Real Scrappy - Digital Scrapbooking From Start to Finish: printable box

And here we are again with YET ANOTHER box pattern! Yay! I have several related tutorials in this area, including another box pattern, a pentagon box, a heart box, triangle box, and envelopes. This pattern I made up entirely by myself, though I'm sure it's not orginal because it's very simple. It's actually A LOT like my Pentagon pattern.

In this post, I will take you step by step how to create it in Photoshop using the template I have created. I will also provide a few printable boxes that you can use without Photoshop, though you cannot make changes to it. And last, I will also provide a printable template, so you can print it on whatever paper you choose.

In the download below, you will find a zipped file that includes the PDF file for printing and tracing, as well as the PSD file if you would like to design your own in Photoshop, as instructed below. I have also included FOUR sample boxes that I designed using kits from Summertime Designs and Armina Designs, with their permission.

DOWNLOAD THE BOX WITH SEPARATE LID FILE

You will notice that the file has several layers--Box , Box Lines, Lid, and Lid Lines. Make sure that everything you do to design your box is INBETWEEN those two layers, with lines on top and box or lid on bottom. This way, you will still be able to see your lines when you print and it will be easier to cut and fold.

It makes a fairly decent sized box. In the picture above, the template makes the smaller boxes. If you want them the size of the larger ones, you will have to enlarge it and print the lid on one page and the box on another. In the printable boxes down below, I have a .pdf file with both sizes. If you DO want to change the size, here are the directions.

1. On your layers menu, highlight all four layers--the lid lines, lid cover, box cover and box lines. Hold down the CTRL key to highlight all four layers at the same time.

2. Press CTRL+T. Hold down the SHIFT key as you grab the corner and resize the box to the desired size.

3. Now press enter and unhighlight the layers.

4. Go to File, New and create a new 8 1/2 x 11 page. Go back to the original document.

5. Highlight the lid cover and lid lines layers, and drag over to the new page.

That's it! You MUST do it this way, because if you change the size of the box and the lid separately, the lid might not fit the box anymore! Make sure you resize them together so that they will still fit.

Now, as this box is a lot like my Pentagon box, the directions on how to decorate it using kits are exactly the same, and I see no reason to rewrite them!

You can find the directions on my Pentagon Box page. There is also a video on that post showing how to do it step by step! Simply use this pattern instead of the pentagon pattern and you are all set!

Folding this box is very simple.

1. First, print the design out. You can use regular paper, but I usually choose cardstock. In these pictures, I used regular typing paper. Next, cut both the box and the lid out. Make sure that on the lid, you cut on the dotted lines.
2. Second, fold on the gray lines on both the box and the lid. On the lid, make sure you fold not just the large box lines, but also along the side, as shown.

3. Use tape or glue (I just use a glue stick) to glue the tabs. Fold the box together, glueing the tabs firmly together.

4. Place lid on box and you are all done!

Yay! Time for another box-making tutorial! If this is your first visit to my site, you may find my other tutorials--Making Paper Boxes, Pentagon Boxes, Paper Envelopes, Triangle Boxes, and Box w/ Seprate Lid interesting. I love making crafts out of paper, and combining my skill with Photoshop and scrapbooking with it.

WARNING: If you have not done my early tutorials, you will likely not be ready for this one. This one builds on a lot of what we've already learned. Remember--milk before meat! You can't do projects like this one until you've learned the basics! So if you haven't--go spend some time on the early tutorials, and then come back!

Here is a photo of the boxes we will be making today:

(for these boxes, I used the kits My Baby Girl by Connie Prince, Summer's End by Elemental Scraps, Essential Spring by Lindsay Jane, and Mystique by Lindsay Jane.)

This box dates back to about three years ago when I attended a baby shower for my sister-in-law. The host had these darling party favors that were boxes just like this. Inside she had little mints to eat. I thought it was adorable and kept mine. I think I still have it...somewhere. Anyway, I scanned it into my computer and pulled it into Photoshop, and then created the template for this box. So this box is great for a party favor--that's what I really like about it. You can use it for things like baby showers, valentines, even as little thank you's instead of a thank you card.

Heartbox Template

So this one is actually very simple. In fact--more so than my other patterns. The only tricky part is cutting it out--it's very curvy and you have to cut out the little slits. BUT, there is no gluing and very little folding. It's so simple!

*UPDATE* 1-1-18 - You may download this template from my Teachers Pay Teachers site. It is still free. It includes the Photoshop and PSD template, as well as four pre-designed ones ready to print and cut!

DOWNLOAD HEART BOX PATTERN HERE.

Making the Box in Photoshop

1. Download the template, and unzip it. Pull up the file in Photoshop. You will notice there are TWO layers--one says "lines" and the other "fill."

2. Pull up the kit you would like to use, and pull in the background paper you will be using.

3. Place the paper's layer ON TOP of the "Fill" layer. Then CTRL+Click on the Fill layer. You will now see dancing ants all around the box shape.

4. Click on the paper layer and do CTRL+C and then CTRL+V. You now have another copy of the fill layer, only now your paper is in the shape of your box.

5. Using this technique, continue to decorate your box as desired. A lot of times I will pull in another paper, do the same steps, and then use the marquee tool to highlight certain sections and delete it.

6. Print on cardstock if you can--it's much firmer and better for this kind of thing.

Folding the Box

Now that you have it printed, puting it together is super easy!

1. Print it on cardstock. It should fit just fine on an 8 1/2 x 11 page.
2. When you cut it out, you have to cut out the slits on both ends. I have made these slits a little fatter than the original box I had, so that it's easier to cut them out with scissors. But for a cleaner look, use an exacto knife.

3. Now fold it. This box has only six folds--and they are all very easy to do. Fold the two sides, and then the flaps on both. You CAN glue those two flaps if you want, but there's really no need. Without gluing, the box will still easily hold candy that won't fall out once the whole thing is folded.