Pillow Box idea.

Hi everyone
Fabulous sunshine today - it's amazingly warm too ! Great for me.

Life in The Order Project goes on ........ etc. I am sorting and 'chucking' again ! Soon .... 'It' will end. The main Studio is going OK but the cupboard is a big challenge. I want to have it cleared by the end of next week. We will see !!

Today is Friday - again. My die cut offer today is a little box I made for a charity sale earlier this week. It's a die (pillow box by Sizzix) Ive used this die before but I needed to adapt the front to make a window - to see a little watch. Ive tried a few different box styles for these little watches (I think we had about 12) and have concluded that my best efforts have been using this pillow box style die in a fairly heavy card. I do find sometimes, when using a finer card or thick paper, the crease lines within the die do actually crease rather than cut. This allows the complete box to look perfect and ready for as much embellishment as is required. Each individually created box will have a specific end gift or purpose in mind (even if its a box to decorate) and this die is perfect for adapting the end product to accommodate.



The first photo shows the pillow die , it's a large die and only suitable for a larger machine (the little sponge bits in the middle allow the die to be released and give support during the cutting). This die also has a few little labels - you can just see them at the bottom of the die. I tend not to use these as labels - not sure why ? Ive made a mental note to try out a few ideas. However, Ive used the labels in another way.



The photos show how I attached a little piece of card (7x7cm)into the box (it fits snuggly) to hold my watch inside. I wanted the watch to stay in a particular place so that I could cut a whole on the front of the box in order to display the watch face. I stitched the watch onto the little piece of card (with invisible thread) and stuck each label either side to position the watch. The hole on the front was made with another Sizzix item called a punch paddle. These paddles come in lots of shapes and are great. I use them lots. They are small tools so only cut small spaces. I have used them to create bigger holes by overlapping several cuts. I have a little Sizzix hammer which simply hits the paddle (quite hard hit required) and removes card or other material. It's particularly good for corners etc as you can place the paddle on top of a 'space to be' wherever it is. The paddle creates a lovely, clean cut.


I also used a pretty printed paper for some embellishments cut from a Provo Craft die. Just the flower parts.




I cut out some butterflies and attached them (sandwiched) to the ends of green embroidery thread around the box. My idea here is to use the butterflies as labels. The butterflies are another Sizzix item designed to fit into the pillow box die - this would allow a butterfly shape to be cut into the box. Lovely look but no good for the watch as its not big enough to give a clear view of the watch face. I will use the idea another time.

The white paper lace is made with another Sizzix die. (although I retrieved these little bits from my bin - love this idea ie recycling).



The last photo is the back of the box. I used some circles cut from a punch to secure the simple bits of paper wrapped around the box.

This whole project took me about 15mins. - the design part took the majority of the time. I need to made a few more so will repeat the process and its a very quick way of making a lovely wrapping for a gift. Usually the gift would simply be put in the box to surprise - even quicker.

Hope you are inspired to have a go. If you don't have the die - you could cut the shape instead. Follow the pattern on the die (first picture). Ive done this myself when needing a bigger box - make a template from thick card. Score the lines with a creaser or the back of a knife or spoon handle onto a cutting mat (or towel if you haven't got one).

Have a great weekend.

Bye for now.