www.thecardboardcollective.com
Violet-earred Hummingbird
Materials: cardboard, white glue, staples, construction paper, origami paper.
Uncategorized
Cardboard Penguin Costume
www.thecardboardcollective.com
Materials: cardboard, butcher paper, tempera, white glue, staples, 2 buttons
Cardboard and Paper Owl Costume
www.thecardboardcollective.com
Materials: Washi paper, newsprint, butcher paper, florist paper, construction paper, cardboard, Sumie ink, and an old pair of sunglasses
www.thecardboardcollective.com
Welcome to Cardboard Costume Challenge 2017!
It's all about inspiration, the exchange of ideas, and the excitement of making something by hand.
There are no contests.
No prizes.
No endorsements.
No sponsorships.
Just look around on the site, Pinterest Board, and around the web and challenge yourself to make your costume from cardboard, and whatever other scraps you can find.
If you would like to share your costume, send us a picture and we'll post it.
We've already started to receive some costumes for 2017.
Have a look at the AWESOME, creative and inspiring cardboard costumes below!
Cardboard train costume by Alex Nadeau
Busy Bee by Camille www.thecardboardcollective.com
Busy Bee by Camille www.thecardboardcollective.com
Busy Bee by Camille www.thecardboardcollective.com
Cardboard Hermit Crab Costume
Cardboard Hermit Crab Costume by Amber
Materials: cardboard, paper chord, white glue, paint
Cardboard Lobster Costume
Cardboard Lobster Costume by Amber and Pete
materials: cardboard, paper, paper cord, white glue, paint
Paper Jellyfish Costume
Paper Jellyfish Costume by Amber
materials: cardboard, paper cord, paper, white glue, LEDs
Cardboard Octopus Costume
Cardboard Octopus Costume by Amber
materials: cardboard, watercolors, paper cord, cartons, Kraft paper, white glue, wire, LEDs
Red Velvet Worm, Crossing Signal and the Golden Gate Bridge!
You"ll never believe these costumes sent from a parallel cardboard universe. Interactive lights, secret candy chutes and functioning game pieces. Yeah!
What impresses me most, is the smiles of a family that "makes" together. From hair-brained idea to triumphant march on Halloween night, you can tell they enjoyed the whole process.
I hope you will be as inspired as I was by the favorite cardboard projects that costume meisters Rosie and Ben have created over the years. They sent me these pictures of their costumes for the Cardboard Costume Challenge.
Viva la Halloween!
1. Anglerfish. Complete with hinged mouth that opens and closes, push light eyes and an internal switch for the overhead light.
2. Red Candle. Contains an internal switch so friends can "blow" out the candle.
3. Crosswalk. Contains switch from "walk" to "don't walk." So fun!
4. Tropical Pitcher Plant. Fly hat for a finishing touch. Includes chute to drop in candy!
5. Calculator. "hello!"
6. Velvet Worm. Yes, very obscure. Silly string was used for "slime glands."
7. Black Widow and Fly
8. Connect 4. Yes, the game actually works. We donated it to a local school after Halloween.
9. Golden Gate Bridge. A hinge connects the road in the middle but we mostly stayed unconnected!
Cardboard Costume Challengers 2016
Adorable fancy dress panda in bamboo by V. Bindra
Coney Island Balloon Dart Game By Andie Robin
Truly adorable Coney Island Themed Balloon Darts Costume by A. Robin
Costumes are starting to roll in!
Did you make a cardboard costume this year? Don't be shy! Send us a picture and we'll post it here to inspire cardboard creation of the future.
The Time is here! Are you cutting up cardboard yet?
Find out more about the 2016 Cardboard Costume Challenge HERE
Dancing Cardboard Skeleton Costume
Dancing Cardboard Skeleton by Amber
materials: cardboard, tempera, watercolors, paper cord, nuts and bolts, white glue
Cardboard Queen Bee Costume
Cardboard Queen Bee Costume by Amber
materials: cardboard, white glue, paper, apple cartons, paper twine
Cardboard Pumpkin Head
Cardboard Pumpkin Head Costume by Amber
materials: cardboard, craft paper, tempera paint
Cardboard Dragonfly Costume
Cardboard Dragonfly Costume by Amber
materials: paper, paper twine, cardboard, apple cartons, glue, watercolors
Matt Lentini Ren and Stimpy costumes
2015 Cardboard Costume Parade!
Matt and Nicole Lentini Matador and Bull cardboard costumes
Matt and Nicole Lentini Matador and Bull costumes
Ren, Stimpy and Log costumes by Matt Lentini and Matador and Bull costumes by Matt and Nicole Lentini
"Wild Things and Max" bicycle-friendly costumes sent by Sarah
Frank-Ein-Stein and Fox Head by Betsy A. Riley
Mosquito costume by Rebecca at Lepetitearbre
Robot costume by Manon Doran see more pictures at her blog Une Dahlia en Westfalia
Do you have photos to send? I'll keep updating this post. I would love to see your photos and the one-of-a-kind costume you made this year!
These costumes are pure cardboard magic. Thanks to everyone that sent photos and Happy Halloween 2015!
Enter your cardboard costume in contests around the web.....
MerMag's Playful Cardboard Costume Contest: post it on Instagram using the hashtag #playfulcardboardcostumes and you’ll be entered to win prizes worth $500 including 2 signed copies of her book PLAYFUL!
Inhabitat's Green Halloween Costume Contest: prizes include an electric bike, and inhabitat T-shirts.
Cardboard Play Day!
UPDATE!
PLAY DAY WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL NOVEMBER DUE TO BUILDING REPAIR.
REVISED DATE TO FOLLOW>>>>>>>>>>>>
Cafe Slow: 〒185-0022 Tokyo, Kokubunji, 東元町２丁目２０
The cafe will be closed that day, so please bring your obento!
My friend LiEr from Ikatbag invited me to participate in an international blog hop this week. I really admire LiEr. She is a kindred cardboard spirit; someone who works physics into cardboard, and always affirms my frustrations about the need for more gender neutral toys. And while sometimes I have hidden and gotten quiet on my blog, LiEr has always been a do-er.
The blog hop is a chain of interview blog posts. The end result is everyone getting to know many, many more creative people as they jump from link to link. I was invited by LiEr/ ikat bag, but after I interview myself at the end of this post, I'll also invite you to visit a couple of my favorite blogs, if you haven't already.
The Interview:
What am I working on right now?
Some clothes boxes for my daughters and also a project for a little publication I’m putting together.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
One notable thing is my environment. Japan is a beautiful place and it's had a profound influence on me. I grew up on a farm with lots of space and things and materials around. Japan has made me appreciate a more paired down kind of beauty and way of living.
Another, I think, is the way I see cardboard. I think cardboard is kind of like exoskeleton. You can see it looking very tough like the horn of a stag beetle, or very weak and flexible, like a pill bug's molted skin. I think it’s somewhere on a continuum between leather and wood depending on how you treat it, but it also has it’s own unique properties, like being extremely lightweight, having directional strength and a hollow core. I like the raw edges when you tear it. I like how it looks when it's slightly crumpled, I love the many many shades of brown.
I’m also attracted to cardboard as a way of subverting consumerism. To me it’s a symbol of resilience; to take something that others have discarded, and make something beautiful. for free. YEs! I love that.
Why do I create?
When I get lulled into a routine that doesn’t include making, I don’t feel like myself. Making is something that feels to be a part of my DNA. It just makes me happy.
How does my creating process work?
I always carry a sketch book and pencil and draw my ideas there. I also keep a photo file of things I see when I’m walking around Tokyo. Lastly, I have a "top secret" Pinterest pin board that has replaced the torn page magazine scrap book I used to keep.
For designs I want to build, I usually work up a miniature prototype and then make and remake. Some of the things I have made have been fun projects and we haven’t used them for very long, and a few precious others we still use.
When I started making things out of cardboard, it was really hard to recycle anything that I had made. Now I sing "Let it go" every time recycle day comes around. I have to. There's always something I need to part with if I want to have enough space for new projects.
The Cardboard Collective
Your Art here.
Lastly I get to introduce you to my absolute favorite blog!
I didn't invite Sergio to the blog hop because he doesn't use any text on his site, but if you've never seen Kedublock, plEAse check it out. I think it's genius. The clever use of simple materials and beautiful photography...... the joy of little handmade toys, you're going to love it.
A few other blogs I really love:
and
My husband's favorite: Old Parked Cars