Free Template Saturday #6!!

Take cover, this box is gonna blow!!

It's Saturday again, and that can only mean one thing - it's time for some new, original, FREE templates for you to download!!

Today's templates are for one of the most popular items in papercrafting recently, the exploding box!!

I've included templates for both the box and the lid. Cut them out in any size you like, in the cardstock of your choice! Use them as a memorable container for a small gift, or why not create a themed keepsake, decorated with photos and ephemera from a vacation, holiday or wedding? Imagine how touched grandparents would be to receive one of these charming boxes decorated with photos of baby's first year! Decorate them with patterned papers, stamp on them, or distress them with sandpaper, ink or paint, or ring the changes by tying closed with some stylish ribbon!! Make an extra special box by making a lid for each layer inside!!

Here are some examples I cut out on the Cricut, click on the photos to see a larger view.

Note that the dotted lines to show where the pieces need to be folded are shown for illustration only.

Here are 3 photos of an exploding box my friend Hels made for someone's birthday. Isn't it wonderful!?! Click on any of the photos for a better view or see the original post on her blog!

I've shown boxes with 3 layers inside, but you can have as many or as few as you like! Just cut out the number of pieces you need, one for each layer, and make sure each one is slightly smaller than the one before. The two boxes in my photos were created with 1 lid and 3 layers each, sized at 6x6, 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 and 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.

Instructions for assembly:

1. Cut out a lid and as many box pieces as you need, 1 for each layer. Remember to make each box piece smaller than the last, so that they nest easily inside each other.

2. Score and fold along the dotted lines, then flatten again.

3. Placing the largest piece on the bottom, apply adhesive as shown, and fix the next piece in place, centered on the bottom piece. Continue until you have a stack of box pieces, largest at the bottom, smallest at the top.

4. Fold the lid as shown and adhere tabs in place.
5. Fold up the sides of your box and place the lid on top. You're ready to start decorating and embellishing your exploding box!

Again, these templates will be "live" for 1 week. Next Saturday, they will be taken down, and new ones will replace them. Don't forget, if you have any requests, pass them on! I can't promise, but I will take suggestions into account when planning future templates.
These files may not be uploaded to a group, forum or website for sale or redistribution, or shared among individuals. They are expressly for the personal use of each person that downloads them from this blog.

Because there are 2 files, I have put them into a zip file to make downloading easier. After saving it, open in the usual way, and drag the templates out onto your desktop or wherever you wish to save them.

There are 3 versions of each template:

• A printable version (GIF files) that you can import into a program like Word, then resize, print, cut out and use like any other paper template (these are NOT Word files, so don't use File/Open in Word! Use Insert/Picture to bring them into a Word document).
• An SVG version which can be imported into the Sure Cuts a Lot program and then cut out on your Cricut.
• A DXF version which is Craft Robo friendly, and ready to be imported into your Robomaster software (I'm not a Robo user, so if there are any problems with this, please let me know!)

Simply right click on the appropriate button below, and choose "save link..." or "save target..." and save your template!

Any feedback on the templates is more than welcome, and if you have any suggestions for possible future templates you'd like to see, please let me know! If you make anything using one of the templates, please post a link to it here so that others can be inspired by how you've used them!

I hope you like the templates - let me know how you get on! :)

Templates © dan99crafter@gmail.com 2008