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Monday, May 30, 2011

Small Matchbox Template

For the past week now I've been on the hunt to find small matchboxes and I do mean hunt. You would think this would be an easy item to find, right? wrong. No store I visited carried small matchboxes. I began to wonder what a girl had to do to get some tiny matchboxes? Eat out at a bunch of fancy restaurants?! I could see the conversation now, "hey honey, can we go out to Boulevard every night for the next couple weeks? I need some small matchboxes". As much as my husband puts up with my crazy crafting ideas, this one wasn't going to work. So I was left with one option, make my own matchboxes.

Click on template twice to enlarge. Right click, copy, save and print on heavy card stock. Cut out templates. The template above will yield three matchboxes.

1. Solid lines designate where to fold. Dotted lines designate where to cut. I recommend using a scoring tool if possible. And in case you didn't know, some paper slicers for scrapbooking also have scoring blades. You can not imagine the joy I experienced when I first discovered this, seriously.

2. Tuck in flaps on each side and glue. Fold top flap over side flaps and glue. Repeat on opposite side of box.

3. This is what the first part of your box should look like when finished.

1. Fold on solid lines.

2. Glue in place. I recommend folding the box so the lines do not show on the outside.

Now just place the two pieces together and you've got a matchbox!

You might be wondering what the boxes are for. If all goes well, I'll be posting a tutorial later this week to answer that.

9 comments:

jet said...

i like this, i have made of old matchboxs love letters for my friends to encourage them.
but i don't use many matches anymore so this is awesome so i can make them myself now.;-D
thank you for this great tute and sharing,
i love your work , really awesome !!!!

tamdoll said...

I find matches at the supermarket. Usually around grilling season, or where they sell cigarettes - you just have to ask for them, they're about $1 for 8 around here. I've done that for little projects, but then I end up with a lot of matches that I have to stash away somehow. Your how-to will definitely come in handy next time! Can't wait to see what you do next.

zakkalife said...

Tamdoll,

Thanks for letting me know where you get the matchboxes :) Someone else told me the grocery store as well but I can't find any there. Only the large boxes. What grocery store do shop at if you don't mind me asking?

Deanna said...

I get my small blank matchboxes at Oriental Trading. They have traditional size and bigger ones. They make great for party favors. Can't wait to see what you're doing with them. :)

just jayma said...

So I found AT THE DOLLAR TREE!! Packages of 12, small boxes of matches!! But I love having the option of making them!

tamdoll said...

Hannaford supermarket in NH is where I've gotten them. I think wherever they sell cigarettes would be a good place to try, too. Gas stations even?

zakkalife said...

tamdoll,

Thanks for the info :)

Anna M. said...

Thanks for the template. I've tried making matchboxes before without one and they came out a little funny.

crafterhours said...

Long before I got a Silhouette I was looking at the Craft Robo machine. That machine eventually was improved and became the Silhouette... but one of the things I liked about it was that it could both cut and score. I'm thinking it still could-- after looking at some posts about it. So potentially your template could be scored and cut all by the machine. In theory. So, here I am commenting about something I have no firsthand knowledge about. How useful! Susan

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