Monday, December 10, 2012

Christmas bitty boxes

A couple of months ago I bought the Bitty Box and Envelope Big Shot die from the Stampin' Up!® Clearance Rack. I'd been eying it for awhile, and I couldn't resist once it was such a good deal. I'm glad I bought it, because the bitty boxes are a great way to package little Christmas gifts for neighbors, coworkers, etc. The boxes are very easy to assemble, and a stack of two or three made with coordinating patterned card stock and tied together with a ribbon are adorable.

Here are the supplies I used to make the boxes:
Bitty Box and Envelope die (Stampin' Up!), Blitzen Collection card stock (Basic Grey), Old Olive and Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbons (Stampin' Up!), white crochet thread (DMC), Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

I did not tape the boxes together because I wanted them to be reusable if the recipient chooses. They do slide out of the ribbon easily, so I'll have to be careful when delivering them. (One solution would be to add another piece of ribbon going around the boxes in the other direction.)

I have to confess that this set of three boxes has a "faux bow" on the top. After I tied the ribbon in a knot, the ends were too short to make a regular bow, but too long to just cut off and throw away. Here's how I made the faux bow:

Step 1: Lie ends of ribbon flat on either side of the boxes.

Step 2: Near the knot form a loop with each ribbon end.

Step 3: Wrap a piece of crochet thread around the loops.

Step 4: Tie a knot with the crochet thread, pulling tightly around the ribbon.

Step 5: Flatten the loops to the sides and trim the ribbon ends. Tie on a gift tag with the crochet thread and then trim the ends of the thread.

Are you wondering what I put in the boxes? That was a fun, albeit slightly challenging, quest. The boxes are about 2-3/8" on each side and 3/4" deep, and I filled them with:
Two Ghirardelli chocolate squares
Three foil-wrapped Chocolate Santas
A small Christmas ornament
Small stones (I found some polished hand-carved stone hearts that benefit Haitian artisans through the Hand/Eye Fund.)
A lip gloss, placed diagonally (I love the fun, yummy flavors from Crazy Rumors.)

Some other possibilities include:
A tealight candle
A pair of ribbon barrettes
Small shaped erasers for kids
Earrings, bracelet or necklace
Crafty embellishments, such as ribbon, buttons or brads

Thanks for stopping by!

1 comment:

Nessie said...

How cute is that?! I am sorry for not being your neighbour, co-worker, etc....
Love, Nessie