Matchbox Enclosure Cards Tutorial & Download
Jan 27th 2010 12:43:32 pm
With Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to create some little cards that can be slipped into pretty, decorated matchboxes. Matchboxes make a sweet and inexpensive handmade gift – fill them with some candy and a little note and you are sure to put a smile on your loved one’s face!
I came up with three very easy card types that fit perfectly into the boxes created using either of my Matchbox Templates. On my free, downloadable Matchbox Enclosure Cards PDF (seen below) you will find a simple folded card, an accordion-style card/booklet, and a more complicated 8-page folded booklet. Follow the steps below to create the folded booklet.
Download Matchbox Enclosure Cards PDF
1. Download the PDF using the link above. Then, print out the sheet at 100% (not “fit to paper size”). You may want to print it on scratch paper first to try out the booklet fold or to trace the enclosure card shapes onto patterned paper. Or, you can print directly on a light card stock that matches the theme of your matchboxes. The folded and accordion cards are self-explanatory; simply cut along the black lines and score and fold at the grey lines. Do the same for the booklet template. Notice the cut line through part of the center of the booklet.
2. Fold booklet in half lengthwise, as seen in the first image below.
3. This gets tricky: Pull out the two center pages (on each side of the cut center area) at their folds to create two pages. The “spines”of page 6/5 and cover/2 will end up touching. See image below for clarification.
4. Fold the cover and back page around the other pages to create the booklet.
5. Press the folds using a bone folder or other tool.
6. Decorate your pages or write a little zine. Then, place your booklet inside your matchbox and give it to someone you love!
13 Comments » Categories: Tutorial
Angela Gue on 27 Jan 2010 at 1:37 pm #
These are so cute! Thanks for sharing the info.
Jan Freeman on 28 Jan 2010 at 8:02 am #
I’m not able to open or download the Matchbook Enclosures Card Template. Could there be something wrong with the link or do you think it’s because I am on a MAC.
Sherry Olson on 28 Jan 2010 at 1:39 pm #
Jan, it is not because you use a Mac. You need to have Adobe Reader which is free. I also use a Mac and I have had no problem downloding it. I hope that helps
rachel on 28 Jan 2010 at 2:06 pm #
Thanks for the help, Sherry.
I emailed the template to Jan and will happily email it to anyone else who has any trouble… Just send me your email address to rachel@swap-bot.com
TerryF on 29 Jan 2010 at 12:11 pm #
I tried matchboxes in the past but just could not get into them – I think the task of finding bitsy things to fill them with was what turned me off. But filling them with a mini-zine? I might just try them again now! Great idea – thx!
tangledthreads on 30 Jan 2010 at 6:59 pm #
That little accordian card template is SOOO cute! Thanks for sharing that with us! xo
Dida on 01 Feb 2010 at 3:33 am #
OMG….chooo cutee..!!!!
absolutely adorable.
thank u for sharing.
Rachel on 03 Feb 2010 at 9:39 am #
This is so cute! Thanks tons for sharing, I’ll be linking to this.
Valentine’s Day Paper Crafts Roundup | paper crave on 04 Feb 2010 at 6:49 am #
[...] matchboxes containing folded enclosure cards and booklets. Printables and tutorial can be found at Swap-bot: Super cute printable Valentine’s Day gift tags from Paper Glitter: Make hanging glitter [...]
Pepper Scraps » Super Surfing Sunday on 07 Feb 2010 at 9:48 pm #
[...] Matchbox Enclosure Cards Tutorial & Download – Learn to make little booklets that fit inside a matchbox. [...]
SweetP on 13 Apr 2010 at 9:44 pm #
Where do you find the matchboxes? Do you just purchase matches and collect the boxes or is it possible to purchase just the matchboxes?
SweetP on 13 Apr 2010 at 9:44 pm #
Where do you find the matchboxes? Do you just purchase matches and collect the boxes or is it possible to purchase just the matchboxes?
rachel on 14 Apr 2010 at 3:22 am #
You can make your own matchboxes using my template, here:
http://blog.swap-bot.com/rachels-matchbox-template/
Some people buy their matchboxes at the store and empty out the matches, but making them from scratch is really easy!