DIY Jack-O-Lantern Handle Boxes - a mini trick-or-treat box for your little Halloween guests. Find six free Jack-O-Lantern SVG files!
I love these handle boxes for this reason - they are super customizable! Since it is spooky season, I am focusing on Halloween-themed treat boxes but you can use these for Thanksgiving and make theme little turkeys (which I will be doing!!), Valentine’s Day gifts, or even Easter Baskets!!! All you have to do is change your color scheme and the SVG you put on the front. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to see how I end up using these boxes for all the upcoming seasons.
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Free SVG Files - Where to Download
Well, this one is a little different than my normal projects - I split these free SVGs up because as mentioned before this handle box isn’t strictly for Halloween. So, with that being said you can grab the free box template here and there are multiple free jack-o-lantern face SVG files under the Free Halloween SVG files.
If you want some more Halloween treat boxes and bags make sure to check out my coffin box, my witches hat box, and my Halloween treat bags! These are perfect for all levels of crafters and really will wow your guests!
Materials Needed for the Jack-O-Lantern Boxes
I love a project that only needs a few materials and tools and depending on how customized you make these you really only need a few items to make them!
- Cricut or other cutting machine - I cut this on my Cricut Explore Air 2
- Card stock paper - I am using 65 lb card stock in black for my handle and faces and 80 lb textured card stock paper for my box. The thicker the paper for the box the better! I have started to become very partial to 80 lb!
- Craft glue - I am using Bearly Arts glue and you can use this link and code DINOMAMA to save some money on your next purchase! It’s quick drying and has a precision tip. You can use hot glue or even tape for these boxes as well.
- Brad Fasteners - these will be used to attach the handle and they come in all different colors and sizes.
Optional:
- Scoring tool - scoring stylus or the scoring wheel for Cricut machines. I love the stylus because I don’t have to change the tools in and out.
- Bone tool - this is one of my favorite tools for folding and making crisp lines
You can add so many customizations to this like Heat Transfer Vinyl for names, a boarder, using patterned paper! I used just a plain orange and black to give that classic Jack-O-Lantern look!
How to Set Up the Boxes in Cricut Design Space
These don’t have a ton of steps which is a good thing. I don’t want to make complicated projects for you if you are a Cricut beginner.
First thing to do is upload the four faces (if you are doing four different faces) and the box template.
The box may look like it has a black square in the middle, then the back, and the handle up top. You can resize first to however big you would like. I made my box around 11.5x11.5 TOTAL. This included the handle. The box itself was on a 12x12 piece of card stock paper. I also went around and resized my jack-o-lantern face SVG files to fit onto the side panels of the box template.
Once it is resized, you want to ungroup the box SVG file - this is so we can change that center black box to score lines. The black box in the center will disappear and then you will see just the score lines. If you don’t have a scoring tool like the scoring stylus or the scoring wheel then you are going to want to delete this layer. We will have to hand score. If you are hand scoring, I suggest using a tool like a bone tool.
Once the lines are changed to score like make sure to reattach this piece back to the main box piece. If you forget this step - it will not work. The score lines will go onto a blank mat.
You can then send your project to your machine. I love using the medium card stock setting on fast mode. I usually suggest using this mode only if the design you are cutting isn’t super intricate. If there is a lot of small details on your projects be aware that it could rip if you are using fast mode.
Assembling the Jack-O-Lantern Box
I started by taking my pieces off the mats and keeping them organized by face. I didn’t want to lose a jack-o-lantern eye and then have to re-cut the project.
I then moved onto the main box backing and folded on my score lines. I wanted to do this before I added my faces because I didn’t want them to shift when I was folding. I made sure to make nice crisp lines.
Once everything was folded, I added the faces on the side that would be on the outside. You don’t want to glue down all the faces inside the box and have to switch your fold lines around! I also made sure to start at the top of the box and rotate the box around.
After the faces were glued down, I glued my sides. There are only 4 glue panels. You will want these panels to be on the inside of the box so it looks clean and crisp. If you have the flaps folded over the outside of the box, it’s going to look a bit clunky and they may even over lay on top of your faces.
Then I used brad tabs to attach my handle. These just pop right through the holes on the side of the box and the handle and then pry open. I ended up putting the handle inside the box but this is going to be your preference. I also made sure to only lightly bend the handle and not do a complete fold. I didn’t want to have a crease in my handle so handle this gently!
Now you can fill this with some crinkle paper and candy for your Halloween guests or you can add a name to the handle to customize it.
You can get creative with these for Halloween as well by changing up the colors - pastel Halloween, make them green with a Frankenstein face.
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Happy Crafting!
Here are 20 more FREE Halloween SVG Files from my crafty friends!
