Birthday Money in Sizzix Carry Boxes

When you give money as a gift it can be challenging to think of new ways to present it.  The classic check or crisp bill inside a card can get a little boring.  Our twin niece and nephew have wish lists that often include cash to save toward a larger item (they have each managed to save enough to buy their own laptops).  So while I know that a gift of cash will be appreciated, I try to find ways to make it look more festive.

 I have always enjoyed working with classic steel rule dies.  They are fast and easy to use and will cut through thick materials or several layers at once.  One of the things I like about dies for 3D objects is the smooth score lines they produce. 

When I use my Cricut or Silhouette machines the marks they make to indicate score lines can be distracting.  The Cricut designs usually have two "tick marks" to show where to score and fold.  The Silhouette files add dashed lines which is somewhat of an improvement because they don't need to be scored and fold smoothly but they can be prone to tearing.  The Sizzix dies make a nice "dent" without actually breaking the surface of the paper.

I recently bought this die for a small carry all box.  You have to be careful to check the design of a box and to verify the size.  Sometimes a die for a box makes a very small object.  I checked the Sizzix site (here) to be sure of the size of the finished box before I ordered the die.  (It is about 3 7/8" x 4" x 2").

This particular die came packaged with the added bonus of two embossing folders.

The example on the front of the package shows how you could use one of the folders to emboss the front and back of the box.  I haven't tried this yet but I like the way it looks.

When you check the Sizzix website for information on a die you will normally find a diagram showing exactly what and where the die will cut.  In this case, you need to cut the entire die once and then cut the left side a second time to get all of the pieces needed for one box.

 

 

There are often diagrams or even videos showing how to assemble the pieces - this one is pretty straightforward but they can get tricky, particularly the pop-up cards.

On disadvantage of dies is that they tend to be a bit expensive - particularly since they cut only one size.  So I always try to watch for sales if I am interested in buying a die.

I was lucky to be able to buy this die at Blitsy for a discounted price (a little more than 1/3 off).  I haven't mentioned Blitsy lately but if you aren't familiar with this site it is definitely worth checking out.   Blitsy is a free membership shopping deal site.  They have all sorts of interesting craft items at good prices with new sales starting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and continuing for a week or until sold out (popular items can sell out very quickly). 

If you haven't shopped at Blitsy before, please use my referral LINK to join.  Once you are a member, you can get your own referral link and earn credits for future purchases.

This die allows you to make a box from one sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock and have some leftover.  I chose some heavier DCWV cardstock stacks.  This bright and pretty floral is from the Taj Mahal stack.

The glittered star cardstock is from the Doodlin' Around stack.  I have had both of these stacks for quite a while so I am not sure if they are still available in stores.  The heavier weight works very well for boxes.

I folded along all of the lines and added ScorTape to the tabs that are used to connect the pieces.  You need to use a strong adhesive for favor boxes.  Some people prefer a liquid adhesive to allow a little time for moving the pieces but if you are careful the straight lines of this design are easy to assemble.  Just be sure to line things up carefully since ScorTape can be unforgiving - it sticks and stays stuck!

It is pretty obvious how to connect the pieces - the only tricky thing is to be sure that the two side flaps are set with the straight side away from the notched bottom flap so they will interlock correctly.  You can always check the photos on the Sizzix site to be sure.  I was a little surprised that there wasn't a diagram in the package.  You might want to print out the instruction sheet and keep it with the die to save the need to keep looking up the directions if you were not going to use the die regularly.

After all of the bottom flaps are attached you just need to join the last side together.  If you were making a large number of these for an event you could keep the boxes flat until you were ready to assemble and fill them.

You fold down the long flap with the notch first, then the two side pieces which will interlock with the first flap.

You need to give the side flaps a little push to make them "catch" under the first flap.

Finally, you push the last flap under the first flap and everything interlocks to make a flat bottom.

Here is a look at the inside of the box so you can see how everything is connected.  This design is quite sturdy but I wanted to make the box a bit stronger and also prettier inside.

I measured the inside dimensions of the box and cut a piece of the leftover cardstock to fit.

Next I added two strips of Scortape to keep the bottom liner firmly in place.

This is the first box I made - the liner could have been a bit larger so for the next box I made the measurements a little bigger while still allowing room to settle the liner down into the box.

The second box liner is a little larger making it more evenly sized on all four edges.

This little box will hold a gift card with plenty of room to spare.

I rolled up smaller bills and tied ribbons around them.  I also added some gold chocolate coins to give the box some weight (and for a sweet treat).

I quickly learned that it helps to put a paper clip on the rolled money to hold it steady while you tie the bows!

The candy and the money filled up the box nicely.

You could also fold the money in interesting shapes.  There are some great ideas for money origami HERE.

The boxes are very cute when they are closed...they just needed some tags to go with them.  This post has gotten very long so I'll share the tags I made for the boxes tomorrow.

One more tip about Blitsy - the new items are posted Monday, Wednesday and Friday around 11 a.m. Central Time.  Once you have joined, you will receive a reminder email when the new sales go up.  Some items are quick to sell out so if you can check around that time of day and manage to see the sales just before the email is sent you may be able to nab some of the very popular items.  If the item you want is sold out or "blitsed," be sure to check every so often during the following week - more than once I have found an item that was gone has been restocked and I have been able to place an order.

I hope you had a nice weekend.   I can hardly believe it but they say we have still more cold weather and maybe some snow headed our way tomorrow! 

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