Ever wondered what an exploding box card is? The term is used to describe card or paper boxes that have been created so that the sides cascade outwards as the lid is removed.

These impressive gift boxes could be seen to be for more advanced card makers given the amount of cutting, measuring and layering involved – but with this easy-to-follow Masterclass, you will be perfecting them in no time! We'd love to see your boxes, let us know if you found this tutorial useful!

The end result is definitely worth the added effort, especially if you're looking to create a card for an extra-special occasion. These cards contain lots of extra surface space that could be utilised for photos, images, embellishments or messages from large groups of people.

In this version the sides corner panels have been scored so the fold in instead of being removed.

They also have a large open space in the very centre that is big enough to hold a gift, some chocolates or simply a 3D embellishment. All you have to do is change the colour and theme of the paper or cardstock used to create a box which is perfect for any occasion. 

The recipient just removes the lid and the box will 'explode' as the sides drop down, revealing the content -  it's such a great idea for so many different occasions and it's not difficult to make!

Follow these instructions to see how to make the basic box, then look at the other projects to see how to decorate your box. 

1

Score a 30cm-square piece of cardstock at 10cm and 20cm

2

Rotate 90º and score again at 10cm and 20cm to create 9x10cm square panels

3

Cut away the four corner squares

4

Trim a 15.2cm-square piece of cardstock and score each side

This article is tagged as:

Stamping Die-cutting Paper techniques 3DMakes Kinetic cards stars skillbuilder technique hearts Die-cutting Essentials exploding box gift boxes cardstock scoring DCE47 papercraft how-to