Thursday, September 25, 2014

WRMK Pillow Box Punch Board

Today I want to tell you about another awesome punch board: the We R Memory Keepers Pillow Box Punch Board!


This little board is one of my favorites for packaging small gifts. Remember 100 years ago when McDonald's apple pies came in pillow boxes?


When I was a kid, every Sunday morning before church, my dad would take me to McDonald's for breakfast before we ran the church bus route. Those weekly daddy/daughter dates remain one of my most treasured childhood memories, and I've always loved pillow boxes since then.

This board is so easy to use, and you can make your pillow boxes in several different sizes.

The instructions are printed right on the board, so there's nothing to keep up with.  And like the Envelope Punch Board, it comes with a handy score tool that stores in a slot on the bottom.


The instructions state that your paper needs to be 6 inches wide, but to honest, I've found that 5.5 inches works a little better for me. I often start out with 6 inch paper, but I usually trim off some of the tab at the end. If I don't, I find that it tends to interfere a little with the curve of the closed pillow box, especially if I'm using a thicker paper. 

For today's project I decided to spice it up a bit by running my cardstock through my Big Kick with an embossing folder first. I started out with this 6x6 square of hot pink cardstock.


I chose this cupcake motif folder from Paper Studio, in part because it has a repeating pattern, which made it easy to match up the cupcakes so I could go back and emboss the part that extended past the edges of the folder.


Yes, sadly my pretty manicure is gone. :( But the paper turned out super cute!


Okay, to start with, you're going to line the left edge of your paper up with the start line on the punch board like so.


Then you're going to press the button at the top to punch.


Then use the score tool to score under the curve and down the vertical score line.


Now move your paper to the left, so that the left edge lines up with the left edge of the punch board and the curve you just punched fits snugly in the curve below the left side of the button. Also, the little score guide arm will line up with the vertical line you just scored.


Punch again, and score the curve and the vertical line again, then move it to the left one more time and repeat the punch/score process again.


 Now you'll flip the paper upside down so that you're starting off with the same edge you started with and repeat the entire process.


Now we're going to add the thumb notches to make it easy to open the box once it's closed. To do this, you just fit your paper into the top of the punch board. Just follow the spaces to fit your middle curve under the button and punch again.


You'll end up with a neat little notch like this:


Flip the paper upside down and punch the other side too. Then trim off the little curved edges on the end tab, following the score marks. Your paper will look like this when you're finished.


At this point I trimmed my end tab down to about 1/4 inch, but that's up to you. Crease your vertical score lines.


Now it's time for your adhesive. You can use an adhesive runner here, but I've personally found that Elmer's Glue All gives me a stronger bond in this application. Add the adhesive of your choice to the tab on the end, then fold your box to close. If you're using a wet glue, you may want to set a book or something heavy on it for a minute to help it set. I usually just tuck it under the punch side of the board.


All done! When you're ready to close the box, gently squeeze the side edges together, then fold the flaps down, the one with the thumb notch first.



These are so cute for little gifts like jewelry!


And you can use paper anywhere from 4 to 12 inches in length. Your closed box is going to end up about 2 inches shorter than your paper.

This one I made from a WRMK 4x6 journaling card, and I love it like a small child. Look at that adorable swimsuit theme! Ah, summer, is it really time to let you go?



I also tried a few more using a birthday embossing folder.


And this one done in 6x8 paper made the perfect size for a Dove Bar.




How great would these be for favors at a shower or birthday party?

I also made a bunch of these in a couple of sizes as gifts for Nick's grandmother and sister for birthdays/Mother's Day.



The six inch ones in the top picture are perfect for gift cards, and the bottom ones are great for jewelry or other little trinkets. I just think they make such a fresh change from your standard square box or gift bag. And if you add a little bow and tag you have a pretty fancy package!

Check out some other gorgeous interpretations I came across:








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