how to...accordion box

I've received a bunch of emails and comments about how I made this so I thought I would just do a whole separate post about it. The inspiration came years ago when I saw a box Tara Whitney had made from a class by Allison Beacham.

I've made these boxes in either 2x2 or 4x4 sizes. The one I just made for Megan is 4x4 so that is the instructions I will give you.

1. First you need to get a box. The one I used I believe is made out of papermache. At any rate you can find them at any craft store. They come in all shapes and sizes. (one shown in picture is a 2x2)

2. The guts of the project I made by cutting 12x12 cardstock into 4 inch strips (if your doing your math right you end up with 3). I then creased the strips using a bone folder into three 4 inch sections.

3. Next take your 3 creased strips and glue or tape the ends together in such a way that continues the accordion. Does that make sense? So you'll tape the back of one to the front of the other.

4. Before you adhere the accordion to the box you need to fill it with photos, quotes, or whatever else you want to embellish the squares. I actually cut my paper and photos to 3 7/8 inch squares so there is a small boarder.

5. After I've completed the inside I then paint the box. Once it's dry I make 1/8 inch holes for the ribbon in both the top and bottom. This ends up being a bit tricky, but much easier on the 4x4 than with the 2x2 since I use a hammer and eyelet setter to make the holes. It's the easiest way I've found. Then I set eyelets in the holes to give it a finished look.

6. This is where I decorate the box. I used rubons for mine, but have also mod podge patterned paper or initials with metal letters. Just whatever you want.

7. After the box is done I pull the ribbon through the holes and tie a knot on the bottom portion. On the lid, because it sits on the box tightly, I glue the ribbon down across the top where the accordion will cover it.

8. Lastly I adhere the accordion ends to the box. I forgot to mention that the end piece on the accordion, that adheres to the bottom of the box, should be facing back and shouldn't have anything on it. I use that piece to adhere to the bottom portion of the box so the decorated end sticks out instead of getting lost in the depth. It's sort of hard to explain and probably doesn't make much sense so look here for a visual.

It's as easy as that. Thanks for all your awesome comments and emails. You all sure know how to make a girl feel good. Please email me if you have any more questions or if something doesn't make sense.