Boxes made with Envelope Punch Board

This Christmas I'm trying to spend more time making Christmas gifts rather than more money buying them. Last week I used my Envelope Punch Board to make several little boxes that will hold an assortment of wrapped tea bags.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Soft Sky, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Wild Wasabi card stock; Blue Citrus Stack patterned card stock (DCWV)
Accessories: Envelope punch board, Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

I had seen several of these boxes online, along with tips and explanations of how to make them, but I didn't really "get it" until I sat down to make them myself. I went through a few sheets of scratch paper, but once I had it down I was able to make the boxes pretty quickly.

The first thing you need to do is determine the length and width you need for your box. The tea bags I was using were 3-1/2" x 3-1/2", so I found that size under "card size" on my Envelope Punch Board. For that size "card," the size of paper is listed as 6" x 6", and the score line is 3". To account for the depth of the box, I added one inch to the paper size and one inch to the score line measurement to get a second score line (so my card stock was 7" x 7", and I scored at 3" and 4"). Note: The depth of my boxes are about 3/4". I didn't try it, but I think you could play around with different sizes (e.g., adding two inches instead of one) to make boxes of other depths. Just be sure to adjust the paper size and score lines accordingly.

Once the measuring is done, it's just a matter of following the directions on the Envelope Punch Board and remembering to add the second score line on each side. In other words, on the first side of the paper, line up the edge to 3", punch and score, then slide the edge of the paper to 4" and punch and score. Turn the paper 90º counter clockwise, line up the first score line at the score guide, punch and score, then slide the paper until the second score line is even with the score guide and punch and score again. Repeat for the remaining two sides, and if desired round the corners with the reverse punch.

The punching and scoring will create a square in the middle of each side; two sides of the square are from the punches, and two sides are score lines. On each square, trim along one of the score lines up to the first crossing score line to create tabs and to allow the box to fold properly. (This is easier to understand with a picture, but I forgot to take a photo at this step. If you have questions, leave me a comment, and I will try to explain further or add a photo to the post.)

Use a bone folder to crease the score lines and fold together two opposite corners, securing them with a strong adhesive, such as Sticky Strip or Scor-Tape. Then fold up and adhere one of the remaining corners, leaving the last corner open so the box can be filled.

I decided to use belly bands to close my boxes, so I cut a 2"  x 12" strip for each box. I measured the box to determine where to make score lines on the strip, then I folded the strip into a band and secured the end of the strip with strong adhesive. That's it! The recipient slides off the belly band to open the box, and he or she can reuse the box if desired.

My boxes perfectly held five tea bags, and I could have squeezed in one more. What else could you put in these boxes? Here are a few possibilities:
Gift cards or cash
A set of small cards and envelopes
A set of gift tags
Earrings, necklace or bracelet
Small notepad
Trading cards
Lego minifigures or other small toys
Wrapped candy or chocolates
Hair clips or barrettes
Mini photo albums, brag books or picture frames
Ribbon or other crafting embellishments
Memory cards or thumb drives
Keychain
Christmas ornaments

Thanks for stopping by!