Doll Size Bento Lunch Box

 

Watch the video here.

`

I am really excited to share this project tutorial with all of you. It was interesting getting to this point. I got the idea a couple of weeks ago and it took me several attempts to get the end result I wanted. The video today is actually the second time I filmed the entire project since the first time I got the video finished I looked at the lunch box I had made and hated the way it looked. So I deleted over an hour of footage, all the pictures and started over. I so glad I did because with a few small details I am happy with it. At the end of this blog I will tell you one thing I will do differently next time.

For this project the first thing we are going to do is to make what I am going to refer to as the “base pattern” We do this by first drawing the basic shape onto paper (I used ¼” graph paper that I get from this site) I started with a rectangle that was 2” by 2 ¾” then I traced around my glue stick to round the corners. This was then glued to a piece of scrap card-stock. Then cut it out and use it in the directions where I tell you to cut out a “base piece”

we will need in addition to the papers used to make the pattern:

a small piece of a heavy paper (140# watercolor paper, poster board, light cardboard, cereal box, or something else about that weight)

a piece of patterned scrapbook paper

2 sheets of heavy card-stock in colors to co-ordinate with the scrapbook paper

(these can either be 8 ½” by 11” or 12” by 12”) (one piece will be the inside color of you lunch box and the other the outside color.

This is the list of pieces you will need to cut from each paper, I like to cut as I need each piece since that makes it easier for me to stay organized.

From the heavy paper (my watercolor paper)

2 base pieces

From the sheet of card-stock that is your inside color:

1 strip- 2 ½” by length of paper (11” or 12”)

     scored lengthwise down the center and ½” from each edge

 

1 strip- 1 ½” by length of paper

      scored down center and ½” from each edge

1 seam cover 2” by 3”

3 base pieces (2 will be trimmed to fit)

Divider strip- 1 ½” by at least 8 “ (if you are putting the same number of dividers I used)

     scored lengthwise down the center

Outside color card-stock

bottom cover (cut to fit see my notes at the end of this blog post

1 strip- 1” by length of paper

      scored ¼” from each long edge

1 strip- 1 ¾” by length of paper

      scored ¼” from one long edge and ¾” from the other

hinge- 2” by 2”

       scored ¼” from 2 opposing edge

seam cover- 1 ½” by 2”

1 gasket strip ¼” by at least 8” (if you are putting the same number of dividers I used)

1 lid gasket cut from base pattern (trimmed to fit lid if needed) and then cut out the center leaving about ¼” rim.

Decorative scrapbook paper will be cut to fit.

We start the project by adding the inside sides to the heavy base pieces. Start by scoring as directed in the cutting list and folding as in the video.

 

 

 

 

 

 Glue just the middle section leaving the “flaps” the entire length.

 

 

 

 Cut notches in one of these flaps so it will go around the edges neatly. 

 

 Glue this flap to the top of the base pieces for both the top and bottom of the lunch box.

Once the glue dries you can cut notches in the remaining flap at the corners and wrap and glue to the other side of the base pieces.

Cut and add a seam cover to each piece.

Now we are going to draw our placement lines on the inside base pieces. Do this will pencil and draw yours lightly. I drew mine extra dark so your could see it on camera. You can make as many compartments in your lunch box as you would like. It seems from looking at these boxes online that they can have anywhere from 1 big compartment to 4 or 5 of different sizes. I choose to make 4 in my box. Don't forget to mirror the placement of the lines. 

Now we will add the decorative scrapbook paper to the lid. Use a nice thick glue spread very thinly. Important!! The lid is the piece with the very thin edge on it. Don't worry too much if your paper bubbles a bit just gently smooth it out. Most if not all the bubbles will go away as the glue dries and the paper shrinks back to size. Once the paper on the top surface is dry trim the paper leaving enough to go up the sides an bit extra. Clip the corners and glue in place. Allow to dry then carefully cut the paper even with the lid edges.

Now we are going to add the hinge. Line this up with both the very top edge of the top and the bottom edge of the bottom . Allow to dry.

At this point I added a outside layer to bottom of the box. See my note at the end of this post about how I would change this step.

Now glue the outside strip pieces as I showed in the video. Glue this to the outside of the lunch box as shown in the video. Being sure to line them up with the top/bottom edges adding the wider strip to the top of the box and the narrow one to the bottom.

Next we will tackle the inside of the box. Add the narrow strips to the lines you drew on the inside lid piece then add the gasket ring. 

For the bottom dividers fold and glue the divider strip and allow to dry. Then cut to size and glue to the inside of the box on the lines we drew earlier. Allow all the glue to dry completely.

Add a thin coat of satin Mod Podge to the box both inside and out. Allow to dry completely before closing the box.

Be careful the first few times you open and close the box, it will be stiff and tight but will open and close easier once you work with it a bit. 

 

 

Now for the change I would make with the box bottom. I am thinking I would add the bottom to the box in the same way that I covered the lid but gluing on the larger piece then clipping corners and gluing onto the sides to be covered by the outer box side. That way there wouldn't be the gaps around the edge. I thought about re-doing the box and doing it that way but then there would not have been a video this week and I have already spent way too many days working on this project. It is a time consuming project but it is very doable and I am sure I will be making more of them in the future.

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.