The Christmas Eve Box has become part of our family tradition in the last few years but before it was a wide-spread concept, as a family we always opened one present each on Christmas eve usually after evening mass. It was always and will always continue to be pyjamas for the humans! When Maisy was a pup it wasn't such a big deal to buy dogs presents for Christmas, we alway got her some toys but they weren't christmas themed like they are now! However, since Chester arrived the dogs have gotten in on the action too and for the past two Christmas I have made the dogs a Christmas Eve Box to enjoy over the day.
If you follow us on Instagram you may have seen that I made some Christmas eve boxes for Chester and Maisy last year (Maisy is my mum's/our family dog) they weren't fantastic and I'd planned on buying some personalised ones this year.
But I had some much fun making them and decided to ask our followers if they would to see me create some this year and we got an overwhelming yes and most of them asked for a blog of what i would be creating their boxes with!
This is our supplies blog. This is everything I have purchased in order to create the boxes the part two to this series will be out next Sunday!
All the titles have been linked the the websites of the products!
My Design Plan!
Boxes
The box; the foundation of a Christmas Eve Box. As I was making my own I wanted a good box. I started searching for business that sold plain boxes. I came across The Wooden Box Mill who have every kind of plain wooden product you could ask for! They have an extensive range of plain boxes that are suitable for Christmas Eve. After looking at about 1000 boxes! I decided that I wanted one with a lid for Chester. Their 36cm Luxury Pine Wooden Crate Box with Lift off Lid was perfect.
I then choose the more classic Christmas Eve shaped one for Maisy. The one is unfortunately out of stock now.
Wooden Craft Shapes
I was going to attempt to write on the box with pyrography or do something more creative. But with Arthritis in my hands and the lack of being able to write in a straight line I choose to go with laser cut shapes for the main part of the box. I searched for a small business that sold them and found a fantastic website dedicated to wooden craft supplies: Perfectly Crafty
I had thought of getting a Vinyl sticker with "Christmas Eve Box" written to stick directly on the box but then I found a laser cut wooden shape with exactly that wrote on it!
I initially was looking for a bone shape anyway as i'd planned to get a Vinyl sticker of Chester's name.
Personalised Stickers
Last year I used Letter Stickers to personalise the boxes. This year I wanted to get some nice vinyl stickers with both their names.
I though gold would be both Christmassy and would sit perfectly on the Red background I imagined in my design I then set about searching for a company with the gold colour that I wanted. The Label Studio Uk I found on Etsy and she had the perfect gold. She also had Christmas red and green incase I changed my mind.
I ordered the small size in Font One for both Chester and Maisy's name in a gold vinyl sticker, they arrived so quickly and they are both such good quality and each arrived with a set of instructions of how to put them onto the desired object.
Other Craft Supplies
Where I could I bought all my supplies from small independent business.
I did have to look at what HobbyCraft had to offer and they didn’t disappoint they had these really cute wooden painted shapes. Which are perfect for Christmas Instagram photos and our Christmas Eve Box!
I also bought some Red Glitter, Metallic Gold, Pearl White and Dark Green Paint as I wasn’t 100% of my design.
Come back on the 8th November for Part 2.
I will also be including some ideas of what to put in your Dogs box or at-least what i'm putting in Chester's!
Thanks For reading
Sarah & Chester x