Minecraft TNT Valentine - Modified "Exploding Box"

I created these Minecraft TNT modified "exploding boxes" for my son to share with his class for Valentine's Day last year. I don't necessarily recommend making 30 of them. But if you're a little crazy like me, go for it. Also, I've heard that some schools don't allow kids to use the word "bomb," so this may not be allowed.  

SILHOUETTE STUDIO FILES - FREE DOWNLOADS
Each of the following download files are setup for printing and/or cutting on 8.5" x 11" white cardstock. The finished box is about 2.5" x 2.5."

TNT Box Top (two lids per sheet)
Click here to download printable PDF. 
This PDF is ready to take to the printer (or you can print yourself). The Silhouette registration marks are set to .395" on all four corners.  Just make sure the "Scale to Fit" box is NOT selected when printing or it will shrink the page and the registration marks will be off and it won't line up with the cut file. Just FYI, the lid is just slightly bigger than the bottom of the box so that it will fit over the top of it.

Click here to download Silhouette Studio cut file.
The cut file should look like this when you open it in Silhouette Studio.  The file size is set to 8.5" x 11" and the cutlines should be on. The registration marks should be set to .395".

You can merge these two files together to see how everything lines up, but I DO NOT recommend printing the PDF from Silhouette Studio. The image will print at a lower resolution and will not look as sharp and crisp.  You will notice that the image is set up with a printer's "bleed."

TNT Box Bottom Outside
Click here to download printable PDF.
This PDF is ready to take to the printer (or you can print yourself). The Silhouette registration marks are set to .395" on all four corners.  Just make sure the "Scale to Fit" box is NOT selected when printing or it will shrink the page and the registration marks will be off and it won't line up with the cut file.

Click to download Silhouette Studio cut file.
The cut file should look like this when you open it in Silhouette Studio.  The files size is set to 8.5" x 11" and the cutlines should be on. The registrations marks should be set to .395".

Again, you can merge these two files together to see how everything lines up, but I DO NOT recommend printing the PDF from Silhouette Studio. The image will print at a lower resolution and will not look as sharp and crisp.  You will notice that the image is set up with a printer's "bleed."

TNT Box Bottom Inside

The bottom of the box is printed double-sided. You can always leave the inside of the box blank and just do the outside.  But the nice thing about this file is that it doesn't really matter which direction you're supposed to put the paper in the printer, because the art work is centered and it will work fine either way. Also, with the added "bleed," even if the two sides don't line up perfectly, it will still cut just fine. There are no registration marks on the inside file, as you'll want to cut from the outside file.

Click here to download printable PDF - with Valentine's message.
Click here to download printable PDF - without any wording.
You will print this on one side of the paper with the TNT Box Bottom Outside printed on the other side. (P.S. This image came from a screenshot of my son playing Minecraft. He set off a bunch of TNT and this is what it looked like after. You could do the same thing with your Minecraft player.)

Here's where the cutlines will be. You can see that the backside is very forgiving if it doesn't line up perfectly.

Minecraft Heads (10 characters, 10 heads of each)

Adding these heads of Minecraft characters inside the finished box is optional (and perhaps a little morbid). They are sized to fit Starburst candies. I printed mine on a full page label/sticker sheet and then put the heads on both sides of the Starbursts. You could also print on regular paper and use a glue dot or something. Whatever works. There are 10 characters and 10 heads of each character. In the print file the charactes are listed on the side just for reference. And so your kid will think you're cool for knowing this stuff.

Click here to download printable PDF.
Click here to download Silhouette Studio cut file.

Send me an email if you'd like an SVG of the cut files. I have them. But I only have a Silhouette, so I don't know how you get them to line up with the print files in other software. ;)

Box with Lid All-In-One

This is one of my most favorite gift boxes ever! (It's kind of hard to capture exactly how it works in photos, though.)  Someone I know received a gift in this style of box years ago and back then I could never find even a reference to one online. (Mostly I didn't know what to search for or what to call it.)  I did eventually find these at a dollar store and created a template to make them myself. I really love how these turn out when using double-sided scrapbook paper, so the "lid" and inside of the box are different but matching. (Is it just me, or is the double-sided paper harder to find nowadays?)  Anyway, after "manually" cutting and scoring these for years, this was the first project I was dying to tackle with my new Silhouette Cameo.

The pattern I've created (download below) requires two sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock and you end up with a 4" square box when complete. I wanted to get as large of a box as possible, but using two pieces  of paper does make it tricker.  It works best to find a scrapbook paper that looks okay even if it's not perfectly lined up, for example vertical stripes or small polk-a-dots. This file also has a little square gift tag.

4" Square Box with Lid (All-in-One)
Click here to download a free SVG.
Free for personal use only.

How to Assemble ...
This is what the file looks like when you open it up in Silhouette Studio Designer Edition.

This is what the file should look like when you turn on the cut lines. Be sure to select "Cut" and not "Cut Edge." As you can see the bottom cut line on the file actually goes to the edge of the page. This means the edge of your paper will also end up serving as the bottom edge after the file is cut out. This file was set up to maximize the use of the paper in order to end up with a 4" square box. You can always reduce the file to whatever size you want. If the vertical cut lines that go to the edge don't end up cutting all the way to the bottom, you can just use scissors to complete the cut.

This is what you will end up with after cutting two sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock. (I deleted the gift tag on the second cut, since I only need one.)  I used a cardstock that is light blue on one side and a darker blue on the other. I am using the light side for the outside of my box and the darker side for the lid and the inside. (I have gone over the score lines with marker so they show up better for this demo.) 

You want to start out with the outside of your box facing you. Go ahead and fold along all the score lines accordingly. I have indicated valley folds with a "V" and mountain folds with an "M" in the photo below.

Now you will attach the two pieces. Start by folding down the top edge, which will end up creating the "lid". Apply whatever kind of adhesive you prefer to the two tabs on the right edge of the first piece. They are marked "Tape" below. (I love double-sided sticky tape, but there's lots of options.)

Now you're ready to attach the ribbon. If you want to forgo the ribbon, you can always delete the holes from the original file.  I prefer to use a wide ribbon with wire edges. One yard (36") cut in half works well.

Flip the paper over and thread a piece of ribbon through each hole. (The ribbon I'm using doesn't match, it's just what I happened to have on hand.)  I like to adhere the ribbon to the bottom section of paper, which will end up being the bottom of the box and will be covered up. You could also use eyelets in the holes and then form some sort of knot on the inside of the box so the ribbon doesn't come loose.

Now fold in the two outside sections and apply adhesive to the two remaining tabs (marked "Tape").

Once you've secured the sides together ...

... you can begin to position the paper into the shape of the box.

Then carefully slide the lid all the way down.

Now you just need to secure the bottom of the box. This base is really simple and just closes like a generic cardboard box. It should overlap a little, so just use plenty of adhesive and make sure it's secure. If you plan to put something a little heavier inside the box, you may want to place a piece of cardboard in the bottom for extra support. Make sure to fold down the flaps that don't have ribbon first, as they will be part that shows when looking inside the box.

Now flip the box so it's right-side up and thread the gift tag onto the ribbon. You might want to write on it first.

Finally, tie the ribbon in a bow. Oh, you might want to put a gift inside first.

The end. Sigh. I feel like I just wrote an instructional essay for an eighth grade English class.  And it was probably a bad one at that.

One last note:  I have another variation of this file to share. Same concept but the "lid" has a wavy edge instead of a straight edge. AND, I have a digital scrapbook paper design to go along with it. Think baby's bathtime box. Coming soon .... let's hope it doesn't take me over a month to get to it this time.

Silhouette Cameo

I got a Silhouette Cameo! Since I have no current projects in mind, I can’t help but think of the tons of things I have created over the years that would have been so much easier with this machine. (Think hours and hours of cutting and scoring, literally. I have a tendency to make things difficult for myself.) So anyway, I’ve decided to recreate all my favorites. And I’ve also decided I want to share them.