My most cherished Christmas memories are when the family gathered together to decorate the Christmas tree each year. Whether it was when I was a little girl or even now as an adult, and my own children helped decorate. It was, and still is a very special time for me. Birgit here with you today to show you how I’ve made a lighted 3D box ornament which you can add to your Christmas packages and then hang them on your tree for years to come. Fair warning, this is a picture heavy and instruction heavy post, but it’s all worth it in the end. The lighted box ornaments are addictive!
The Supplies:
Today’s project uses: #110 Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, #83 Lessebo Blossom Pink, #100 Pop Tone Pink Lemonade, #80 DCS Canvas Texture Bonsai Green and #100 Neenah Classic Linen Solar White, as well as dies from my stash.
Creating the Box:
To begin with, I cut two panels of #110 Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock using a Spellbinders Label #8 die. I also cut one panel out of design paper from my own collection.
Next, I glued the patterned paper over top of one of the Classic Crest Solar White panels and die cut an oval out of the center and set this aside.
To make the gusset for the box ornament, I cut two strips of #100 Neenah Classic Linen Solar White cardstock. One that measures 1 1/4″ x 11″ and one that measures 1 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ and glued them together at one end, overlapping the edges by approximately 1/4″. I then scored the pieces on the long edge at 1/4″ and 1″. At this point, I had one very long strip that measured about 16 1/4″. Turning the strip to the short side, I scored lines at 1/2″, 4 1/2″, 7 1/4″, 11 1/4″ and 14″.
After folding on all the score lines on the short side, I snipped an angle out of each scored intersection. (The photo above shows a section of the long strip.) By cutting the angled section out, that keeps the sides from buckling up when you fold and glue the gusset of your box together.
This is what the gusset of your box should look like to this point. You can see where the box was glued together on both ends, and the scored lines. This gusset provides room inside your ornament box so you can add depth to your project.
At this point, you’ll want to punch a hole in the top (one of the short sides) of the gusset.
To glue the gusset onto the back panel, add a line of liquid glue to the scored edge of the gusset and place it onto the back panel, allowing a few minutes to let the glue set. As you can see in the photo above, your box ornament is starting to take shape.
Next, line the inside of the ornament box with a piece of design paper.
Adding the lights: (this part is optional)
Adding lights to your box ornament is completely optional. I picked up a pack of 20 sets of these little battery operated fairy lights on Amazon. I’ve used these for many projects. It’s time to pull out the hot glue gun!
To prepare your ornament box for the lights, punch a hole in the bottom right corner of the box, using an awl and hammer, being sure to protect the surface you’re working on. I used a self healing mat.
For the next step, I threaded the lights through the hole from the back side and hot glued the battery mechanism onto the back of the box ornament at the bottom, as seen in the photo above.
Next, I hot glued the fairy lights into the box, hugging the outside bottom edge as I went along until all the lights were glued in place. At this point, I added a sheer ribbon hanger through the hole in the top of the ornament.
Assembling the Inside of the Box Ornament:
To assemble the inside of the box ornament, I stamped and die cut these images from an older Christmas set.
To add a bit of glittery texture to the trees, I stamped the tree image once using a forest green color and then stamped again using a glue pad. I then sprinkled some silk microfine glitter over the tops of the trees.
Just look at them sparkle! They look like snow covered trees, don’t you think?
To give dimension to the images, I hot glued these tiny wooden blocks that I picked up at my local Dollar tree, to the back of the church.
Following that step, I hot glued the church and trees into the inside of the ornament box.
Moving on, I cut a snowdrift out of #100 Neenah Classic Linen Solar White cardstock and added a line of glitter to the top edge, using a glue pen and the same silk microfine glitter.
I then glued it onto the inside of the oval aperture.
Now that the inside of the ornament box is complete, it’s time to glue the top panel on using liquid glue.
And there you have it! The lighted ornament box is ready to decorate.
Decorating the Lighted Box Ornament:
To decorate the lighted box ornament, I cut some poinsettia flowers out of Lessebo Blossom Pink and Pop Tone Pink Lemonade.
Along with that, I cut some leaves out of DCS Canvas Texture Bonsai. To add movement, I molded them on a soft molding mat using a stylus and then glued them together.
Once I came up with a design I was happy with, I added a sentiment banner to complete the project.
For a final finishing touch, I added a gem to the center of the flowers and some glitter.
The Finished Project:
These lighted box ornaments are so fun to make! The weights of the cardstock I used make these strong and durable and will hold up to much handling. They make great gifts and the decorating ideas are endless. Below are some pictures of other box ornaments I’ve made in the past using cardstock from CutCardStock.
I truly hope you’ve enjoyed today’s project and will consider making one yourself. They really are addictive, once you’ve made the first one.
Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think! What are some other ways you could decorate these boxes with? Be sure to visit the CutCardStock Facebook Page for more DT inspiration! Also join our Creating with CutCardStock Facebook Group for even more crafty inspiration! Thanks so much for stopping by today!