Exploding Gift Box, Tea Light and Card

I made this exploding gift box as an alternative to a traditional gift box or bag. To make this, I used 3 12x12 cardstock (I used a single color; you can also use coordinating colors) and 3 12x12 designer paper. For the largest box, I scored a 12x12 cardstock at 4" three times. The second cardstock measured 10 1/2" x 10 1/2". I scored it at 3 1/2" three times. The third cardstock measured 9"x9". I scored this at 3" three times to make the smallest box. I trimmed the three cardstocks, removing the excess cardstock that will not be part of the boxes. It looked like this when I was done:



I scored the 12x12 desgner paper at 4", 3 1/2" and 3" and cut squares to cover the sides of the three boxes. I used paper from MAMBI.



I then glued to insides of the smallest box images from A Child's Year. They were cut at 2 1/2", except for the turkey which was cut at 2".



For a memory box, I would've added pictures, sayings, tags, etc. But I kept it simple for this exploding box because I meant to use it as a gift box. I scored a cream-colored cardstock at 4 1/4", with a 1/2" allowance for the sides. I then cut the tabs and glued them together.



The box top was embellished with die cuts made using Nestabilities pendants and Core'dinations cardstock.


The sides were also decorated using Nestabilities pendants and Core'dinations cardstock. The punch for the border of the box top is from Martha Stewart. Ribbon is from Seasons.



I had two different designs for the sides of the box.



I made a card using the scraps to go with the gift box. It's actually the recipient's birthday.



For the tealight holder, I used an 8 1/4"x 2 1/2 piece of cardstock. I scored it at 2" four times, then at 1/4". The 1/4" flap is for securing the ends with glue.



I made windows using Nestabilities Labels 4 and covered it with vellum paper. The die cut images were cut at 2". The turkey was cut at 1 1/2". I made the images face the ones that I glued on the smallest box.