Upcycled Greeting Cards: 3D Box Card Idea

I love upcycling. I love being able to turn something that would otherwise be thrown away into something else and giving it a whole new lease of life. Take this adorable owl pop-up box card for example!

I created the card from used greeting cards, gift tags and other repurposed materials. This is the front of the original greeting card, and as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I needed to do!

On the original card, the owl in the top right corner was already cut out and raised up on dimensional foam. I carefully removed the owl from the card with the foam still in tact, then carefully cut around the other five owls.

I then used red-liner tape on the back of those five owls to attach them to strips of repurposed acetate (food packaging). 

For the box card, the main structure was originally an old book cover and the decorative panels were scraps from another project. 

After carefully arranging the position of the owls, I attached them securely to the box card using red-liner tape. I then positioned the owl with the foam right at the back so that he's looking down over the other owls.

I then cut out four shiny gold stars from a used gift tag and attached two of them to thinner strips of repurposed acetate. I placed one on each side, then glued another one to the back panel using several layers of scrap card to raise it up.

I just love how the owls seem to be looking at each other! They are such characters!

I glued a white panel to the back of the box card and left it blank so that it can be used for a handwritten message.

I then stamped a 'hello' sentiment onto a scrap of white card, cut it out in the shape of a cloud and attached it to the front panel using small scraps of card to create dimension. I also added the other gold star and a sparkly gold heart from another used greeting card to complete the design.

Here is the box card from the side, showing that it will fold flat for easy posting. 

What do you think? It certainly has a truly unique, handmade quality about it, making it a beautiful one of a kind card!

Happy crafting!

Suzanne 🦉

Present Gift Card Holder

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to buy someone special as a gift, and so you opt for a gift card. But how can you elevate your choice of gift into something fun and memorable? By making your very own cute gift card holder, of course! 🎁

Disguised as a wrapped present, this interactive gift card holder is super easy to assemble and will undoubtedly bring an element of surprise to your gift recipient! 🎁

Santa Teapot Box

It's time for another teapot favour box design and, with Christmas fast approaching, I've created this one in the style of Santa Claus! 🎅🏻

Doesn't he look jolly! With a big, textured beard and a festive hat that doubles up as the lid, you're going to have such fun arranging his features and filling it with all sorts of delicious Christmas treats!

The templates come in both SVG and PDF format, making them accessible for a variety of crafting needs.

POLICE BOX Teapot Box

This impressive POLICE BOX Teapot Box seemed like the obvious next step after designing my Red Telephone Teapot Box. Again, it took a bit of trial and error to work it all out, but I'm so pleased with how it looks 💙

I created my first POLICE BOX teapot box back in 2014. Back then, I cut everything out by hand, including all of the little panel pieces and signs, which proved to be quite fiddly to say the least!

Now, travelling forwards in time to 2024 (do you see what I did there?), I was able to cut my new version out using my lovely Cricut cutting machine 💙

Christmas Tree Teapot Box

It's time for another teapot favour box design and this time I've created one in the style of a Christmas Tree! 🎄

Doesn't it look amazing! With a shiny star on the top and lots of decorations to add on, you can really go to town with this design, using any colour scheme of your choice! 

Teacup and Saucer Tutorial

My Teacup and Saucer Favour Box is one of my most popular templates and perfectly complements my bestselling Teapot Favour Box.

The little teacup can be filled with delicious treats and makes an ideal gift for any tea-lover! Perfect for birthday parties, wedding favours, Mother's day gifts, tea parties and so much more!

Cupcake Favour Boxes

I've given my cupcake favour box photos a little makeover! I originally designed the box to complement my teapot favour box and my teacup and saucer but felt that the photos didn't match. So, here they are!

The boxes are super cute and the template is easy to assemble and, once they are filled with delicious treats or small gifts, they make the perfect addition to any tea party or celebration! 🧁

Teapot Favour Box Tutorial

I recently updated my Teapot Favour Box template so that a larger sized box can be made on a 12"x  12" cutting mat. To complement this, I have also updated my video assembly tutorial over on my YouTube channel.

With a removable lid, this adorable little teapot box can be filled to the brim with sweets or small treats and makes an ideal gift for any tea-lover! Perfect for birthday parties, wedding favours, Mother's day gifts, tea parties and so much more!

Even More Upcycled Favour Bags!

Once again, I have been busy making more upcycled gift bags using my Butterfly Favour Bag template.

For this first one, I cut the front, back and side panels out of an old tissue box, then used a silver metallic marker pen around the edges before gluing them in place. To compliment the silver, I used silver glitter card for the handle panels.

More Upcycled Favour Bags!

Following on from one of my previous posts, I have been busy making more upcycled gift bags using my Butterfly Favour Bag template.

The main structure of this stunning purple bag is made from an old school book cover! I then cut the front, back and side panels out of textured paper. The handle panels were cut from silver mirror card and the enlarged bow was made from another piece of the school book cover.

I think this is definitely one of my favourites! 💜

This red bag, along with its bow, also started life as a school book cover! I then cut all of the panels out of red mirror card and embossed them with a beautiful leaf design.

I cut the decorative panels on this black leopard print bag out of an old paper bag - you know, the ones you get from little gift shops. I first had to back the paper bag onto thin white card to give it some stability before cutting the panels out. I then ran a gold metallic marker pen around the edges, which perfectly compliments the gold mirror card handle panels.

Here's all three of them together, looking absolutely gorgeous!

I created these two white bags from old textured cardstock that I'd taken from another project. Don't they look amazing?! I love the look of white on white. There were a few imperfections on some of the panel pieces, so I embossed each of them using a knitted pattern design, which made them perfect! I then used the leftover scraps to make the little bow and the layered flower.

For this last bag, I cut the main black pieces out of an old art folder and the panels out of a tissue box. I cut the panels out by hand as I wanted to line the little dogs up so that the pattern was equal on both sides. I then ran a silver metallic marker pen around the edges and cut the handle panels out of silver glitter card to match. 

Whilst not all of the bags are made entirely from upcycled materials, it was a good chance to use up some of my cardstock scraps and experiment with different textures. 

So, which bag is your favourite now?

Happy crafting and happy upcycling! ♻️

Suzanne

Cricut on Wheels!

Do you have to move your heavy digital cutting machine every time you want to use it? I do, due to a current lack of space on my craft desk!

Up until now I've either had to pull my Cricut Explore forwards (not easy when it has rubber feet) or carefully lift it into position at the front of my desk so that there's enough space behind it for the cutting mat to pass through without hitting my pegboard. 

I then discovered these amazing mini caster wheels!

They come with little self adhesive sticky pads that easily peel off, so all I had to do was simply attach the wheels to the base of my Cricut machine, one in each corner.

Now my Cricut glides effortlessly, forwards and backwards, and I know that it's not going to get damaged whenever I move it. Not only that, but it can also rotate 360° if I want it to!

Have you tried these little casters or something similar for your cutting machine? They really are a game-changer for me!

Happy crafting

Suzanne

Black Cat Favour Box

Following on from my previous post, where I introduced you to my Tabby Cat Favour Boxes, I have now made a Black Cat version - perfect for Halloween treats!

Easy to assemble, you can make the cat head box in any colour you wish (it doesn't have to be black) and adapt the colour of the eyes, nose and whiskers to match! Ideal as little table favours or for a cat-themed party, you can fill them with sweets, chocolates or small gifts.

Available from my Etsy shop, the template comes as an SVG cut file, as well as a PDF if you prefer to cut out by hand. 

PLUS you get an optional extra white face patch to create a bi-colour cat face, like a tuxedo cat!

To make one of these cat boxes, you will need:

* Black Cat Favour Box template (SVG and PDF available)

* Computer and printer to print the PDF templates and instructions

* Double-sided, textured cardstock (220-250gsm / 80-92lb recommended)

* Craft glue / double-sided tape

If you are not using a digital cutting machine, you will also need:

* Craft knife / scissors

* Scoring tool

* Ruler

Watch my video tutorial showing how to assemble the box and be sure to follow the tips below:

TIP 1 : After gluing the side panels on, gently curve the sides using your fingers or a bone folder before the glue dries. This will make assembling the box much easier and give it a neater finish.

TIP 2 : Instead of using plain black cardstock on the side panels, why not use a spooky halloween patterned paper! Here I've used a spider web design on the box on the left.

TIP 3 : Make sure that the (grey) whiskers / mouth panel and the (black) eyes panel completely cover the cut out sections. They should line up like this:

The cat box measures approximately 11cm (W) x 9.5cm (H) x 4cm (D)  /  4.3" (W) x 3.74" (H) x 1.6" (D), however, this is only meant as a guide, as the templates can easily be re-sized to suit your needs.

I hope that I have now inspired you to create your own little cat favour boxes (whether black or tabby) and I can't wait to see what you fill them with!

Suzanne

Tabby Cat Favour Boxes

These little Tabby Cat Favour Boxes make the perfect gift box for any cat lover! Easy to assemble, you can make the tabby cat head in any colour you wish and adapt the colour of the eyes, nose, whiskers and stripes to match!

Ideal as little table favours or for a cat-themed party, you can fill them with sweets, chocolates or small gifts. You could even put some cat treats in them like I did - much to Prince's delight! 🐈‍⬛

Available from my Etsy shop, the template comes as an SVG cut file, as well as a PDF if you prefer to cut out by hand. 

PLUS you get an optional extra white face patch to create a bi-colour cat face!

To make one of these cat boxes, you will need:

* Tabby Cat Favour Box template (SVG and PDF available)

* Computer and printer to print the PDF templates and instructions

* Double-sided, textured cardstock (220-250gsm / 80-92lb recommended)

* Craft glue / double-sided tape

If you are not using a digital cutting machine, you will also need:

* Craft knife / scissors

* Scoring tool

* Ruler

Watch my video tutorial showing how to assemble the box and be sure to follow the tips below:

TIP 1 : After gluing the side panels on, gently curve the sides using your fingers or a bone folder before the glue dries. This will make assembling the box much easier and give it a neater finish.

TIP 2 : Make sure that the (white) whiskers / mouth panel and the (black) eyes panel completely cover the cut out sections. They should line up like this:

The cat boxes measure approximately 11cm (W) x 9.5cm (H) x 4cm (D)  /  4.3" (W) x 3.74" (H) x 1.6" (D), however, this is only meant as a guide, as the templates can easily be re-sized to suit your needs.

I hope that I have inspired you to create your own little Tabby Cat favour boxes using my template and I can't wait to see what you fill them with!

Suzanne