In preparation for our wedding in October of this year, I went looking for favours. I couldn't find any I liked - they were either too generic or too expensive. I came across a blog called Simply Creative (with Pink Petticoat) and in particular this post about pyramid boxes - I fell in love with their simplicity straight away and knew I wanted to make them as favours. I printed them onto cream A4 card, and made 200 of them. I added personalised labels from eBay, some ribbon, popped a couple of mints into each one, and voila - inexpensive favours that went down a bomb!
For Christmas, I love giving nail polish as a present. BUT. And it's a big but (and I cannot lie) - even though some nail polish is expensive, I think it looks really mean as a present on its own. Something that costs e10 or under shouldn't look mean - right, it's not a huge amount of money, but to those of us watching the pennies it's important that we feel good about what we give to people.
So, on the hunt for something to make the small little presents look a bit more presentable, I remembered these boxes. They're perfect for nail polish (or loads of other things - an EOS lip sphere, some eyeshadow, earrings or some other small little present would work really well too. If you make homemade truffles you could also use them).
I'll take you through it step-by-step!
First, download the template found here. The template belongs to Pink Petticoat, so all credit should be given to Liz Armstrong.
You will need:
 |
| A4 card of your choice, contrasting card (if desired), Ruler, Scissors, Ribbon, Paper Punch. |
Next, use your punch to make one hole in each of the 4 main corners. I found it easiest to get the holes centered if I fed the pointy end into the punch, then make the hole.
Next, use a ruler to fold along the little dotted lines on the card. There are two versions of the template in the downloadable file - one with guide lines and one without. I use the one with the lines because I'm hopeless at cutting/folding in a straight line. Use your ruler to fold all 4 main parts and both sides of each part in towards the centre. Fold all corners in to make sure the top pieces match up.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
Next, take your ribbon and feed it through the holes. There's a specific way to do this so that you can open & close it properly - start by feeding one end of the ribbon through one hole towards the centre, and out through the hole in front of it. Then feed the other end through the hole next to it, and out through the hole in front. The ribbon should be visible on the outside, like so:
Now, the fun part! Get the little item you want to pop inside, and wrap in a little tissue paper. This isn't necessary but it adds a little extra protection. If you're picking nail polish, very few brands will have room to stand up, but you can put them lying down in them. You could also add in a few chocolate coins.
 |
| Full-sized Essie polishes cost e9.99 from new display stands in chemists all over Ireland, and are the perfect size for the box. |
Once you put your gift inside, close the box securely by gently pulling the ribbon taut and tying a knot, then a bow. If your ribbon has a tendency to fray, you can stop that by using a candle or lighter. Just hold the ribbon near to the flame (not ON the flame, bubbly blackness is not what we are aiming for here) to gently seal the ends. Any ribbon will work well for the boxes - I think this green one came from the packaging of a pair of pyjamas!
To finish it off, I cut a little circle of green card, used a gold pen to write on it, and added a little bow.
I'm definitely going to make some more of these for the little presents, they deserve to get some proper wrapping too!
