DIY Wedding Card Box Part 2 - Embellishments

Yes, in the form of a very long post, it's time for the fun part!

Time to discuss the details that made this card box stand out and grab attention. At this point, the boxes had been covered in fabric and were ready for the next steps but first, here is a bit of background on how I made the decision about exactly what fabrics to use and how they would be arranged.

I knew I would be using the colors gray, cobalt/royal blue, ivory, and silver, to represent the groom and groomsmen in light gray suits, bridesmaids in blue dresses, the bride's dress, and her rhinestone sash/belt, seen above.

I bought some appropriate swatches from Jo-Ann; two stretch satins, a stretchy metallic performance fabric, and a fabulous patterned brocade that combined cobalt, navy, silver, and white. I desperately wanted to feature that last fabric, unfortunately, the bride wasn't as into the brocade as I was. As you can see in my mock-ups below, I had originally thought of using it to cover an entire tier...well, that was vetoed. I thought it was the perfect addition to cohesively tie the colors together. Eventually, I found a way to incorporate it into the overall design.

I had spent time with the swatches playing around altering fabric position, amount of color coverage, and proportions. Now the practice box used to trial my fabric covering shenanigans was put to use to preview different types of surface decoration.

For your information, here again is the list of all items and tools I used in my card box project. This post focuses on the decorative items.

Materials:

• Darice 2849-06 Paper-Mache Square Box Set, 8/9/10" 3-pack from Amazon $12.49
• Darice paper-mache square box, 4" x 4" $1.50
• AMAZLINEN sequin table runner, 14" x 108" in silver $11.99
• 1 yard Casa Collection stretch satin in White $10.49,
• 1 yard Casa Collection stretch satin in Dazzling Blue $10.49,
• 1/4 yard Brocade floral stripe in Royal/Navy $1.75,
• 1/3 yard Mystique performance fabric in White/Silver, all from Jo-Ann Fabrics $6.37
• Celebrate It 360 5/8" satin ribbon in Royal $3.99
• Recollections 5/8" white ribbon with white polka dots $1.00
• Offray 7/8" wire-edged ribbon in Royal $5.99
• Two Bead Landing Sticky Gems Value Packs in clear crystal rhinestone $4.99 (2)
• Dovecraft Essentials crystal self-adhesive letter Q $1.00
• Offray 5-petal violet ribbon flower with pearl in Royal $1.99
• Elmer's Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive $6.99
• Elmer's Washable School Glue Stick $.95
• Aleene's Original Tacky Glue $.69
• Olfa 45mm rotary cutter
• Emery board (or sandpaper, of course)

Total: $87.66

First lesson learned

I bought the wired ribbon first because it was the only one in stock that matched my satin fabric, the other ones were definitely royal, which is a brighter and more primary shade of blue than cobalt. The wired ribbon was horrible for this task because it would not lay flat against the box and the Aleene's glue soaked through and could be seen, even after it had dried. Luckily, this was all on the practice box, so for the real thing I bought a glue stick instead.

 

Note: Though we decided to try for a simple and more classic design, there were definitely a lot of amazing trims out there that could have been used. I found semi-sheer glitter covered ribbon, wide ribbed grosgrain, and ribbons covered with glitter dots, or made of metallic silver. In addition, there was this 4" stretch sequin paillette trim and many varieties of rhinestone-type- trims.

Bling

Now it was time to bring in the bling! I ended up loving these self adhesive gems, they were so easy to cut apart and position. This was the least stressful step of all. I used my rotary cutter (again with an old blade that I no longer used on garment fabric) to cut apart the rows and also to make neat the ends. I applied it along the bottom edge of all the boxes by first wrapping a complete strip around the corners and filling in the resulting gaps with pieces, making sure to line them up so it appeared seamless.

 

My favorite part is the very top, I saw that detail on another box and knew I had to do that here. It took the thankless card entry and elevated it to a design feature.

Ribbon

After Michael's restocked, I was rewarded with some non-wired "royal" blue ribbon and a novelty mini-roll of white satin ribbon to use on the bottom blue box. I wasn't thrilled that the white had white polka dots painted on it but it was only a dollar and the other whites didn't match my white satin. I still was unable to find either colors in a wider width (3" would have been ideal) at the time but vowed to make it work.

Next step was applying a row of satin ribbon right above the rows of gems. I first wrapped the ribbon around a box to get the correct length and then pressed under about a half inch at one end. I started each strip at the back seam, overlapping the pressed end over the cut edge. I also made sure that this was the same corner that the fabric closures were so that those sides would face the wall of the venue, leaving the pretty sides out.

This time, attaching the ribbon was SO easy! Since I was using a glue stick that would dry clear and was the same width as the ribbon, I ended up applying the glue directly to the satin, being careful not to go outside of that dedicated strip area. That entire bit of decorating took less than an hour.

More Bling

I had been unable to find the wider ribbon that I wanted and I thought the boxes looked unbalanced with too much unadorned space. Since I had more adhesive trim, I applied another row of the gems above the ribbon to give those boxes a finished look.

Signage

Using this Pinterest image as an example I chose to create a label for the card box with the bride and groom's names, and their wedding date. This was a low key detail. I had designed their wedding invitations using Vistaprint and wanted to use the same fonts and design elements for this sign. I created another draft invite with only this text and planned to print it out and use. However, the ink coverage was not good on the print.

So I taped the printout and some cardstock to the window and traced the text onto the card. It was messy up close but once I added two rows of rhinestone trim for a border it looked much better!

Flowers (nixed)

There was a time when I thought about assembling some fabric flowers as additional decor on the box tiers. This brought me back to the brocade fabric because it mixed the royal with silver, some white, and a darker blue, bringing everything together and I saw it as giving the original basic fabric trio an elegant and opulent feel.

My first thought was as fabric roses or carnations (both used in the bridal flowers); however, the brocade I wanted to use for them started to fray as soon as you looked at it, let alone be manipulated in turns and folds! I changed track to use satin ribbon but couldn't find wide enough satin ribbon in the right blue to make the roses. But if you want to make some gorgeous ribbon roses, here are two instructional sources that I found:

Ribbon Rose Tutorial by The Flower Art
DIY Satin Ribbon Rose by daisyclub23

To be honest, the production of them stressed me more than I needed. In my mind they had to be near perfect and I didn't have the patience for the amount of practice needed for me to be satisfied.

Runners

Luckily, I had other ways to amp up the visual interest. In addition to the card box I had been tasked with decorating and setting up the gift table. I purchased a nine(!) foot long silver sequin table runner from Amazon at the same time I ordered the boxes. It was gorgeous and perfect and would be placed lengthwise on the blue tablecloths provided by the venue. With the box already decorated in cobalt blue, white, and silver; the sequins amplified the bling factor.

This picture of the practice box placed on the silver runner and brocade gave me the idea of using the brocade to construct a runner that would be placed perpendicular to the sequin runner and perhaps hang off the table, with maybe a decorative tassel on the end? I saw this as a means of compromise with the bride, this way the fabric could tie all of the visual elements together yet not be part of the actual box.

My goal was to create this from the 1/4 yard I purchased as a "swatch", I didn't want to buy more fabric and saw this as a way of also justifying that prior expense.

I originally thought I had to figure out how to achieve a perfect point on the ends. Even though a runner is one of the simplest item to make, my fear of messing up this expensive fabric prompted me to look for a tutorial and lucked out with this one by Little House Living that involved NO math or precise cutting! Just four simple seams that I complicated (of course!) by having to not only piece the back for length but by also cutting the back wider to create a contrast border for the front.

 

After a lot of pressing took place while trying to match the width of the border on each side, I tacked the triangles down in the back and was done. 

Portability

The best advantage to the way I constructed this tower of boxes is that the individual boxes and lids were left separate. They would be assembled at the venue using mini clothespins I purchased over ten years ago, attaching each level to the next one. The sequin runner would be lain down, the brocade runner next, the box tower placed on top, and then the sign would be attached. A picture of this was sent to the bride and the project was...approved!

That structure in the picture above is approximately 10" x 10" and 5" tall, as large as the biggest box, and just like a Russian nesting doll, all the other boxes were stacked inside. There was also enough room inside for both runners, the package of clothespins, the little sign, and extra ribbons and tape. So, so convenient!

I was more proud of this project than I should have been knowing that it had no real use after June 10 but I will look at it as evidence that I never do a (forgive my language) half-assed job on anything!

Compare what I produced to what I was asked to make:

What I learned:

• I highly support the compact portable option, it was so easy to break down and carry at the end of the night.

• Make sure your receptacle can be secured somehow or have someone on guard...this can be a lot of money! Of course you should trust your invited quests but what about their plus ones and any temporary event staff?

• Overestimate how many cards you will receive...their gift table was practically empty with only three wrapped gifts because everything else went into the card box! Making something more like this 2' tall box found on Etsy probably would have been more appropriate:

If you are reading this because you searched for DIY wedding card box tutorials I hope I have helped you or at least led you to some helpful sources. Good luck!

DIY Wedding Card Box Part 1 - Base

Images: BMG Event Group, my own image, DiamondDecor on Etsy, my images, BMG Event Group, jamiekimdesigns and the MadeSoPretty shop on Etsy

DIY Wedding Card Box Part 1 - The Base

What I was asked to make...

The steps involved

I had been tasked with making a wedding card box for my nieces wedding in June. What is a wedding card box, you ask?

You are not alone in asking, I have been asked this by friends who have been married for decades. While in their day, they were probably handed cash or check-filled envelopes by wedding guests as they traveled through their receptions, nowadays those "gifts" get dropped off by guests in a receptacle of some design, to be retrieved at the end of the night.

Sometimes it's a single decorated box, a locked glass receptacle, a vintage birdcage ($75), a pony keg ($120), a rustic mailbox, or in this case; boxes stacked to vaguely resemble wedding cakes like these:

These are examples of pre-made boxes you can purchase online that are around $100 or more, depending on the customization. There are even people who buy the plain paper-mache sets of boxes that are available for $12-15, cut the card openings, and then resell the boxes for more $$. Believe me, cutting a mail slot is easy, so please save your money!

It's been awhile since I published a makeunder (check my tags) on my blog but I think it's important to show others that card towers such as these are very DIY-able. Well, at least for us crafty folks! But, no really, anyone can do this.

Materials:

• Darice 2849-06 Paper-Mache Square Box Set, 8/9/10-in 3-pack from Amazon $12.49
• Darice paper-mache square box, 4" x 4" $1.50
• AMAZLINEN sequin table runner, 14" x 108" in silver $11.99
• 1 yard Casa Collection stretch satin in White $10.49,
• 1 yard Casa Collection stretch satin in Dazzling Blue $10.49,
• 1/4 yard Brocade floral stripe in Royal/Navy $1.75,
• 1/3 yard Mystique performance fabric in White/Silver, all fabrics from Jo-Ann Fabrics $6.37
• Celebrate It 360 5/8" satin ribbon in Royal $3.99
• Recollections 5/8" white ribbon with white polka dots $1.00
• Offray 7/8" wire-edged ribbon in Royal $5.99
• Two Bead Landing Sticky Gems Value Packs in clear crystal rhinestone $4.99 (2)
• Dovecraft Essentials crystal self-adhesive letter Q $1.00
• Offray 5-petal violet ribbon flower with pearl in Royal $1.99
• Elmer's Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive $6.99
• Elmer's Washable School Glue Stick $.95
• Aleene's Original Tacky Glue $.69
• Olfa 45mm rotary cutter
• emery board (or sandpaper, of course)

Total: $87.66

Above, I have listed the exact materials and techniques that I used to make mine, (mostly for my record purposes) but this will not be a detailed tutorial because my boxes were constructed by trial and error using any and every pre-existing tutorial I could find online. I think that's the only way you will get exactly what you want. However, I did try to be as clear as possible because if people are half as thorough as I was in my research on this subject, A LOT of people will be finding this one too!

A list of all the online tutorials I found useful are at the bottom of this post. The two mentioned directly below are the ones I personally found most helpful for what I specifically wanted to make. They both result in graduating stacks of boxes covered with fabric and embellishments.

What I took from the Andrea Lynn Handmade tutorial was:

1) the card entry point being at the top,
2) using all three boxes to catch and hold the cards, and
3) keeping them unattached, separate, and portable until the event date and then using binder clips or mini clothespins to secure them at the venue.

That last point is my favorite, because by leaving the entire structure portable the boxes can be stored within each other resulting in a compact 10" x 10" x 5" package. The only thing I did differently from her tutorial was I cut the card opening on the diagonal after seeing it done that way on Michele Ng's blog.

The 2nd tutorial by Crafts Unleashed is the most thorough and provided excellent photos and specific instructions on how the fabric was attached to the boxes. I followed them exactly and am really happy with how my boxes and lids turned out, smooth without bumps or wrinkles. However, I cut out my openings in the boxes first and then covered them. I used my rotary cutter (with a blade that I was no longer using to cut garment fabric) and afterward sanded the edges smooth with a used emery board. Recycle and reuse!

I also included this Project Abode article because she made a list of her additions and changes. I didn't use all of them but I think they are very helpful and clever, especially the one about spraying the insides black because if your card opening is on the side, people can actually see into your empty boxes. Because my entry slot was at the top I didn't need this step. However, our thought processes were the same on points 2 and 3.

This is how I made mine:

To begin, I bought a miniature (4" x 4") paper-mache box to use for practice. I had fairly large fabric swatches so I could afford to do this and put them to use. Also, since I would be using spray adhesive for the first time, I didn't want to mess up when working on the final pieces.

I practiced all the ways to fold the fabric on the lids, trying a different technique at each corner.

  

I applied the different fabrics and trims to see how they might all look together.

Woo hoo!

By this point, I knew I had something that could work!

Moving on to the real boxes, the first thing I did was cut the opening in the smallest box lid, the one that would sit on top of the entire structure. I decided on 1/2" x 7" rectangle and cut it on the diagonal. Note: For all my cutting on this part of the project I used one of my rotary blades that was just shy of the trash...waste not, want not, right?

I needed sufficient space for all the cards coming through that diagonal opening to make it through the middle of all the consecutive boxes. I placed each box on the lid of the one the next size up and traced around it.

I provided a substantial ledge for the boxes to rest on and that would still allow for the cards to fall cleanly from the top box through to the bottom box. I found the best way to do that was to lay my top lid with the diagonal cutout over the bottom of its box, trace the opening, and measure and cut out a square slightly bigger than that opening.

I used that template to transfer the square cutout to the next size box and the remaining two lids.

Next step was the nerve racking idea of gluing on the fabric. Make sure you have a clean workspace outside and a surface you don't mind gumming up with the spray adhesive. I found an old cardboard moving box and after using it once, I added an old pillowcase on top to keep the fabric clean since you work with the right side face down. I took time between applications so the case would dry well enough to use again. Most importantly, try not to get glue on your hands because you will be handling the right side of your fabrics and you don't want all of your work wasted.

The stretch satin was a good choice for this, because it was fairly wrinkle-resistant, easy to manipulate, and above all, it was opaque.

Spray a thin layer of adhesive

Immediately center and press your lid in place

Spray a thin layer of adhesive, covering all the fabric. Note: My adhesive advised that if you might want to reposition your fabric a bit that you should wait a few minutes and then start. However, for permanent fixing you should start as soon as possible.

Immediately, center and press your lid in place, starting with around the opening and moving out. Start on one side, pulling the fabric up and over the edge, smoothing from the bottom and out as you go along. I made sure to have the sides up and good crisp edges all around before I tackled the corners. How you fold the corners is up to you but I tried to cut some of the fabric bulk out first. Sometimes it worked and sometimes not so much.

At this point, I refer you to the pictures from the Crafts Unleashed tutorial as I wasn't able to photograph all of my progress because it went so quickly.

However, I CAN provide you with the measurements I used for my fabrics for each element. This I know will be helpful because I initially bought way too much fabric. Only because I bought the silver after I finished with the blue and white elements was I able to buy just the amount that I needed.

I used a series of square and rectangle shapes to cover the set of paper-mache boxes and lids.

The top lid required a 13" x 13" square for its 8" x 8" size. Because I cut out the centers of the remaining two lids at the start I covered them the same way as the first lid.

The 10" x 10" large box lid required a 15.5" x 15.5" square and for the 9" x 9" medium box I used a 14" x 14" square. I cut them all a bit larger than needed in case I wasn't able to center a box or lid when I first set it down and still have enough fabric to get it done.

After covering everything and smoothing out all wrinkles I turned the lids on their right sides and poked a tiny hole in the center and using scissors I no longer cared about, I cut a line from the center out to each corner. Since the fabric was still tacky, I pulled it up through the cutout and smoothed it on the underside, starting at the edge, up the sides, and cutting any excess away. If needed, this is where the Aleene's glue could have been used.

I must say that the easiest experience was with the silver performance fabric. The stretch properties of it made smoothing and sticking it in place so easy. I would definitely use it for more craft projects.

The boxes themselves required rectangles that would allow for coverage including overlap. The length was calculated as (A) the perimeter of the box + 1.5" and (B) the height of the box + 4"; which allowed for an overhang of 1" to the inside at the top and 2-3" at the bottom. As long as your largest box is not more than 10" x 10" and your fabric is at least 44/45" in width, you will only need to buy enough fabric to fulfill the B measurement; therefore, a 1/4 yard per tier would work well.

I pressed under 1/2" on one of the short ends. I then attached the fabric, starting with the other end wrapped around a corner.

I wrapped the fabric around all four sides, smoothing as I went along and overlapping the pre-finished end over the starting point, resulting in a sleek presentable seam.

The bottom was folded in like if you were wrapping a gift. Any fabric that reached beyond the center cutout was removed later with a rotary cutter; from the inside. I tucked the top fabric in making sure to get it perfectly smooth at the edge so that the lids could be easily placed and removed. I had to cut some of the bulk out of the corners to help.

I now had a tower of three smooth, sleek, and satiny boxes in blue, white, and silver. But where was the bling and all the detail?

Coming up next: Yes, the boxes have sheen, but now I'm gonna make them SHINE!

DIY Wedding Card Box Part 2 - Embellishments

Sources:
Project Abode - Project Abode-Tiered Wedding Card Box

Crafts Unleashed  - 4-Tier Fabric Covered Wedding Card Box

Andrea Lynn Handmade - DIY Wedding Card Box Tutorial

Michele Ng - Make A Wedding Card Box

Images: jamiekimdesigns on Etsy; my own image; Nikki Mills; ThoseDays, KissingTreeDesigns, ExoticWeddingBoxes, and DiamondDecor shops, all on Etsy; my own images.