Festive Sniffles

Dec 12, 2014 | Christmas, Gifts, Techniques | 4 comments

It seems a lot of people come down with colds or flu this time of year. Whether you have the sniffles or an allergy – or you’re just messy like me – it’s always nice to have some tissues handy. This is a nice way to give folks something useful and pretty at the same time.

I used Kleenex pocket tissue packs. I imagine most brands are the same size, but you may need to adjust the dimensions a little. These measured just under 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 x 1 inch, so those are the dimensions of my box. I used card stock to make the boxes and DSP to decorate them.

Start with a piece of card stock cut to 7 x 7-1/2 inches. Score along the longer side at 1, 3-1/2, 4-1/2, and 7 inches. Rotate counter-clockwise and score along the shorter side at 1/2, 1-1/2, and 6 inches. You’ll end up with something that looks like this.

Now cut along the dark lines. The parts colored in will be gone.

You’ll have something that looks like this:

Cut DSP like so: one piece at 4-1/4 x 2-1/4 inches, two pieces at 4-1/4 x 3/4 inch, and two pieces at 2-1/4 x 3/4 inch. In the middle of the largest piece, cut a hole large enough to pull a tissue through. I used my Decorative Label punch (120907.) You could also use another punch, your paper trimmer, or scissors.

Center the cut/punched piece of DSP on the top area of the box, but do not adhere it yet.

Holding the DSP in place, use a pen or pencil to mark the outline of the cut/punched out area on the box.

Now cut out this area from the box, making sure to make the hole larger than the markings, but also making sure to leave enough paper around the hole to glue. (Please forgive the different colors used in these photos. I made several different colors, and I remembered to take photos at different points during the process on each one.)

Now glue the DSP over the hole. Here is one from the back. See how the hole in the box is larger than the decorative hole in the DSP? You don’t want the card stock to show.

Now glue the other pieces of DSP on the 4 sides of the box.

I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue because I wanted to make sure everything would hold together in a pocket or purse.

Now assemble the box. Make sure the wider side panel goes over the skinny side panel.

I like to lay it flat so I can fold the wider panel over the skinny panel. Apply glue to the skinny panel, then fold the wider panel over it to adhere.

On the end with 4 flaps, fold in the two smallest and apply glue to the top of them.

Fold in the bottom flap to adhere to the small flaps. Apply glue to it, then fold down the last flap to finish the end of the box.

Now you have a box with one open end.

Prepare tissues. Option #1:

Put the pack of tissues inside the box, then mark around the opening.

Take them out and cut a hole in the plastic wrapper a little bigger than the marking. Insert the pack into the box.

Prepare tissues. Option #2:

Remove the wrapper from the tissues and insert them into the box.

Now close the box and you’re done! I don’t glue this end of the box closed, so tissues can be added once it’s empty.

Of course, you can continue to decorate it with punched shapes, bling, etc., but I chose to keep mine simple.

Thanks for stopping by today, and Sweet Stamping!