DIY Week: Welcome (day four)

I fell in love with the idea of Our Of Town Boxes/Bags before I even knew what they were called. Once I figured out that they were a little treat bag that you can leave for your guests at their hotel to welcome them to the wedding, I knew we had to have them. Today's post is simply about the packaging. Technically I've delegated the task of filling and delivering them to BM Dionne, but MamaP and I have already started discussing the types of things we want to fill them with, including some really cute baked goods. I'll have to dedicate a separate post to the contents, once we figure everything out.

Besides, the packaging is what pulls you in anyway, right?
Right. Packaging it is!

I love these little gable boxes. They are typically used for box lunches (at least that's where I usually see them), and can be expensive if you don't buy them in bulk. I got mine from another bride who ordered 100 but only needed 30. She then sold the remainder out to whomever wanted them. I think I ended up with 20, which should tide me over. If I need more, I'll just supplement with white gift bags.

Then it was time to dress them up a bit.

To make the labels, I designed a fairly simple message in my good friend PowerPoint. To maximize card stock real estate, I put 9 on a page, and print out enough for my 20 gable boxes, plus a few extra. Then I used my trusty Cutterpede (if you don't know about these, they are fab!) to...cut them out.


While I was at it, I cut out some slightly larger teal rectangles. This part was a little trial and error - I think I ended up using 12x12 scrapbook paper for the teal backing. I like to do all my cutting at one time, ending up with these two piles, which I proceeded to glue together.

I measured a length of kiwi polka dot ribbon (again, trial and error - no measuring for me!) and used double sided tape to attach the tag to a piece of kiwi polka dot ribbon on one side.


Then I wrapped the ribbon around the box and used another piece of tape to attach it on the other side. I chose double sided tape for this project, because it works double duty: it attaches the decoration to each other, and to the box itself.


I have only assembled one (as a mockup to make sure the design works) because its easier to store and move the boxes unassembled. This is one of the projects I will tackle a few days before the wedding. Seeing that all the pieces are ready, its just a matter of taping everything together and filling them.


Are out of town boxes necessary? No. And I know that. But I think that if our guests are spending all this money and time to travel and participate in our wedding festivities to express their love and support, the least we could do is spend a little money and time to make them feel welcome.

I saved the best project this week for last...see you tomorrow!
♥