Tag Archives: Explosion Box

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial

Graphic 45-Deck the Halls-Maja Design-Christmas Nostalgia-Christmas Explosion Box-Tutorial-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial for Wonderful Wednesday

Hello, Friends!  We’re going to have so much fun today as I share this Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial with you!  We’ve invited Maja Design Christmas Nostalgia to this paper party as well, along with lots of pretty snowflakes and cheery snowmen.

This summer, I designed a large (5 1/2″ square) steampunk explosion box for our son’s birthday.  It looked so good and functioned so well as a home decor item, that I decided to share the tutorial with you this Christmas.

My process for making these boxes is probably a little different from what you’ve made in the past.  So if you’re ready to get started on this crafty adventure with me, let’s go!

Blue and Silver Christmas

Begin the adventure by pulling all the “blue” papers from your G45 Deck the Halls and Maja Design Christmas Nostalgia collections.  My thought was to create a blue Christmas project that could flow right into winter.

TIP:  Dig into your stash of handmade flowers and use them to embellish the cover of your box.  Be sure to die cut plenty of foliage so that your arrangement is nice and full.

Inside the Box

When you remove the lid from the box, the sides magically fall down to reveal an innovative folio inside.  We have waterfall elements, pull out pages, pull down pages and pop ups tucked inside. This gives you plenty of room to add photos to your box.

I found a darling Melissa Frances cloche stashed away in the closet and used it to create the woodland scene.

And pop up pages are always a favorite element.

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial on YouTube

Would you like to see more of this box and learn how to build your own?  Then please grab a cuppa and a snack and join me on my YouTube channel for the full tutorial.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

I hope today’s tutorial has you inspired to play with pretty Christmas papers!  I’ll be back soon with another Ghost of Christmas Past project share and mini tutorial.

Thanks so much for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Ciao Bella Sparkling Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial

Ciao Bella Sparkling Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial-Reneabouquets-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design-Photo 01

Ciao Bella Sparkling Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial with Reneabouquets

Hello, Friends!  Today we’re thinking inside the box with an easy to make Ciao Bella Sparkling Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial.  This is one of those projects that you can dress up or dress down.  Either way, it’s gonna look great, and make a wonderful Christmas gift or home decor item.

Explosion boxes are usually 4″ x 4″ x 4″ cubes with either a surprise or little pockets on the inside.  The lid of each box holds the sides up, but when it is removed, they fall flat to reveal the interior of the box.  I wanted to make a taller box so that I could use the beautiful images from the Sparkling Christmas A4 Creative Pad.

After a bit of “mathing” and experimenting, I came up with the plans for the 4″ x 4″ x 6″ box.  Not gonna lie to you…I’m very happy with the way this one turned out! First of all, the papers are stunning!  Ciao Bella has such good quality papers.  They are just the right thickness for paper engineering projects, cut cleanly, and score without cracking.  I’m a fan.

Traditional Elegance

Green and gold is such a classic, elegant color palette for Christmas, and it works beautifully in this paper collection.  I’ll take you on a tour of the various paper pads before we embark on the tutorial.  If  you haven’t seen this collection yet, hold on to your piggy bank.  It’s a stunner!

Each of the 4 faces of my box features a different image from the collection.  This means you can turn the box each week so that you have a new  image to enjoy.  Just move the front of the lid as you rotate the box.  It’s almost like getting 4 projects in one!

Because the image are so lovely, I did very little embellishing.  This makes the  project come together quickly and with minimal mess.  So it’s a great “last minute” holiday project.

Put a Lid on It

The lid is maybe the most important part of the box because it holds everything together.  While the sides are simple, I added a few more bells (jingle bells) and whistles to the design. I also add an extra score line, so that when the sides are folded, there are no raw edges.  This also makes the box extra sturdy.

Reneabouquets White Poinsettias and First Snow Snowflakes add wonderful texture and dimension to the box cover.  Star anise, sugared beads, and glittering stars look right at home on top of it all.

Ciao Bella Sparkling Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial on YouTube

If you’d like to join me as I create this lovely project, please grab a cuppa and enjoy.  You’ll get to see the paper collection, the finished project and all the lovely papers…and a surprise inside the box, too.

Did you enjoy that?  Have you ever made an explosion box?  They make such a great gift item, and I love how they double as home decor.  I’m giving this one away to a family member this Christmas.  Shhh…don’t tell!

You’ll find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Photoplay Brainiac Explosion Box

Photoplay Brainiac Exploding Box by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 01

Photoplay Brainiac Explosion Box for Make & Take Tuesday

Hello Friends!  The yellow school busses are rolling here in North Carolina, so it seems like a good time to share this Photoplay Brainiac Explosion Box project with you.  It’s Make & Take Tuesday after a very full, happy and busy weekend with family supper, birthday celebration and baby shower.  So I don’t have a tutorial for  you today, but I do have a video with tips and ideas.  We have one more birthday weekend to get through this month, and then it should be easier to keep things on track here.

Photoplay Brainiac Exploding Box by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 02

Photoplay surprised me a couple weeks ago with this lovely new collection.  I’m such a sucker for plaid, and the blue plaid in these papers is really special.  They also tucked in one of their new explosion box folios as a special treat.  I’ve made several different versions of explosion boxes in the past, and can attest to the fact that they are really fun to make.  Photoplay’s Explosion Box comes all pre-cut, pre-scored and ready to put together with directions that are very easy to follow.  What a time saver!

Layers of Fun

PhotoPlay Explosion Box Brainiac by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 03

The inside of the box is a little tricky to photograph, but as you can see here, the box is made from 3 stacked layers, each one a little larger than the first.  Photoplay has cut all the slash pockets and such, so you really can just focus on the fun part, which is adding the designer papers.    You’re looking at the slash pocket layer, which is the largest, measuring 4×4 inches. I die cut cute tags to stuff in the pockets with room for photos and journaling.

The next layer of pockets easily holds the 3×4 journal cards from the paper collection.  I cut these out in twos, then scored between the images to create mini folios for the pockets.  By the way, the thumb hole on the explosion box base is already punched, but you will need to punch your designer papers if you want them to match up.

The final layer is the perfect size for more small tags and photo booth sized photos.  Although the kit comes with a scored accordion pull out, I wanted mine to be slightly larger, so I changed up the design a bit.

Photoplay Brainiac Explosion Box Video on YouTube

If you’d like to take a closer look at all the fun elements in this project, I hope you’ll enjoy this short video tour with tips and ideas.  We’ll also take a closer look at the Brainiac paper collection.

Please enjoy this video tutorial over on my YouTube channel. 

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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