Instructions: Square box with lid

This time our dear Silke has conjured up fantastic instructions for a square box with a lid for you. The box is a real eye-catcher and can be designed according to your wishes. It's worth reading through, there's a bonus guide waiting for you at the end!

material

• 1x book linen 30x30

• 2x screen printing cardboard or gray cardboard 2 mm thick

• 2x design paper of your choice

Tool

• Book glue

• Brush for gluing

• Set square with metal cut edge

• cutter

• Pencil

• Container for diluting book glue

• Scrap paper

• Cutting and folding board

• Bone Folder

• Cutting/crafting mat

• Dry rag

• Damp cloth or oil-free baby wipes

• Liquid glue

• If necessary, use some fine sandpaper

Optional

• Beads, headpins, charms , eyelets or similar to decorate the lid

Cuts

(each width x height):

Screen printed or gray cardboard, 2 mm thick

(2x) 10 x 10 cm (base and top lid)

(4x) 10.2 x 5 cm (side panels)

(1x) 9.7 x 9.7 cm (lid inner part)

(1x) 11.5 x 11.5 cm (lid middle part)

book linen

(1x) 14.5 x 14.5 cm (lid middle part)

Design paper

(1x) 30 x 30 cm (bottom part of the box, also possible made of book linen)

(1x) 11.9 x 11.9 cm (bottom of box)

(1x) 4.3 x 22 cm (inside of the lower part)

(1x) 4.3 x 20 cm (inside of the lower part)

(2x) 13 x 13 cm (lid top and inner part

Alternatively:

For the top part of the lid you can turn the edges into an eye-catcher.

For this you need:

(1x) strip of paper 2 x 41 cm (thin paper, e.g. Nepal paper , wrapping paper or similar)

(1x) design paper 9.5 x 9.5 cm

General

Cutting the cardboard

It's better not to use a guillotine to cut, as the strips will quickly become a little crooked.

I like to use a large cutter with a chipping blade (always a fresh blade) or, even better, a real utility knife.

Ideal for this: a ruler or set square with a metal edge or made of metal. Make a score along the desired cutting edge, preferably more often with a little less pressure than two or three times with strong pressure.

Particularly easy: You can “score” with your cutting board, but the blade quickly becomes dull. I like to use old blades for this that no longer cut the paper completely smoothly.

Material selection

You can also use bookcloth for all parts.

You can also use the dimensions and technology described in these instructions for this.

Cut all the material once, then you can start with the first step:

Assembling the cardboard pieces

Lay out the side parts for the lid and the bottom part as shown in the picture.

Apply some undiluted glue or glue to the bottom and right edges of the side panels. (e.g. Nuvo Deluxe Glue )

Glue the first side part flush to the base plate on one side and apply pressure to the adhesive edge. Make sure that everything remains straight and that the side panel is at a 90 degree angle to the base plate.

On the other side there is now 2 mm of the adhesive surface. Here you put another side part and glue the side parts to the base plate in turn. If something doesn't sit straight somewhere, try to compensate for it as best you can.

The whole thing should now look like this. Now let everything dry thoroughly; You can fix the pieces with some washi tape or masking tape.

When everything has dried thoroughly, you can, if necessary, sand all edges and transitions with fine sandpaper until everything is even and balanced.

Covering the cover parts

While the base part is drying, we cover the cover parts.

All are related in the same way. If you want to add a colorful or gold edge to the top like I did, I'll show you how to do this in the next step.

Dilute the book glue with about 10% water.

Take one of the lid parts and the appropriate cover paper or linen.

Glue the back starting from the middle to about 1 cm from the edge and glue the corresponding cardboard piece in the middle. Turn the whole thing once and pat everything down well to remove any air bubbles. This works very well with a dry cloth, for example.

Now cut off all four corners about 3 mm from the tip of the cardboard, as shown here.

Scissors with a non-stick coating are ideal for this.

Now fold the first edge tightly around the cardboard using your folder. Fold the excess around the corner of the cardboard.

Do the same with the opposite side and glue the two remaining tabs around the cardboard as well.

If necessary, you can “sharpen” the edges a little with the long, flat side.

Do the same with the other lid parts. They are not not provided with a countermove.

Tip : Please do not stroke the tip of your folder back and forth, otherwise you could create a bulge in the cardboard.

Covering a lid part with a contrasting edge

Take the cardboard for the top lid part and the long, narrow strip of paper.

Glue the edges of the cardboard and glue the strip of paper all around the cardboard part.

Use the scissors to cut small wedges into the paper on the top and bottom, about 1 mm away from the cardboard.

Glue the flaps on one side (top and bottom) and fold them around the cardboard.

Smooth everything down to the corners with the bone folder.

Do the same on the opposite side and then with the two tabs on the other side.

Glue the corresponding design paper (from the inside to the outside, the edges must be completely glued in), place waste paper or scratch paper underneath. Spread the glue over the edge, hold the paper in place with a finger (yes, it will get dirty ;-) ) and then lift the paper off with your finger. Dispose of the scratch paper immediately. Stick the design paper onto the cardboard part with the embellished edge so that the distance to all sides is the same.

Now let all parts of the lid dry thoroughly. It's best to place copy paper on top and bottom and weigh down the parts while they dry so that they stay nice and flat.

Now we cover the bottom of the box.

Cover the bottom of the box

Take the paper for the bottom and fold it all around at 1 cm using your folding board.

Cut the corners diagonally and then cut to the intersection of the fold lines.

First fold in the small triangles and then the tabs and check, without glue, whether the paper fits into the base.

If this is the case, brush the bottom of the box and the lower edges of the side walls with glue to a depth of about 1 cm . You also coat the back of the paper with glue. Insert the base and paint it so that there are no air bubbles under the paper.

Then use the bone folder to smooth the flaps of the base part onto the sides.

Now cover the outer part of the box in one piece: To do this, take the large paper cut and glue the bottom part of the box exactly in the middle. Cut everything out according to the template as follows:

Place a long set square, ruler or something similar (I used the bookbinding aid here) directly on the box and cut left and right from the tip of the cardboard to the outer edge of the paper. Now place the ruler at a distance of around 5-7 mm from the box and cut from the outside of the cut edge of the tabs to the edge of the paper. Repeat on the opposite side.

The excess on the tabs serves as an adhesive surface. Now cut small wedges into the protruding areas on all sides to make it easier to stick.

Glue one of the side pieces where the adhesive tabs are located and fold the side up.

Make the bottom edge sharp. Glue the protruding tab and fold it around the box - here too, use the bone folder to sharpen the edge all the way to the top. Cut along the fold of the edge up to the cardboard and shorten the resulting flap to approx. 2 cm .

Now we cut a groove into the raised tabs.

Place the box on one of the glued side panels and place your ruler on the inside edge of the box. Cut the paper straight up to the edge at a distance of 2-3 mm from the box . Make the cut diagonally toward the corner. You repeat the process on the other side as well. Glue the flap and use the bone folder to fold it over onto the edge of the box.

Then fold the tab over the edge into the inside of the box and press everything firmly into place. The tab goes almost to the ground, but not beyond.

This is what we want: When we laminate the inside, no edge of the paper pushes through the inside lining.

Repeat the entire process with the opposite tab. Now glue the two remaining side parts to the side parts from the outside and cut grooves as just described. Then fold the tabs around the edge as well.

Now take the paper strips and use them to clean up the side parts from the inside:

Fold the longer strip in the middle and place it in the box. Press the middle into one of the corners so that the bend sits exactly in the corner. Then take one side of the paper strip, press it along the inside of the page into the next corner and create a fold here too.

Trace the line and shorten the strip of paper: it should protrude about 1 cm .

Repeat this in exactly the same way with the other side of the paper strip.

Trace the fold, glue the back of the paper strip and stick it inside the box. Shorten the second strip of paper so that you can glue it to the inside so that it covers the two protruding tabs of the first part. Glue this strip neatly in as well.

Finishing the lid

If all parts of the lid are well dried, the rest is quite simple:

You glue the medium-sized part ( 10 x 10 cm ) in the middle of the covered side of the large part ( 11.5 x 11.5 cm ) and the small part ( 9.8 x 9.8 cm ) in the middle of the uncovered side of the large one Part.

Decoration of the lid with a rivet pin

If, like me in the example, you would like to add a decoration with a headpin or something similar, you must do the following before assembling:

Punch a small hole exactly in the middle of the 10 x 10 cm piece. I used the Crop A Dile Bit Bite for this. Glue the part to the large lid part as described above and punch the hole here too (go directly through the hole in the top part). I threaded a small and a thick bead from my fundus onto a headpin with an eyelet and pulled the headpin through the hole.

On the back I folded the rivet pin over and dug a small depression in the cardboard into which I fixed the rivet pin with a little glue.

I then cover the area with some copy paper. Now I glue the inner part of the lid in the middle - and that's it! You should now weigh the lid down again and let it dry thoroughly.

DIY charms

I attached a small pendant to the eyelet with a jump ring. In the shop you are sure to find the right charm for your project.

Or you can easily make it yourself:

You can punch out the desired shape several times from 1 mm screen-printed cardboard , if necessary you have to cut a little with a scalpel (I used the mini angel here, my absolute favorite) and glue them together.

To attach it, use an eyelet, a small loop, or something similar so that you can attach the pendant. I painted the edges with some gold paint (the All Purpose Ink is perfect for this!), punched out the angel twice more from gold paper and stuck it on.

You now have an individual and truly unique pendant for your project :)

We hope you enjoy crafting.

From us for you ⭐

Silke