Box Get Crafty – What to make from a Box
As you may know by now, I am a keen recycler. I love seeing the value in something that has been deemed to be useless and only for the bin. Check out the magazine beads coming up and my shopping bags made from old shirts. However, I am always horrified at quite how much waste is produced at Christmas. Yes, I know cardboard boxes, wrapping paper and cards can all be recycled…. but why not make something out of them first? Spend some crafty time together, then have lots of playing fun before you discard your “rubbish”. You never know, you may end up makng something that you keep for a long long time. I do hope you like this box round up and that you feel inspired! Oh… and I could have written a WHOLE round up just on matchbox crafts. My they are adorable!!
General Boxes and Card
BIG BOXES
Pirate Ship Photo Booth and Play Ship!
Boxes a great for making fun costumes. I love these lego costumes over at Kids Activities Blog. What a great idea. And EVERYONE loves lego.. so really can’t go wrong! Lots of opportunities for the kids to help too!
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Or.. do you fancy a robot costume? Needless to say, boxes are just perfect for robots… so you can just get very very crafty indeed, using boxes and lids and the next think you know… you have a robot like Five Hens made.
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If you are a keen photographer or want to take better “product” pictures, then a light box may be your answer. Did you know that it is surprisingly easy to make one. Our Seven Dwarfs has a go!
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The best thing about large boxes is that you can make so many toys for your children. I simply adore this Green Grocers from iKat Bag – just so much detail and effort went into this one! Brilliant!
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There are a number of box kitchens out there to be made. It was hard to pick “just the one”… but I guess in many ways these serve as an inspiration and you will personalise whatever you make anyway… here is one from Adventurez in Childrearing.
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Valerie from Frugal Family Fun does it again with this wonderful “cardboard box” cafe. Brilliant. Looks like her girls are having lots of fun serving coffee and cakes to their teddy bear’s.
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What a fun idea from the Parents.com website – take a big box and make it into a shape sorter. I am sure you can make smaller version to fit into your house if you need to. But how fun?
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Want to be one of “those mums” that let their children paint and get messy? But can’t quite bring yourself to do it? Space is often limited which makes messy painting and play hard work… but not… if you have a big box! Carrot Are Orange inspires us once again!
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How cute is this cardboard box theatre? I love all the detail – including the curtains and “curtain tie backs”. Very sweet indeed. And what better way to stimulate the imagination! Here Come the Girls gets crafty!
Well… boxes are of course perfect for dolls houses. Use one large box and divide it up like in our dolls house or assemble lots of smaller boxes to make your room. Decorating is the fun bit and we are doing ours slowly – room by room, seasons by season.x
Well.. who says boxes are only for dolls? Here is one from Create With Your Hands for the little PEOPLE in our lives. Isn’t it adorable? I love the stained glass window. Must give the inside such a pretty glow.
The Imagination Tree has a NUMBER of fabulous cardboard box crafts – from post boxes to castles to this cardboard city. They are gorgeous and I love them. But I decided to highlight this cardboard city from her site, as a) play is what she is all about and b) because I love the simplicity of it. We have a similarly large box sitting in our living room – that has been there for about 4 months now. Usually it is a boat. Sometimes it is a bed. It is somewhere to draw and poke holes into. My children love it. And that is all it is. A box. A tiny bit of imagination and the box becomes all sorts of things. Let them play. (and contain it all within one box!).
Family Fun reminds us that cardboard may seem flimsy, but is in fact very sturdy indeed. Convert some old cardboard boxes and make these fun seats for your children’s room. How lovely!
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And I love that Instructables have a WHOLE post dedicated to furniture made from cardboard. Wow. Choose from a number of different ideas, but personally, I LOVE these shelves. Aren’t they fabulous?
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Though this link doesn’t link to a how to, Definatalie shares this wonderful image to inspires us to really get crafty with a box. I DO have a box in each of the children’s rooms that is there as a bedside table and a small toy cupboard. This serves as a reminder, that is fine to have a “normal” box, but give it a little bit of love – just a little bit of love – and suddenly it is rather cute and cool…
Take an old box. Take it apart. Then re assemble it. And make several. All the perfect same size and perfectly decorated and you have your own personalise AND recycled storage solution. More from Make It Love it.
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DIY Loom
How fabulous. I LOVE this loom… and I willmost certainly be making one of these with my kids one day. Fantastic.Craft Lever Overs shares their instructions.
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MEDIUM TO SMALL BOXES
Cardboard Box Knight’s Shield (includes printable designs)
Make your own Cardboard Animal Zoo! So cute
Oooh aren’t these aliens from Craft Jr simply too cute? What I love about aliens, just like monsters, is that there is “no right or wrong” and kids can just go wild and come up with the craziest of ideas!
This robot craft is probably one of our favourite crafts. We made the robot months ago (over a year?) and we STILL Have the robot in our house. We still play with it regularly and it was a great way of using up a box and some other recycled odds and sods. You will no doubt have seen it featured on Get Crafty again and again.. sorry to bore you with it, but we LOVE OUR ROBOTS!
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We love book and craft combinations and most of Red Ted Art’s Kids Craft is just that! So I really like Mom To 2 Posh Lil Divas book, craft AND game idea. Take one monster book, one tissue box… and check out their post!
I love that the little one got to help. The roller is a great way of applying paint evenly! And I love that at the end of it you have a farm house for all your animal toys. Joyfully Weary shares their activity and craft.
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Crafting with boxes is not restricted to “cube” crafts… remember you can take the box apart…and then you can reassemble it to make something new and fun. Here we have these grogeous and fun Viking ships. Again from iKat Bag.
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A very quick and easy doll’s bed. My little girl got this as a “homemade Christmas present” and adores it. Lovely!
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Oh my what a wonderful idea – a portable art studio. Not only do you have an “easle” like structure, but somewhere to put your things. Perfect! A great idea via Maya Made it.
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Oooh and how pretty are these? LOVELY… take some old boxes and with a little bit of magic from Craft Corners convert them into lovely paper work or magazine holders. Perfect.
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Oh my, MY ribbon bag needs a make over – take an old box, cut it up and hey presto, look how lovely your ribbons will look again. The Frugal Crafter strikes again!
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Snowflakes
Take a cardboard box and turn it into one of these pretty and cheerful snowflakes? Creative Jewish Mom inspires me again!
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Cereal Boxes or Toy Boxes
From Cereal Box to foldable “take along” Doll’s House!
Oooh now look at this cute Easter Nest.. would you have guessed that it is made out of an old cereal box? No way hosey! Well, I think Michele Made Me is so clever and I love it when and old box transforms into something COMPLETELY different!
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No way… a purse made out of cereal boxes? Yes indeed! How cool and fun are these. Most definitely worth a bit of recycling! Thank you Art For The Soul Of It for the inspirational idea.
I have been eyeing up these cereal box guitars for quite some time now. I think they are adorable.. as are the little musicians modelling them for us!
Ah yes.. this is REALLY made from a cereal box. You see.. never ever underestimate the humble box. The things you can transform it into are just too amazing. Grey Luster Girl creates this transformation!
You may have seen our shadow puppet a few weeks back. It is a perfect craft for this time of year – as anything to do with shadow play when the afternoons are dark is fabulous! Check out our craft and also learn some hand shadow puppet moves!
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This gorgeous piece of art is made out mainly cereal boxes… the odd wrapping paper roll is added for good measure. Isn’t it beautiful? Alisa Burke makes!
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I LOVE the idea of these mystery messages… make them for a child that is ill and stuck in bed or for a long journey. And I do love that “sewing machine and cardboard” look. Fabulous. Whip Up, whipped these up!
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Or.. why not take that same humble cereal box and get weaving with the children? Isn’t this woven sun simply beautiful? I love it. Again a craft from Michele Made Me.
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I love the Creative Jewish Mom’s blog – and I regularly stop by on a Sunday to link up with her crafty sharing party. I also love all the crafts that she comes up with herself. How about these very pretty gift boxes.. yes! Made out of old cereal boxes! Well I never! And they are easier than you think!
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I love this craft, as it “embraces” the very nature of the cereal box – i.e. its bright colours! Take the colour and convert it to make a map! How fun! Inhabitots-V1 made this one!
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Andnow for something completely different! A HAT!!! The clever peeps at Crafster came up with this fantastic idea. Most certainly one for the “most original” prize. I love it!
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I have been eyeing up these paper mache tea cups for quite some time now. I think they are simply beautiful and they SO ARE ON MY TO DO list! Although in principle paper mache, they do start off as the humble cardboard box…. Ann Wood creates.
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Matchboxes
Nothing quite as adorable as ANYTHING made out of a matchbox! I have my whole extended family collecting them for me now…
Matchbox Camera and Mini Art Set
Adorable Matchbox Drawers – super quick to make and great as a gift box, doll’s house accessory or for a mini sewing kit!
First up are these adorable little books from over at Nurturestore… who on a day out discoverd tiny little books to make with her girls. Aren’t they beautiful?
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This particular matchbox box is meant for advent. However it reminds me of a trinket or little’ girl’s treasure box. So either works for me! The Messy Crafter shares their post!
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How cute is this poetry in a box? So beautifully made and what a lovely item to carry around with you and treasure. Apple Head shares their craft and poetry.
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As you know we have the great “dolls houses” project on Red Ted Art. First we made the house (see above). Then I made some beds out of cardboard (pattern to come in following weeks) and then we got the house ready for Christmas. We made some Christmas trees and then some matchbox presents to go under the tree… these presents also make lovely little ornaments for your own tree if you wish!
I am telling you, I am SO SO SOOOO making one of these like yesterday. Adorable. I don’t need to say anymore. head over to coloured buttons to read all about it!
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And if you feel the boys being a little neglected, how about this little car? There are two adorable little cars to choose from over at Tinka Tolli. Love!
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Oh my word how adorable? See the big guitars above? Well how about some mini ones… I think our dolls will be learning a musical instrument very soon… Zakka Life shares their post.
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Ok, these are for “buying”, but who is to say, you can’t have a go yourself? Holly Dolly Doo Darr stumbled upon them.
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I am TOTALLY in love with this matchbox house! And you can even download some colouring pages to make life even easier! Thank you Home Made City for such an adorable craft. There is even an upstairs and a downstairs, depending on how you open the box!
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So… What do you think of the humble cardboard box now? Fancy making something?! Know what to make from a box now?!
