slightly mad.
This is what my work table looks like right now....
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The folded envelopes which started it all, sit atop my scrapbooks. There is a knitting project in a plastic zipper bag, and all my other stuff strewn around. The bad thing about this is that this table is in plain view as you walk into our house. It is just to the right of the front door. I think I might have to do some rearranging around here again.
I have been digging through all my supplies and papers and detritus in the craft chest of drawers, looking for likely candidates to make boxes with. I found two old calendars which make lovely boxes, and I even printed up some card stock from greeting card software for others, and for one, I used scrapbook paper. There under the mess are the instructions for making the boxes I got off the internet.
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Here is the link to the page: There is a pdf file to print out the directions in the right hand column under one of the illustrations.
Instructions
Now I warn you. All goes well until step #6. There is a certain vagueness to them that you will have to muddle through. And if you are diligent and/or stubborn enough, you will figure it out.
I get an inordinate amount of joy turning a flat piece of paper into a useful and pretty object. I love the simplicity of it. I want to make a whole bunch of them nested, and see how small I can go before it becomes impossible to work with them. If you make one box starting with say a 12 by 12 piece of paper to form the lid, then use an 11 1/2 by 11 1/2 sheet to make the bottom, and the top will fit just right. I have been using stickers that Hub Man found in a used bus he was cleaning out to secure the two flaps that end up in the bottom of the box when you are finished. It is a nice touch, that keeps them secure.
If you have some old calendars that you have saved, they make really nice ones.
Now, really, I gotta go.... I have boxes to fold!
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