How to Start a Body Piece For a Cardboard Costume

In case you are just starting your costume, (like me) I wanted to show you that you can still get started with a cool cardboard costume and finish before Halloween (you will have to hustle). Although I'm going as a grasshopper, most elements are the same, I'll just be dealing with extra legs and antennae...

Just start with long cardboard strips, (mine are a rulers width), and drape them over the shoulders attaching horizontal strips as needed.

You can build a structure pretty quickly on which to start gluing cardboard skirt pieces and armor layers.

The rounded layers on the shoulders above are made by tracing a variety of bowls and plates, cutting them in half, then folding them and gluing them into place.

Really, it's not about the cardboard though, is it? It's about trying something new that you have never done before....it can make you sheepish. Well, I'm here to say: You can do this!

My inspiration: these incredible costumes from last year's challenge:

Archery Knight by Rachel and Tom Morgan

Cardboard Knight Costume by wrnking via Flickr

More Inspiration:

A Great Cardboard Helmet Tutorial via Instructables

A Great Cardboard Armor Tutorial via Instructables

Costume Inspiration: Fraidy Zoo

This morning I got an email that made my heart leap into my green tea......The above pictures attached to an email from newly hatched author illustrator Thyra Heder.

Thyra's written a new book called, "Fraidy Zoo." It's about a family that makes a series of animal costumes (one for each letter of the alphabet) out of cardboard and other household objects in the attempt to find out which animal is scaring the littlest member of the family from going on a trip to the zoo. I was totally inspired by the illustrations and instantly charmed by the creative spirit of the family in the book and had to share it with you!

Just as excitingly, Thyra's in the process of building the cardboard rhinoceros from the book right now, but you really should visit her blog to see some of the photos she's posted showcasing some of the other cardboard creations she and her friends have made in celebration of the upcoming launch of the book.

Fraidy Zoo is coming out November 5th and you can find more info here: at Indibound or pre-order it via Amazon.

Butterfly & Moth: Sneak Peak

We've started to add elements to the cardboard hat pieces we made yesterday. Eyes are made from watercolor painted paper liners for shipping apples and citrus and the green fringe on the front of the moth mask is made from egg cartons...

How to Start a Cardboard Head, Hat or Helmet

These are the beginnings of the head pieces the girls will wear for their butterfly and moth costumes.  We will be attaching antennas and textured cardboard to complete them.

Simple Steps:

1. Cut strips of cardboard about 1.5" wide and longer than you need to wrap around your head.

2. Measure cut and glue a strip of cardboard together so it fits around your head.

3. Attach 2 more cardboard strips so that they cross over the mid point of your head.

4. Add additional strips as desired.

5. Use this base for attaching ears, horns, antennas, or a mask.

Cardboard Heads

If you're thinking about making a cardboard headpiece for your Halloween costume, this weekend is the time to get started! Last Year we created 2 different kinds of cardboard heads, using two different methods.

The first head was for a chameleon costume, and utilized the hood pattern for sewing a kid's jacket. To read the post about adapting a sewing pattern for use with cardboard, click HERE

The second head was built by making a cardboard skeleton and then gluing down layers of  ripped cardboard. You can see more pictures of the development HERE.

Because every cardboard head is a little different, I'll lay out the most basic steps so you can get started. Have fun and experiment, the point is to develop you're own style...

1. Make a cardboard band that fits snugly around your head.

2. Create cardboard side pieces that are similar in shape to the skull of the creature if you look at it sideways.

3. Glue or staple the pieces to the cardboard band.

4. Use cardboard strips to connect the side pieces and shape the front of the creature's face.

5. Cover your cardboard head with crumpled up and flattened out copy paper, fringed newspaper, Kraft paper, torn pieces of egg carton or ripped pieces of corrugated cardboard. You can take a look at the Cardboard Costume Pinterest Board for more inspiration.

Here's a great video by John Gleeson Connolly (via Apartment Therapy) talking about how he made a simple cardboard dragon head for his son's Halloween costume using a similar method. http://vimeo.com/51576209

Cardboard Costume Challenge 2013!

YYYYEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!  Today is the Kick-off  for The 2nd Annual Cardboard Costume Challenge!

The Mission? to inspire the making of awesome handmade cardboard costumes.

My secret agenda? Help parents reconnect with their kids (and themselves) through making.... and my even more secret agenda, rid the earth of flimsy, flame-retardant Halloween costumes destined for the landfill.

I decided that this year I wanted to adopt a non-commercial, non-competitive approach (less contest, more spirit tunnel) AND I wanted to make the event more kid-centered (it's such a valuable design opportunity for kids.) I also wanted to encourage adults, who maybe don't own a sewing machine, or don't think of themselves as "creative" to branch out and try dabbling in cardboard.

Cardboard Cowboys by Leelada via Flickr

My own creative mother found the costumes entered last year so amazing she said she was too intimidated to attempt a cardboard costume! This year there won't be any categories, sponsors, or prizes.....just an event for sharing cardboard enthusiasm and the love of making!

So what do you think? Sound interesting? You can follow posts and tutorials throughout the month of October centered around topics like cardboard hats, masks, accessories, and other costume extras plus info about tools, tips for working with cardboard, and moving from idea to finished costume.

Upload pictures of your costume in progress (as well as completed) HERE in the Flickr community and access past tutorials HERE.

P.S.

There are a few prize related contests and opportunities out there that you should know about if you would like to enter a competition (with some pretty substantial loot.) We'll definitely be rooting for you!

Inhabitat Green Halloween Costume Contest (adults)

Inhabitot Green Halloween Costume Contest (kids)

DIY's Cardboarder Badge

See you soon!

Starry Cardboard Birthday Crown

An easy beautiful birthday crown that my daughter put together on her big day. She wants to wear it again next year, and I agree it turned out beautifully. There is definitely a Glinda, Good Witch of the North quality there.

If you can't find gold cardboard, try jarred gold paint and pizza box lids........

Paper Bag Hat

I'm literally AND figuratively wearing a new hat these days.

Two actually. The first one is a partnership with the Japanese company eco+waza, which puts out a magazine and sells eco-friendly products from Japan. I'm designing cardboard projects for their packaging, (a cardboard box) and I'll be posting a few of the projects here on The Cardboard Collective in the coming months.

The second is a project working as the Japan correspondent for Playscapes, a blog about the world's best playgrounds. As you know I'm raising two eager young playground testers, and love play and design, so what better job is there? Find the most beautiful, inspiring and creative playgrounds near you HERE.

As for the paper bag hat that I'm wearing, I created it from a brown Kraft paper bag with this pattern by Angellea Designs. As a fledgling pattern designer myself, I have to say this pattern is just excellent. I made paper hats for the girls too, and they are going to provide perfect full sun coverage when we're out foraging for summer berries this year. Although this hat isn't water resistant, a sun hat is meant to be worn in the sun, and what hat could be lighter and easier to fold up?

I didn't do anything special to sew the paper hat other than use the longest stitch length on my machine and add a bias paper trim to the edge. They sew up really fast, since there's no lining, and hey they're just fun.

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Cardboard Wolf

I finished the wolf mask!

Just in time for some shopping and a little adventure to the Kawasaki Halloween event!

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Sadly, we had to come home early and didn't get to see the parade, just the costume contest. We thought our costumes were pretty clever until we saw the Rocky Horror Christmas group costume. Amazing!

Halloween may be a relatively new holiday in Japan, but in the land of anime and cosplay, dressing up is taken pretty seriously.

5 minute Cardboard Petticoat

While I realize not every costume can be best created out of cardboard, I wanted to inspire you with a little idea for some covert cardboard.

At one point I tried to construct a full blown petticoat out of cardboard, but after more than one failure, I thought there must be a better way.....

Surely this is a trick that every mother should have up their sleeve? A kind of Julie Andrews move akin to pulling the drapes off the wall and stitching up a dress, except you'll pull a strip of cardboard out of your recycling and make an ever-puffy twirly skirt.....hopefully while singing?

Just staples and a long strip of cardboard is all you need. Make sure that the corrugations in the cardboard run parallel to the skirt's hem and you'll get a smoother contour.

Adapting a sewing pattern for cardboard

It's often handy to work from a pattern if you're feeling squeamish about designing a headpiece for your costume from scratch. Sewing patterns are a great option if you can get your hands on an appropriate pattern for the costume you're making. Here I've adapted a simple child's hood pattern into a headpiece that is big enough to fit an adult.

1. Trace your pattern pieces onto cardboard and cut them out.

2. Texturize your cardboard by crumpling it up and twisting it, this will give your cardboard a more leather-like texture and make it easier to work with.

3. Cut thin flexible strips of strips of cardboard about 1.5 to 2 in. wide by whatever length you will need (I like boxes that are similar in weight to pizza boxes) and glue these strips one side at a time to the two pieces that you are trying to join. Regular white glue and clamps or clothespins work great for this.

4. Continue adding your cardboard seams as you put all your pattern pieces together. trim as needed.

5. Now you can begin to modify your piece for your individual costume. Here I added more pieces with the same technique by gluing thin strips of cardboard for the seam and then attaching a forehead and jaw piece.

Links to a few handy patterns suitable for costume making:

Vest pattern by the Mother Huddle

Hood pattern by Fabric link

Children's fitted hood/hat pattern by Martha Stewart Living

Baby cowboy boots pattern by Nap Time Crafters (You could adapt this pattern for making any kind of boot-like shoe covers.)

Some cardboard texture ideas for you...

1. Cardboard spirals are great for cardboard wigs, antennas, or scary egg carton eyeballs that fall out of your glasses.

2. Egg cartons and crates make great bumps, horns, tentacles and nostrils for animal costumes.

3. Braided cardboard, Rapunzel or Boy George are just a few options to get you started.

4. Picket fences can create bones, gladiator bracelets, etc.

5. Corrugated strands separated reveal those cool crimpy parts if you're trying to add new textures.

6. Fan folded cardboard holds it's shape well for bows, fins and wings.

How to make cardboard bug eyes

These cardboard apple box liners have so much potential. I love their color and texture which works perfectly for insect or reptilian costumes. I've seen these liners in pink, yellow, purple, white and brown. Ask the stockist at your grocery store's produce department if you can take a few home.

This a costume component easily made by any child who can handle scissors, so a perfect start for a kid's first self made costume.

How great would these be for a bed bug costume?

How to make a cardboard beard

A cardboard beard that's long and scraggly......

This project is similar to the cardboard mustache, except that you're gluing cardboard fringe onto a base. I used a rubber band threaded through two holes on the sides of the beard to secure the beard to the face.

A few costume options:

Gnome: add gnome hat

Uncle Sam: add patriotic top hat

Santa on Vacation (hey, it's Halloween!): add mustache and red or green track suit

Dr. Weil: add bald cap and mug of green tea

How to make a cardboard mustache

In case you need a cardboard mustache to go with your cardboard lederhosen...

This is pretty straight forward, but I just wanted to remind you to make sure that your cardboard corrugation channels run in the direction that you are cutting your whiskers. I scrunched up the mustache a bit and glued it down to give it a fuller shape, but you can also just glue on more cardboard whiskers one piece at a time to fill in any gaps.

Last I glued a square of cardboard to the back and strung a sturdy rubber band through the corrugation channels, painted my mustache with basic tempera, (you could even use watercolors) and....Voila. Cardboard mustache.

Want a peak at some of the world's most incredible facial hair? Click the link to check out Dave Mead's Magnificent Specimens photo essay. I promise it will make you smile.

Best Halloween Costume Ever.

This is it! Our first EVER creative challenge on The Cardboard Collective!

I hope I can energize all of you cardboard creatives out there to come up with a truly fantastic cardboard Halloween costume this year!

Here's how it works.

2012 Cardboard Costume Contest

1.  Create a cardboard costume that fits into one of 5 categories.

• Kids

• DIY (100% kid made)

• Adults 13 and over

• Hybrid (50-75% cardboard)

• Bicycle Costume

2. Starting October 1st, 2012 you can upload your pictures to the Flickr pool. Include in the comments section which category you would like to participate in.  If you don't use Flickr shoot me an email with permission to upload your photos at thecardboardcollectiveblog@gmail.com

3. The whole point of making a costume is to get all dressed up and parade around, so don't forget to spread the word on your blog, facebook, instagram, pinterest, tumblr and twitter account by plunking down the #cdbdcc hashtag or link to the Cardboard Costume Challenge and inviting the people you know.

5. Check back on November 1st, 2012 for final results and galleries of the most inspiring costumes and hey, maybe you'll even win something cool from our sponsor MakeDo Japan!

Ready to get Started?

Head over to check out some truly inspiring cardboard costumes and get lots of ideas here: Cardboard Costumes Pinterest board

I'll be posting tutorials every week filled with new ideas for working with cardboard as well as give you a glimpse at our own costumes in progress. I'll also be introducing you to our amazing judges throughout the month.

I'm so honored to be sponsored by the coolest cardboard toy ever!

Don't forget to grab your badge here: