I frequently break fingernails while out of the house. Most often, it happens at work. Handling boxes and their contents is hard on my nails. I started carrying an emery board in my purse for this reason. I chose a set of three cute short nail files from a store in the mall. Problem 1: nail files scratch things like my phone. Problem 2: the nail files came in a package of three, and I want only one in my purse. There were no cases for sale, and the original package was not sturdy enough to use in my purse.
What’s a crafty girl to do? Make a case that holds ONE nail file. How you ask? Just take a few minutes and —
- I cut a wide strip from a sheet of cardstock and laid one of the files on it.
- To determine where to cut the length, I tri-folded the cardstock to make an envelope with a long flap. I wanted to tuck the flap in when the file was not in use.
- To determine the width of the cardstock case, I left enough room for a strip of Elmer’s glue on both sides of the file. This meant that I made an allowance for the thickness of the file — a little like making a pleat when you sew, or maybe like those paper boxes I made in grade school. Keep the file on the cardstock to help.
- Remove the file and cut. Glue the sides.
- When dry, I cut the flap to be pointy. Here it is, tucked in:
Since I bought the nail file and started carrying it around four months ago, the cardstock has held up very well. The file has not come loose. I don’t mind making a new case because so little time and money and supplies are used.