DIY Vintage Matchbox Favors

While wedding favors are certainly not a must these days, it is always nice to send your guests home with a small thank you if the budget allows.  Our personal favorite wedding takeaways are the edible ones, but there are other cute options that can be enjoyed by all.  

We set out to find inexpensive and useful, yet personal and charming favor options for guests.  One idea that we came up with were these decorative matchboxes.  To open the box, the guests pull on the ribbon tab and out pops not only matches, but also a message of gratitude.

These matchboxes can be put together in an evening with the help of your craftiest friends and a favorite movie.  Select colors and patterns that reflect your personal couple style or wedding colors.  Make them even more personal by adding the guests' names and using them as place cards (the ribbon could be pulled to reveal the table number).

You will need:

-Matchboxes of your choice size (We used Coleman matches. Best deal was $1.88 for a 4 pack at Walmart)

-Lightweight card stock paper, contact paper, or paper bag

-Adhesive spray found at Michaels or any craft store

-Scissors and/or paper cutter

-Ribbon (polyester works best for stamping)

-Letter stamps and ink 

Step 1: Carefully open the outside sleeve of the matchbox so that it lays flat. 

Step 2: Use the flattened sleeve as a pattern to trace and cut your paper of choice to fit the size of the box. 

Step 3: Spray the back of the paper with adhesive spray, let set for 1 minute, and then apply to the flattened matchbox cover.  Be sure to leave one striker side uncovered. (If using contact paper, adhesive spray is not needed for this step) 


Step 4: Allow adhesive to set for at least another minute before folding the matchbox cover back to its original shape.  Use a small amount of adhesive to secure the shape. 

Step 5: Leaving half an inch of room on both ends of the ribbon, use letter stamps to spell "thank you" on the ribbon.

Step 6: Adhere one end of the ribbon to the inside of the matchbox.  Trim the raw edge.  Neatly fold the ribbon inside the matchbox, leaving the trimmed edge as a pull-tab.  (For another personal touch on your matchboxes, you can add your wedding monogram, logo, or we added a "You are striking!" message to the guests.)

Happy Crafting! 

Enjoy,

Jen