Vintage Christmas Explosion Gift Box

I made a few of these explosion boxes with pockets on the inside for gifting cash or gift cards. I actually had 4 gift cards, but if I needed fewer pockets, the other flaps could just be decorated.

I used the CREAlies “Create A Box Large – Explosion (or not) box Large” die set (#CCABL27) to create the box. The set includes one die to create the top/bottom, a square to create the side panels and several more dies for the decorative panels. There is also a die to create “connectors” if you want the box to stay together and not “explode” when opened.

In addition to this large box (3 3/4″ square), there is also a medium box and a small box (sold separately).

The 3D Christmas Tree in the center was created with the CREAlies “Varia 3D Christmas Tree” die set (#CLVAR09).

I was inspired to create this box with the tree in the center after watching Karen’s videos (HERE and HERE). She shows a partial exploding box in her video which is another way to use this die set.

Just a note – The top and bottom of the box are created with the same die. Usually, the top of a box is slightly larger than the bottom half. As a result, the lid is very tight and a bit tricky to get on, especially if the sides want to keep falling! I ended up using my trimmer (instead of the included die) to create the panels for the sides, and I made these panels 1/16 inch smaller than the die would have made them. This helped a bit. I still used one of the additional (stitched) dies to create the decorative panels. Also, I created my own pockets as there is no die for that. (Karen cut one of the squares in half on the diagonal to create hers.)

The card stock for the base of my box is “French Roast” by Core’dinations. The patterned card stock for the outside is by American Crafts #368494 (no name given), and the paper used for the inside panels/pockets is “Christmas Joy” by Reminisce. The Christmas tree was made with “Merry, Merry” which is also by Reminisce. All of this paper has been in my stash for years, and it felt good to finally use it!

Thanks for checking out my project!