Printable Halloween Skeleton Coffin Party Favor Box

  

Two years ago I designed a coffin that folded together without glue (an homage to origami). I wanted it to be strong and am proud of how the friction fit lid will stay snug even when full of candy. However, the intricate design benefited from a digital die cutting machine's precision because I gave allowance for thick card stock.

Since then I've had requests for a hand cuttable version and I'm finally happy with this version. I really wanted to make a hinged lid so you'll only need to print 1 sheet per box. The coffin bottom has 3 sides with doubled over paper for rigidity. The lid has 2 tabs that lock into the bottom to prevent horrifying spillage.

It's fun to print it on different color stock and in this case I roughed up the toner to make it look worn and old on kraft card stock, but it also looks great on metallic silver.

This pattern is now available in my Etsy store. Wishing you a boo-tyful night!

Halloween Ghost - Party Favor Treat Gift Box

My favorite party favor of all time is this shape because it's quick & easy to make, has an unusual surface area for design, and holds a surprising amount of treats.

4 ghosts fill up a sheet of 8.5x11 inch paper efficiently, so there's very little waste. Remember to print "Fit to Page" so it maximizes the printing area.

Watch my updated video tutorial or read the assembly instructions below.

1) You will need also need scissors, 1/8" hole punch, double-sided tape, and about 6 inches of 1/8" width ribbon.

2) Flip over the ghost. Place double-sided tape along the left edge and along the top right as shown by the arrows. Remove a small portion of the wax along the left and fold it down (do not remove all the wax yet).

3) Keeping your fingers on the waxed portion, roll the ghost into a tube, overlapping the gray diagonal lines. When it's aligned and straight, press the exposed adhesive. Gently pull more wax off, then press to adhere. Repeat until you have a completed tube.

4) Remove all the wax from the end of the tube.

5) Guided by the small gray line, pinch the top end closed.

6) Guided by the two small gray lines at the bottom end, pinch closed, then fold the end over toward the back. Unfold and fill with treats.

7) Punch a hole in the bottom middle. Fold your ribbon in half and thread it through partway. Take the ribbon ends and thread it through the folded ribbon, then pull until taut.

8) You're ready for a boo-tyful night of tricks and treats!

If you'd like to make your own for a wedding or other occasion, I have a template and examples in a previous DIY post: http://paperzen.blogspot.ca/2011/01/diy-party-favor.html

If you enjoyed making this pattern and would like to make more, I have 4 more patterns (witch, mummy, candy corn, and frankenstein) in my shop.

Paper Orchid Birthday Card

 

My wonderful neighbor loves orchids and receives them as gifts. For his birthday, I wanted to make a paper orchid and used my own for inspiration.

I scanned and traced the petals, reducing them to 25%, then cut out with my Silhouette die cutter. Next I added color with a marker and water color paints. Using a dried out ballpoint pen, I scored the middle vein and curled the petals. After stacking and gluing the layers together, the blossom simply comes to life.

 

I poked a hole in the middle of the smallest bud and inserted the end of the floral wire, adding white glue to hold it in place. I then glued the open blossoms to the wire, ensuring my glue coated the wire thoroughly.

My favorite part is the delicate pair of curly wisps in the center of the flower. 

Then I cut two leaves and manually scored the vein with a dried up ballpoint pen. The pot is made of 3 layers of metallic copper card stock and floats a bit due to adhesive foam dots on the back. It was great having my real plant as a visual reference, because it helped me realize I should glue the items asymmetrically, not all centered. I believe it's these small subtleties that makes a piece.

I have moved my plant throughout the room, depending on my needs, and the stems would gently wave up and down, heavy with the weight of so many blossoms. I deliberately left the wire unglued to his birthday card, and as I place it on a table, it also gently waves, just like the real thing - so fun to watch! The blooms are cut from 65lb paper, so it's sturdy and gives just the right amount of weight on the wire to make it bob.

By the way, I'm often asked how I managed to have 4 new stems bloom. This is my first orchid and I feared it would remain the desolate stick with 2 leaves I often see in homes. My secret? I have a worm condo and fed my orchid the worm tea.

My orchid files are available via my Etsy store. I also include larger sizes for other greeting cards and a tapered gift box, perfect as a wedding party favor.