Whimsy Stamps ~ Pumpkin Treat Box Idea

Hey crafty friends, if you have these die sets from Whimsy Stamps or something similar, stretch your stash with a slightly different spin on their intended use with this fun treat box idea. I share this tutorial as a PDF download over in the Whimsy Stamps Facebook Group, it's in their 'files' area. So feel free to head over there and grab yourself a copy. There are both US Letter and UK A4 sizes, for matching with your printer paper.

I started this design with an ‘aha’ moment when I was looking at the coffin box die and decided to diecut 6 of these from orange cardstock and have a play to see if I could turn them into a pumpkin treat box. I used the largest of the coffin dies from the Dracula's Coffin Die Set and I used an old paper towel roll to shape them slightly into a curved shape to become the sides of the pumpkin. Next I pulled out my Nested Hexagon Die Set from Whimsy and I diecut a small hexagon with the second smallest die from the set to create the base. This die is 1.5 inches across and the base of the coffin die matched up nicely without too much overlap.

I then cut a larger hexagon for the top. The third from smallest in the set. This die is 2 inches across. I held up one of the coffin dies to determine which size to use for each end and these two are a pretty good match. I scored both ends of each of the coffin shaped pieces ¼ of an inch from the ends before gluing them to the hexagons top and bottom. I used a strong double sided adhesive tape for this, but liquid glue would work well too, you'd just need to hold each one in place a few seconds while the glue grabbed.

I glued down all six diecut coffin pieces to the small hexagon at the base. I diecut a second small hexagon to glue over top of the base once all the ends of the coffin pieces were added, to give a tidier finish to the inside. I used adhesive tape to add the second small hexagon to the inside, building it up slightly in the centre, to compensate for the height of the sides. I’ve used patterned paper to make this more obvious for the tutorial. But you could keep yours plain.

I then glued five of the ends to the larger hexagon at the top, gluing each alternating one, until there was only one left. Leaving one side free to be the point of entry for the treats. For my design, I chose to create a ribbon closure (I used baker’s twine for mine) from the edge of that last coffin shape, up through the top of the hexagon, which I just tied in a bow to keep it secure. 

I used a pokey tool to create the hole to thread the ribbon through. I made the ribbon long enough that it could be left in place to easily secure again. I tied a little knot close to the coffin end, so it was easy to tell when the bow was pulled tight enough. It gives a gentle point of resistance when pulled closed and also stops the ribbon from falling out of the coffin diecut. The ribbon is about 6 inches when it’s doubled up, so start with a 12 inch length. You could alternatively add a little magnet or velcro dot closure for this final coffin shaped panel. Any of these options will work well to give that closure of this last panel. Note the sides overlap each other slightly, I quite like this, but you could opt to trim them slightly if you prefer more rounded sides. For me, the quirky angles of the Coffin Die are part of the fun and charm of this design.

I decorated the top of the box with leaves from the Build a Pumpkin Patch Die Set to complete the look. There’s a good selection of leaves in that set. I used the ones I felt most closely resembled Pumpkin Leaves. I cut these from white cardstock, ink smooshed them with green Distress Oxide Inks in Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss and Bundles Sage and then sprayed them with green Distress Mica Spray Stains in Wicked Elixir and Fresh Balsam.

I filled a little cellophane bag with pumpkin shaped candy treats to complete my little pumpkin themed Halloween gift. I hope you enjoyed my 'Stretch Your Stash' treat box idea and if you make one yourself, do share that with me, I'd love to see! I hope you will have fun filling and decorating yours!

I am working like crazy on Halloween themed items right now to share with you very soon. I hope you'll come back and check out what I get up to in September, because I can tell you now, I'm pretty darned excited to share them! We have had such stellar releases during August and the first one in September is kicking off on the 1st! The whole month is full of fabulous crafty surprises. If you love Halloween, I promise you, Whimsy Stamps, does not disappoint!

Wishing you a wonderful week and a beautiful Autumn, however you choose to celebrate this lovely time of year. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere like me, then yay, Spring is here and Summer is coming! I will be back very soon with more sleuky crafty adventures, until then, happy crafting my friends! xoxo

(I share thumbnails to the elements I design with in order to make your search for them easier, in case you like something I've used. I do use affiliate links where possible, which gives me a tiny commission but costs you no extra whatsoever. It helps the companies I design for to improve their marketing practice and track my contributions. I am deeply grateful if you use them for these reasons. I am proud to design for the companies I do and always feel happy to share where my inspiration and where my crafty stash comes from. I am occasionally gifted products to use, but I only design for companies whose products I absolutely love and buy for myself. My opinions are always my own.)

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