Holiday Crafts – Created by Jess

Printable Valentine Treat Boxes

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon! Whether you need to pass out Valentine’s to a whole class or just need one for someone special, this is an easy little project to help you out!

You can download my template at the bottom to print out the boxes onto your scrapbook paper. There is even a template with some box toppers to print, or you can make up your own. Cut, fold, glue, and fill ’em up!

printed template for box — You can see the dashed lines of the template printed here.

Start by choosing your patterned scrapbook paper in a 12 x 12 size for two boxes, if your printer doesn’t print that wide there is also an 8.5 x 11 size for one box. Print onto your decorative paper with the template on the side that will be the inside of your box.

cut out box template — This box is cut and scored for folding

Now you need to score the lines that you are going to be folding (all of the lines inside the perimeter of the template). I use a ruler and my nifty Fiskars embossing stylus. If you don’t have something like this you can use the curved edge of a paperclip, just run it along your ruler for a nice indented line that will make folding easier. Next you will cut out the entire outside edge of the template using a craft knife or scissors.

Next you will fold along all of your scored lines. Crease the lines with your fingernail or a bone folder. Once everything is folded, you will glue the box together. You can use a glue stick or a self adhesive tape runner for instant results.

Next you will cut out the Valentine toppers for the boxes or cut out your own printed or stamped designs. Make sure and leave a tab of paper attached to the bottom of your design so that you can insert it into the box. You will also need to punch a small circle, 1″ or 1.5″ works, or cut them out by hand. These circles will be out of the same patterned paper, one to match the inside of each box.

When you get to this stage you are going to be inserting the Valentine toppers into the boxes. See the image below for the four steps to follow.

steps for box toppers — The four steps to inserting the box toppers

Draw a line with the ruler touching each diagonal corner of the box top, you will end up with an X that marks the center.
Using a craft knife, cut a slit through the center of the box top to match the width of the tab you cut on your topper. Insert the tab into the slit.
Using scissors, cut the tab in half vertically and fold one half up and one half down.
Glue your punched out circle in matching paper over the tabs to secure the topper in place.

Once you have made all of your boxes, fill them up with just about anything! I got some Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts for mine but there are so many choices for Valentine candy that you could fill each box with a different thing if you wanted to! I hope you enjoy this little project, post a picture of your creations on the Created By Jess Facebook page!

boxes with candy — Boxes filled with Peanut Butter Hearts

Click below for the .pdf templates and box topper artwork.

valentinebox.pdf

Halloween Candy Boxes

Here are a couple of fun Halloween themed candy boxes that I made. I would like to share these with my fellow crafters as a way to say “Happy Halloween”! There are links at the bottom of this post to download .pdf versions of the candy boxes as well as a .pdf guide to score the folds and cut out the boxes.

This Dracula themed box has the funny product name “Iron Count” because dark chocolate is a good source of iron! The back of the box has a lovely quote from Dracula himself, a perfect Halloween greeting. This box is the perfect size for large chocolate bars. I like the Lindt Chocolate bars because you can easily take the foil wrapped bar out of the original box and slip it into the custom made box, plus they come in lots of flavors and are available everywhere. I used a thicker cardstock but because the chocolate bar is rigid you can probably get away with regular paper.

“Candied Corn” makes a great Halloween gift when dressed up in this little black box! A dapper Pumpkin Man adorns the front of the box along with a cut-out window to see inside. The back of the box has a cheery Halloween greeting surrounding an adorable owl. You probably want to print these on a heavier cardstock because the candy corn isn’t light! I’ve added a .pdf version with a light gray background for those who want to print multiple boxes, I know ink is a precious commodity!

Instructions:

Print the box artwork and the box guide
Place the guide on top, and line up the cross marks with the page below (hold up to a window, lightbox, or lamp when using thicker paper)
Tape pages together (optional)
Place on cutting mat and score the dotted lines, these are where the folds will be
Cut along the outside solid line get your box shape
Fold Box and glue/tape the side flap under the back of the box
Fold and close top and bottom flaps

Dracula Box Art.pdf

Dracula Box Guide.pdf

Pumpkin Box Art Black.pdf

Pumpkin Box Art Gray.pdf

Pumpkin Box Guide.pdf

Snow Dome Ornaments

In recent years I’ve seen a lot of neat vintage looking Christmas ornaments in the stores. The ornaments have a glass globe or bell covering a little winter scene. I’ve been wanting to make some of my own but had a hard time finding small glass coverings to use. I had pretty much given up hope. This year, my sister came across a tutorial called, DIY Vintage Inspired Bell Jar Ornaments, showing how to make your own using plastic wine glasses. The idea for the material and how to turn it into a bell shape were perfect. I’m so glad she found this helpful hint which allowed me to finally make my own vintage looking ornaments.

We bought our plastic wine glasses at the Dollar Tree. Lucky for me, my boyfriend has a Dremel rotary cutting tool and he was able to saw off the stems of the plastic glasses in just a few minutes time. I’m sure there are other tools you could use, but this was a suggestion in the tutorial we found, so we tried it. They won’t all be perfectly level, but handmade items are not always identical, and that’s why we love them!

For this project, your must have tools will be scissors, a glue stick, and a hot glue gun. You can choose from any number or ways to decorate your snow dome. I made the bases using patterned scrapbook paper glued onto cardboard or a cereal box. Use a circle template to trace a circle slightly larger than the rim of the glass onto the cardboard. You can cut this out with plain or decorative scissors for different looks.

To decorate the inside of the snow domes, you can use little toys, figures, or objects. I had a lot of fun using my rubber stamps to create unique little scenes. I stamped my images onto white paper and colored them with pens and colored pencils. I carefully cut them out using an X-ACTO knife. I used a little line or dot of hot glue to make the paper images stand upright on my bases. Continue adding all of your stand up elements.

Next, I glued the plastic dome onto the base using hot glue. To cover up the hot glue line, trim your glass with ribbon, paper, glitter, or pipe cleaner. I used pipe cleaner because it is easy to shape and dries quickly with hot glue. Then, fill your dome with fake snow, glitter, confetti, or in my case, tiny glass balls called Micro Marbles. You can get these in different colors, and a lot of scrapbook brands make them. The clear ones I used have a nice snow/ice look to them. I painted the bottom with opalescent glitter before pouring in the clear glass marbles, just for added sparkle.

To close up the opening in your snow dome, you can use a little hot glue and a bead or button. I had some clear buttons that were just the right size, slightly bigger than the hole in the glass. Tie your thread or string that you are using to hang your ornament through the bead or button and use a dot of hot glue to keep the string attached to the underside of the button, that way it won’t fall into your snow globe when it’s not hanging up. Remember to add your string before you glue it closed! I used the clear button by itself, but on others, I added a second button, or a matching pipe cleaner trim. I even made a dome with a glittery ball that is just a shelf decoration instead of an ornament. The only limit is your creativity.

The above snow dome was made using a rubber stamped image of a typewriter, and metal brads in the shape of typewriter keys. By adding a seasonal message like the word, “joy”, you can turn any image into a festive decoration to match your interests or decor.

I love this rubber stamp of a great big old house. I use it for lots of things but couldn’t resist adding simple touches like candles and a wreath on the front door. I made little trees for the front by trimming green pipe cleaner at an angle to create the shape of a tree. You could make these using photos of your own home or special restaurants or hotels to commemorate events. These would make a special gift for those hard to shop for people we all know.

As you can see, I was having way too much fun with these! Don’t limit yourself to Christmas ornaments, or even ornaments for that matter. Above, I made this adorable squirrel that will look great displayed on a shelf, mantle, or table. This woodland dome will look great all year round. I made my own tree stump out of paper and pens, added cute little colorful acorns, and a rubber stamped squirrel. I can’t wait to make more of these for all kinds of holidays, occasions, or just for fun. This craft is a great way to pass the time with family and friends. The materials don’t cost much, especially if you utilize your rubber stamps, or cut out images from magazines and photographs. Plug in your glue guns and have fun!