Mid week blog#191 - Getting ready for gift giving with some packaging ideas & tips

 Hello & welcome to my blog. 

My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia. 

For those of you who have previously visited my blog & are now returning, thank you. For those of you who are here for the first time, welcome! 

 Here's a little bit about me. I love creating cards & gifts for my loved ones & this blog will show you how to create something special for those you love. I blog twice a week, once on a Sunday where I mainly showcase a stamp set or dies, embossing folders, projects & sometimes special DSP and Wednesday evenings when I highlight a technique, fun folds or tools & tips. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions & my email address for that is craftedbyalison@gmail.com.

This week is all about getting organised for Christmas with tips & ideas for gift giving & packaging.

Over the years I have looked at various ways of packaging & gifting for birthdays, special occasions & Christmas. 

•  On 28/8/21 I shared how to make gift card holders & a bottle tag.
•  On 5/9/21 I created small gift bags.
•  On 9/11/22 there were some cute milk carton tubes for gifting hand creams or sweet treats.
•  On 23/11/22 there's a gorgeous hexagonal gift box for a candle.
•  On 30/11/22 I shared 3 different sized Christmas crackers.
•  On 12/4/23 there's instructions for a hinged top cigar box.
•  On 16/7/23 I made a gift box to give with a selection of greeting cards.
•  On 16/8/23 I showed how to make small gift bags of chocolates (these were for my Mum's nursing home staff)
•  On 7/2/24 there's a unique way to 'fancify' a bar of chocolate.
•  On 10/3/24 I shared a cute way to gift a coffee sachet.
•  On 12/5/24 I created a hexagonal mug with a lovely lavender theme.
•  On 28/7/24 I pushed myself with a double box to house some booties for a work friend.
•  On 11/9/24 I shared how to make a simple gift bag from DSP.
•  On 18/9/24 there's instructions for a mid sized gift box.
•  On 20/11/24 I shared tips for creating your own gift tags.
•  On 15/12/24 I CASE'd an easy 3D tube container from the Stampin' Up® catalogue.
•  On 24/9/25 I looked at using heat embossing on gift tags.
•  On 19/10/25 there are some lovely Christmas ornaments that fold flat for storage but are perfect for adding to your gift wrapping.

WOW! I didn't realise that I'd done that many posts on how to be creative with gift giving. 

But now onto today's post which features the fan shaped chocolate bar wrapping.

Here are the instructions...

Fan detail Chocolate Box

Materials

● DSP measuring 24cm x 22cm

● DSP measuring 23.5cm x 22.5cm

● Co-ordinating cardstock scraps

● Gems

● Twine

● Stamps & dies

● Co-ordinating inks

Instructions

To create the FAN.

● Make a pencil mark on the 24cm x 22cm DSP 10cm down from the top right corner of the

short side.

● Place the DSP on the cutting board & cut diagonally from the left corner to the pencil mark.

● Flip the DSP so the straight edge is at the top & score every 1.5cm along the 24cm edge.

● Concertina fold each score line & burnish to the lines are crisp.

● Fold the bottom up approx 5cm so that the bottom edge lines up with the edge of the DSP.

Secure with some twine.

● Apply glue to bottom part, fold up & adhere to the top part. Apply pressure to ensure glue

holds.

● Once dry, gently pull the fan out until there is a clear straight edge.

To create the BOX.

● If using double sided DSP, place the focus pattern face down. Make a pencil mark 10cm

down on the short side of the 23.5cm x 22.5cm DSP.

● Place the DSP on the cutting board & cut diagonally from the left corner to the pencil mark.

● Flip the DSP so the straight edge is at the top & the long side is to the left & score at

1.5cm, 10.5cm, 12 cm & 21cm. Turn 90° & score at 1.5cm across the bottom.

● Fold & burnish all score lines.

● Cut up at all score lines to the bottom score line. Mitre the small squares created at the

long edge & centre & cut away the square at the short edge completely. Cut a small

diagonal piece from this last edge.

● Apply glue to short edge & adhere it to the long edge, overlapping so that the edge is at

the back.

● Fold mitred squares in & apply glue. Fold up bottom flap & adhere to mitred squares.

● Apply glue to last flap, fold down 7 adhere to bottom flap to create a seal & the base of

box.

● Apply glue to long side of box. Carefully press length of fan along length of box & hold until

glue is dry.

To decorate the box.

● Create a flower or matted DSP circle large enough to cover the join in the fan. Decorate

the box with embellishments, focus images, flowers etc. to suit the DSP.

So that's how I made it! I hope you find this useful & perhaps even try it yourself? It's a fun way to glam up a small gift to make it a little more special.

I also hope you find all of the links to the packing ideas useful. Please feel free to try out any or all of them.

That's it for this post. My next post will be on Sunday where I will be sharing some beautiful cards made especially for cancer patients & those who help look after them.

My next mid week blog will feature some more gifting ideas with a fold flat gift bag & card holder that can be stored flat until you're ready to use them.

I hope you can join me for both of them.

Til next time, take care & keep creating. XX Alison