An Exploding Box (My version of a December Daily)!

Hi!
Have you ever heard of the December Daily concept? The idea is to document every single day of December by taking pictures and collecting mementos from the month, then creating an album of it all.  Some people do the days up to Christmas and some do the entire month.  I did one back in 2010 and I love it.  My kids love looking at it and so do I.

But...the problem I've run into is time.  I just don't have time in December to put the album together and let's be honest, by the time mid-January rolls around, December is way out of my mind.  So, I came up with an idea.  I wanted to create an exploding box using my Ultimate Tool and I wanted to do a December Daily, so I combined the two into one project.

I took some of my favorite December Instagram pictures and printed them out to use on the box.  This was much faster than making a 25 or 31 page album and I can still look back on the fond memories - they might not be as detailed, but they are still documented!

How did I create this box? It was easier than you'd believe, since I used my Ultimate Tool.  I also watched a DVD that came with my Ultimate Tool - it showed me exactly how to create an exploding box and how to make my own measurements, too, in case I didn't like the size of the finished project in the demo.

WARNING: Photo Heavy Post to follow!

First, I cut three different stocks out.  I chose a Recollections card stock that was patterned on one side and Kraft on the other (I love Kraft).  Any card stock will work, but a double-sided stock will save you some time since the inside of your box will already have a pattern laid down!

Outside sheet: 9 3/8 x 9 3/8 inches
Next sheet: 9 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches
Inside sheet: 9 1/8 x 9 1/9 inches

These can all be modified, but these are the sizes that I chose.

After they are cut, you will need to know where to score and cut.  I scored on the BOX MAKING SIDE on line 6 all the way across.

When it is all scored, cut on the lines so you have a finished piece like this:

Repeat as many times as you need.  I only did 3 sheets, but you could make a huge box and have more!

Then, you need to adhere the box.  I've heard all kinds of suggestions, but to be honest, my Crafter's Companion red liner tape is super strong and is what I used.  I've had this box done for over week now, with several people touching and looking at it (including a not-so-gentle 3 year-old), and it is still holding together.  I will update this post if it ever comes apart, but I really doubt that it will.  It's much, much stronger than the other tapes I have.

Place the tape in the center of your bottom sheet on the back/inside.  Place the next smallest sheet on top of it.  Then repeat the same process.  DO NOT put tape on the last sheet you place unless you are planning on covering it with paper or something else.  That is the centerpiece that people will see when they open your box and it explodes!

I printed and cut out my pictures and some different patterned papers I wanted to use.

Then I embellished! I used some fantastic stamps from the limited edition Dee Gruenig sets Ahhh... Christmas and Jolly Holly.

For the lid, I cut a sheet of paper that was 5 1/4 inches and I scored on the BOX TOP SIDE again, second line from the top.

Here is a little snippet of the finished box (an inside flap), using a stamp from the Ahhh... Christmas set and some brown ink:

Another inside flap where I used a tag and some stickers:

A crazy picture of my husband (our elf was choking him for some reason...) along with some Memento Ink and a stamp from the Jolly Holly set.

The entire box as it explodes:

I kept this as simple as I could.  I've made the mistake in the past of putting a ton of embellishments in the box and then it wouldn't close! So, that is one little tip I have for you - keep it as flat as possible.  Otherwise, not only will the lid not fit onto the full box, the pages won't really explode because they are too full!

I really hope you will give this a try.  It was so simple and a faster alternative to the December Daily idea.  This also would be great to document a baby's first month, a summer, a vacation or maybe a sports season!


Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Crafter's Companion
Papers: Recollections, Simple Stories, Authentique
Ink: Memento, VersaMagic
Stickers: Authentique
Bling: Hero Arts
3D Embellishments: K & Company, Recollections
Twine: American Crafts
Tag: Recollections
Other: Crafter's Companion Ultimate Tool