Our Cardboard Swiss Cheese Chalet

A new watermelon box creation!  A hideout for my two little pipsqueaks.

This little place was a lot of fun to build, and I love the idea of a hideout that's triangular in shape.  I spent about 2 days working on this project off and on, because I had to take breaks when my arm got tired of sawing through all that cardboard.

The watermelon box I started with already had lots of holes in it, so I enlarged some of them to create my  "Swiss cheese matrix" on all three sides.

I started by figuring out the rough dimensions of the little fort by folding the box in different places until I found what worked best for a roomy wedge of cheese.

This box had about eight creased corners, so I cut cardboard strips about 6 inches wide and glued them over the unwanted creased portions so the cardboard wouldn't bend in the places I didn't want it to.

After securing the cardboard and cutting out all the holes from the sides, I put a nut and bolt with a washer in the side to keep everything together and make it easy to disassemble.

Last step was creating a top piece out of lighter cardboard so that the girls could open it easily.

I added a coat of yellow paint, but I think it would be just as nice plain brown.  I also thought  pink washi tape would liven up the holes, but you can see where that's all going to end up.

I'm looking forward to the day when they'll be building their own little cardboard nests... And hey, did I tell you where some of our other watermelon box scraps have ended up?

These came shipped in a cardboard box that we picked up at the local post office.

They're not ours to keep.  We're just babysitting for grandma...

Cardboard + Your Car = Sun Dried Banana Chips

Materials used: cardboard, parchment paper, masking tape and an egg slicer is great for getting the bananas the right width for drying, but you can use a knife just as easily.

It's taken a while, but my whole family is starting to get excited about cardboard.

I've got a few posts in the works inspired by mom, dad, and this post idea was sent by my sister who lives out in sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. (see the little adobe house behind her truck?)

The bananas take about 4 hours to dry in her car in New Mexico. It could take a little longer in other places, but with the heat wave that's been sweeping the US,  maybe not?

Is this not perfection? The BEST summer snack!

My sister said that she's thinking about doing kiwi and apricot next, maybe even some  cantaloupe. But she said the best part is that it leaves a nice dried banana smell in your car.

Thanks Sis! This is fantastic!

Stackable Cardboard Puzzle Trays

Getting our toys organized to the point that they can easily be used and put away has been a huge focus in our home this past month.

Electra is a complete puzzle nut, so I thought getting our puzzles straightened up would be a good place to start.

These are just kiwi boxes, super sturdy ones, that I rescued from the grocery store. I cut out the front portion of the box with a utility knife.

The boxes have notches at the top that interlock with the box above. This feature makes the boxes great for stacking since they always stay in place.

In the first version I tried, I removed the entire front of the box, which I wouldn't advise. It's important to leave at least an inch or so on all three sides to maintain the rigidity of the cardboard.

We thought about decorating the boxes in some way, but I in the end I fell in love with the punchy red and yellow (and the little diagonal break.)  Bold, graphic colors are such a great contrast to all of the neutral shades we have in our apartment.

I'm a big proponent of Montessori philosophy. "Help me do it by myself," is a central Montessori theme, and this project is an example of one way that we integrate Montessori  philosophy into our day-to-day activities.

Electra always works on a mat to define the space, and chooses one puzzle at a time. When she's done she has to put one puzzle away before she gets  another one out.

Sometimes I pull all of the trays out for her to choose from and sometimes just a few, it kind of depends on the mood of the day and what she's currently interested in.

I have to say, with this system, she really does clean up after herself. There's something about that whole order begets order thing.

Now if I can just get it to spread to the rest of my house a little faster.

More on Montessori:

Basics of Montessori Philosophy

Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, by Angelina S. Lillard, PhD (If you don't have time to read this excellent book, listen to the NPR podcast while you're folding laundry!)

Cardboard Box with Wheels goes to the Airport!

Yes, it's true. We ditched our stroller for a cardboard box with castor wheels, and it was awesome!

Where to start?

A few weeks before our flight, I was puzzling through the logistics of moving a toddler and a three-year old through the airport with all of our accompanying accoutrements. Both at Tokyo Narita and Detroit Metro, I knew we had some distances to cover between gates, check-in, immigration and the rest. I hate strollers and started thinking of ways I could avoid taking ours through the airport.

That's when I started playing the what if game with myself.

What if we pulled the girls through the airport in the box with castor wheels? Or they pulled each other? Wait, I think our carry-ons would both fit in the box if we wanted to carry the girls or let them walk instead... yes, they do....Oh and wait a minute.. the box fits the dimensions for a carry on.. perfectly.... And hey, I think this could be genius!

I tucked a shear-ling sheepskin into the box for the girls to sit on in the airplane. It made a very soft and comfortable lining for them when they were sitting in the box at the airport.

Taking the Box with Wheels through the airport was even better than I imagined. When we initially walked into the airport towing the box with the girls behind it everyone around us actually just stopped and stared.

They had huge smiles on their faces and there was a lot of pointing and giggling (in a good way). A few people came up and asked us if they could take pictures, and we laughed and willfully obliged.

It felt a lot like we were pulling our own mini Fourth of July parade float through the terminal.

Still going strong even with all the bags AND kids in tow.

Surprised to find out they're trying to curb hamster trafficking at Tokyo Narita Airport?

Isis befriended EVERYONE at the airport. No luck getting a business class upgrade though.

Where should we take our box next?

Cardboard Travel Swing (A Father's Day Tribute)

Made from about five layers of glued corrugated cardboard and 4 cam straps, we created a  swing, with well, more swing. This is a great kid's swing to keep in your car or bike bag, particularly if you find that sweet spot near a body of warm water this summer.

If you use cardboard that comes from a box that has a waxy finish, your swing would be water-resistant, and should hold up in the event of an occasional splash.

The design of this swing is a common one, but the inspiration runs deeper.

The whole idea of bringing a swing to the people is one that stems from my father; rope swing builder extraordinaire.

My father actually made a practice of seeking out "rope swing type" people, and convincing them to let him build a rope swing (or zip line) for them in their back yard. He was a kind of "missionary of extreme backyard play" seeking the easy converts of the neighborhood.

I remember my father, one evening, relishing in the fact that he had scored a large pile of tow rope from a local ski hill that had recently gone out of business. He thought it would be enough to make a swing for every family in the neighborhood.

He had extension ladders, tree climbing harnesses, and I seem to remember a pair of spiky shoes for scaling tree trunks.

He was always planning ahead by stockpiling materials. Once he and my mom even moved a massive old hospital fire-escape into our backyard which he reconfigured into an incredible twisting tube slide that launched from our back deck.

I cannot remember a time in my life when we didn't have some kind of risky swing to swing on or I couldn't hear my father's occasional Wheeee! punctuate the silence of a beautiful summer day as he pushed one of us on a swing.

I know it would put a warm feeling in my Dad's heart to know that we are sharing his enthusiasm for big swings with a few kids in Tokyo.

Thanks for all the fun Dad.

Happy Father's Day.

The Wheels on the Box

Just add Wheels... During our last trip to 0123 Harappa the girls really enjoyed the cardboard box sleds that they had. I kept thinking about how we could make an adaptation using castor wheels and some hardware from the local DIY home store. The real discovery however proved to be the strength and durability of a certain breed of fruit and vegetable boxes.

Dad's old necktie makes a great and easy pull strap. Just thread it through the holes and tie a square knot.

By the way, we've been putting castor wheels on everything in our house.

Utilizing our cardboard hitch, Electra starts up her own tricycle transport for babies business. (Kitchen to tatami room connections offered daily.)

Besides the scary warning akin to those found underneath your mattress, I found out that this box is built to hold up to 55 kilos!! It also has a water-resistant and wipe-able waxy finish (mothers rejoice!) which I believe must help combat mold and mildew during transport of fruits and veggies.

Scour your local grocery store for one of these sturdy boxes. I'm sure your friends in the produce department would be happy to help you out!

I found the castor wheels for about $ 0.99 a piece and then looked for nuts and bolts to fit the castor wheels. The bolts are about 2 cm in length. Just enough to accommodate the castor wheels and the single walled box.

Using a leather punch, (but you could also use a small Phillips head screwdriver) I punched holes in the bottom of the box that corresponded with the holes on the bottom of the castor wheels.

I found out after a few days of play and finding lost nuts all over the place, that you should orient the bolts so that the nuts are attached on the inside of the box. (OK stop giggling!)

I cut an extra piece of cardboard to act as a liner and provide a little more strength and rigidity to the bottom of the box. It also provides some protection from the bolts sticking up when the girls are riding inside.

Of course don't forget to decorate the box to look like your favorite fire truck, school bus or train car. (We haven't gotten that far yet.)

A cardboard box with wheels is a wagon, a trailer, a wheelbarrow, a hangout spot, and all around super fun toddler toy.

Yay cardboard!

Cardboard Sakura Pavement Stencils

Cherry blossom petals are on the streets everywhere! Tokyo looks like it's been covered in fairy dust.

I was inspired by this post at Oh Happy Day about creating lawn "heart" stencils with flour.

We tried cherry blossom petals, cardboard and flower shapes, experimenting with both the stencil and the negative of the stencil. It was a beautiful day and Electra and Isis both absolutely loved collecting up the petals and scattering them onto the stencils. The best part was seeing the smiles on the obachans (grandmothers), who were out for a walk.

A great way to enjoy sakura, sunshine, and giggling little girls.

A Spring Swing

We've been away to all sorts of places during Grandma's 3 week visit to Japan, and to be honest we haven't had a spare minute to catch our breath and let you know what we've been up to. No cardboard projects until today, but lots of time to dream after being reacquainted with all the beauty and ingenuity of Japan's temples, gardens, and urban streets.

And did I mention that spring is in the air? Literally. Our cherry blossoms are at their peak beauty and their petals are just beginning to fall... my VERY favorite time of the year.

I made this swing to take to our favorite playground that has only a climbing structure and no swings.

The swing is made of three very sturdy cardboard tubes that I measured to the desired length and then cut with a Japanese hand saw (nokogiri).  I used paper twine to weave around the tubes, which took about 10-15 minutes, and then threaded rope through the outer two tubes. My trusty bike straps make the swing adjustable and easy to put up and take down.

A fun swing that I can also easily carry with me to the park to hang on a low tree branch. All parts recyclable or reusable. I haven't tested to see how much the swing can hold, and Electra is not a candidate for doing so due to her featherweight status, but I'm quite sure it could hold most toddler's quite easily. Give it a try and let me know how strong yours is!

Cardboard Tinkering Toys and Mobiles

Intergalactic Cardboard Space Station? Cubist Crossroads? Alice in Cardboard Wonderland? Just a few possibilities for Cardboard Tinkering Toys.

After experimenting with some tightly rolled up magazine pages, our universe kept expanding. The fun part of tinkering with the cardboard and magazine pieces is that you keep adding pieces to your building set as you go. As you fiddle, you get new ideas for ways that you can connect the magazine paper rods to one another. Add to your building set every time you play. We were able to recycle some of our old cardboard beads and cardboard alphabeads, and I've been saving words and images cut from cardboard boxes as well.

I also loved the possibility for mobiles.......

Here's a closer peak at some of our components. To be able to attach cardboard rods in two different directions, I glued two cardboard circles together with the channels running perpendicular to one another. If you glue four circles together and poke a whole through the center of each one, you can get your magazine rods to attach in four different directions plus you can thread the component piece on another magazine page rod. Other great possibilities include splicing two pieces together to get x-shaped pieces that act as stands and stabilizers.

I love the "found" poetry aspect of using cardboard words in conjunction with the bold cardboard geometric shapes.... Now go play!

Cardboard Message Stamps II

This is a variation of Cardboard Message Stamps using paper twine instead of cardboard. The paper twine affords more bend-ability for working with cursive  or handwritten style fonts and yields a print that's a little more whimsical. I will warn you that this project is a little fiddly and takes patience to curve the twine, hold it in place until it dries and get all the short pieces of twine to meet up. At the time I was doing it, I thought, hmmm this is tough, but now that it's finished and the stamp came out so well, I would venture to say that I would try this project again.

I can't read the package to be 100% sure, but I believe that this paper twine is made from the paper milk cartons that we recycle here in Japan. It reminds me a lot of the paper handles on those safety suckers that they handed out at the local credit union (bank) to pacify us when we were kids. And you know what? It worked! If only safety suckers were an option for nearly 1 year olds.

The first stamping always comes out a little patchy. The second run, pictured at the top of the post, stamped easily.

So I know this project begs the question, why make a message stamp, when you can just buy one?

1. Personalization. Write a name, or message that you would not otherwise be able to find on a store bought rubber stamp.

2. Make it Big. Perhaps you want to say something in a Big way over and over again. Then it would be handy to have a cardboard stamp.

3. Limited Life Span. Perhaps someone in your family is turning 40 and you don't foresee using a "big 4-0" stamp all that often or holding onto it for eternity. You also don't see the point of buying a stamp at the store and then Goodwill-ing it, or throwing it away. That's when a 4-0 stamp would be brilliant if made out of cardboard. You can recycle the whole thing. I think that really is something to celebrate. And by the way I think it also makes you very cool and very smart.

Cardboard Message Stamps

Print out your message using word processing software.

Flip it over and glue it down.

Paste cardboard strips about 1 cm thick over the lettering. I clipped the cardboard in between the fluting on the inside of the "o" to help ease it into a circle.

Let dry overnight. Away from curious hands!

I painted the stamp with regular acrylic paint. It took a few tries to get the cardboard to absorb enough paint to stamp relatively evenly, so don't give up if it doesn't come out perfectly the first time.

I think I'll go ahead and make name stamps for Isis and Electra using a different font, and then maybe we'll make an oversize set of the whole alphabet? Or maybe just imagine ourselves having the time to do that. Ha.

Cardboard Tray with Handles

As you can see from the pictures above this tray was born out of necessity. Now that Isis is fully mobile and on a rocket course towards walking, nothing in our home is safe from the jaws and terrible Chiclet teeth of this four legged little beast.

If you find the right box with the handle holes at the right height this tray is a one step process. I had to do a little gluing and combine the parts from two different boxes, but all in all not too bad.

The big plan is for Electra to use this tray for doing craft projects with little baby hazard pieces that require a large work surface to spread the materials out. I think it will also be good for doing puzzles, and already I love the whisk - away - ability it gives me when rascal number 2 is on the warpath. Maybe a splendid cupcake carrier as well?

Cardboard Hat and Mitten Organizer

Surprise! We're in Michigan; visiting grandma and grandpa, sledding down a custom built toddler ice luge, snowshoeing for pinecones, and building mustached snowMEN. A quick post for you about a hat and mitten organizer that I put up in the basement so that Electra could easily find and put on her own duds even while she was on vacation. I took two mugshots with the digital camera and then used photo editing software to convert them to black and white pictures. I printed the photos onto regular white paper, cut them out and glued them to the cardboard backing. I also traced Electra's hands onto the cardboard. The last step was cutting the cardboard to accommodate the hats and mittens. This project was really quick and fun. You could use tape or tacks to affix the organizer to a closet door or wall. Enjoy!

Cardboard and Plastic Netting Stationary Envelope

I I don't like to post projects that require tools that people don't have access too, but I thought that combination of materials might at least inspire those of you without a sewing machine to create something similar. The important thing about this envelope is that the netting lets you see what's inside- very important for both moms and toddlers alike!

This stationary envelope is made from a piece of cardboard and the netting that produce comes in. I first measured out a square of the netting and then traced a pattern, which included a flap on the top, onto the cardboard and cut it out.

I zigzag stitched the netting to the cardboard with a regular sewing machine (not industrial) and then I embellished the envelope with a few stripes of wash tape and a little picture of a dog that I cut from a magazine. This "kit" of materials will be a gift for a two year old friend of Electra's. I've included some homemade envelopes made from old maps, adhesive labels, two mini paper photo albums, some plain white greeting cards for decorating, blue adhesive dots and a few rolls of washi tape.

I like the way the netting expands and hugs the materials differently than a paper envelope. It will be fun to try making some more of these in different shapes and sizes to organize our own stationary supplies.

Cardboard's Strengths

Although this is probably not a project many of you are jumping to recreate, I did think you would find it interesting to see how strong a few little pieces of cardboard can be.

Electra has been wheeling around on her tricycle these days, and is keen on making her bike into more of a workhorse around the house. We have a wooden plant coaster that we have also been using as a kind of wheelie body board that makes a perfect trailer.  We just needed some kind of hitch so that Electra could easily take off the trailer when she was simply "cruising."

I measured and sketched, and then cut out this little device made of three pieces of cardboard glued together. It's surprisingly strong- it's able to pull a lot of weight (at least 10 kilos) without looking stressed. The trailer hooks up with some braided paper cord, which I used to illustrate the power of paper! I love continuing to be surprised by cardboard. It's free, recycled, and recyclable and offers so much possibility. I just find it so darn cool!  What do you do with your cardboard?

Cardboard Mini Photo Frames

Finally back from a blissful vacation in Indonesia, The Cardboard Collective is springing back to life. We've had sick kids, technology failure and just plain laziness plague us, but all excuses aside, we've got birthdays approaching that we need to deliver for.

Grandma D. is a teacher, painter, adventurer and all around photo-holic, so I know she'll appreciate this homemade twist on some of the photo gifts we've sent her in the past.

You can make one for yourself with the PDF patterns below. They are sized for 3x5 prints. You can use any kind of flat, durable cardboard for the frame, and re-purposed paper bags or magazine pages for the photo-holders. Simply trace the pattern fold it up, glue it together, and you've got it. Each side of the cardboard frame measures 6 and 3/8 in. by 4 and 1/2 in. I used a contrasting strip of washi tape to adjoin the two sides and add some color, but sometimes a bland mat and frame can make your pictures pop. You can also use the oval and square patterns on a standard sized envelope to make the frame holders. Just lop off one side of the envelope where you will insert the photo. Take the envelope apart, center the oval or rectangular pattern on it, trace, cut, and re-assemble.

       

Organize Yourself: Cardboard Library Pocket

I started gluing these library pockets in my sketch books and travel guides and quickly became addicted. They are a great addition to a Moleskin notebook too. I particularly like to use them on the front of the little cardboard covered notebooks I get from Muji. These notebooks are just the right size, inexpensive and great for sketching out ideas while the girls are playing on the playground every morning. My to do list stays front and center in the cozy little pocket and I can pull it out without having to delve into my sketchbook.

Cover them with interesting magazine pages, manga, paper bags, or other junk mail ephemera, and you've got a very classy place to keep your grocery list. No more forgetting the soy sauce!

For this project I recommend using the lightest weight cardboard you can get your hands on. Think "bone china" of cardboard. Re-purposed manilla folders would work great too.

To make the fabric covered pocket pictured at the top, I first traced the template onto cardboard and cut it out. Then I simply glued a scrap of kimono fabric to the pocket with watered down white glue and then painted over the top decoupage-style with the white glue  and water mixture so the fabric was entirely smooth and saturated. I let it dry overnight, cut off any remaining fabric, and then glued the pocket together and affixed it to the notebook. Easy.

Last minute stocking stuffer?

Click on the picture below for two sizes of free downloadable library pocket pdf templates.

Cardboard Washi Tape Holder

Now that we are getting deep into the Christmas crafting and gift wrapping, we've been pulling the washi tape out everyday. I used to keep our tapes in a box in the drawer, but I thought it would be great to have them organized in a way that I could easily see all the colors, as well as take them out and put them back without disturbing the whole lot.

Just plain old white glue should do the trick. You might try a couple of clothespins to keep everything together while it's drying.

You can use this template to create a washi tape holder that would fit in a drawer or sit on a shelf nicely. Of course you can decorate the whole darn thing with washi tape when you're done.

So do you remember life before washi tape? I don't.

Dressing up Hashi Stool with Recycled Cardboard Album Covers

During our walk around the neighborhood on recycling day yesterday, we stumbled across two bags full of vintage cardboard album covers. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack to name a few. A major find in the world of a self proclaimed cardboard hoarder; I new we had to extend the life of this technicolor cardboard pile just a little bit longer.

After getting the album covers home, we separated the "hinged" covers from the ones that had a single pocket. I went through all the pocket album covers and cut the parts with colors and typography that I liked into strips of varying widths.

To achieve the glammed up version of the Hashi Stool, I simply glued the various strips of cardboard from the album covers onto the stool and then cut away the  excess with scissors. Then I piled books on top and let it dry.

We used the hinged album covers to create what looked like a house of cards. (reminiscent of my favorite duo Eames' House of Cards) The large size of the album covers made them easy for Electra, who is 2 and 1/2 easy to handle.

We also had fun making zigzag style fences; great for playing peekaboo with Isis.

Hashi Stool: Cardboard Chair Du Jour

We've been on a sort of hiatus this past week. Isis and Electra have both come down with massive head colds while I've been trying to get all our packages shipped to the States so that they make it back before Christmas. Pair those events with rain, 45 degree F temperatures, and bike and train as our sole modes of transport and at times the cookie was starting to crumble. The good news is that today the sun came out, we had an amazing day at the park, Isis cut her top front tooth (looks like her Christmas wish will come true) and we finished this awesome project that's been in the works for a while. Click through the slideshow for tips on how to make a Hoshi Stool for your kids.

(If you are reading this in Reader, click back to the site for the slideshow and tutorial.)

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This is a great project for anyone who wants to make something for a child by hand, but doesn't have a wood shop, knitting skills, or a sewing machine. You can put this project together in the most studio of apartments, and put your leftover cardboard out (or collect the cardboard that you need) on recycling day. We used a total of 32 layers, but you can vary the width based on your preference.

  

Click the pictures above to download free PDF patterns for the Hashi Stool