For birthdays, anniversaries, and even graduations, having large cardboard numbers on hand for decoration or as props for a photo shoot is a lot of fun.
This same technique can also be used for letters if you wish to make a name or initials for an event or photo shoot.
These are fairly easy to make, low cost, and can be whatever size and colors you want.
MATERIALS
- cardboard
- contact paper, wrapping paper or similar for covering the cardboard
- duct tape or similar (optional)
- glue gun, glue sticks
- white glue (optional)
- exacto knife, scissors
1. Draw the letter or number onto cardboard. I used some circular items to trace around and a long ruler. You can print off the number/letter from your computer, cut it out, and trace around it too.
2. Cut out the number/letter.
3. Trace the number/letter onto another piece of cardboard and cut it out.
4. Cut a bunch of cardboard into strips. These will determine the thickness of the finished number/letter. Mine were 2" wide.
5. Use the glue gun to attach pieces of the strips at right angle to one of the number/letter cut outs. Start by gluing in the middle. These pieces give the number/letter strength.
Keep building up the middle.
6. Next, glue more strips around the outside edge of the number/letter. These will be the sides of the number/letter.
7. Glue the second letter/number cut out piece on top. I used white glue on the inside supports and a glue gun around the outside edges.
Trim any uneven areas.
8. Tape over any areas that the glue isn't holding well or are still uneven.
9. Cover the front and back with contact paper or similar, wrapping the edges of the paper around the sides. For curves, make relief cuts every inch or so to keep the edge smooth.
10. Cover the sides of the number/letter. I used duct tape but you can use more contact paper or similar or another kind of tape or even ribbon.
DONE!
Enjoy your party or photo shoot!
Need a cool hat to wear to a tea party? Looking for a unique box for collecting greeting cards at an event? Does your kid want to be the Mad Hatter or a magician for Halloween? Whether you enjoy "Alice in Wonderland" or just love a great costume, this post is for you. This technique can be used to build a variety of top hats, so you can customize it to your needs.
The first thing that you'll need to do is figure out the size that you want to make the hat. If you want to make it to wear (like I did), measure the intended wearer's head circumference, add an inch or so, and this will be the length of your main piece of cardboard (about 22" - 24" for teens and adults). If you want to use the hat for a greeting card box, you'll probably want to make it even larger. You can also make a smaller hat and attach it to a headband.
Your options for decorating the hat are about as diverse as Lewis Carroll's characters. You can wrap the hat in fabric (like I did), wrapping paper, or duct tape. You can cover the hat in paper mache and paint it. You can reference photos online and copy the hat worn in one of the movies, complete with the 10/6 price tag, or use whatever colors and accents that you want. The possibilities are endless.
MATERIALS
- large, flat pieces of cardboard
- tape, glue
- ruler, pencil
- scissors, exacto knife
- materials for covering and decorating the hat
1. For my adult-sized hat, I used a piece of cardboard 22.5" long and 12" wide. I wish that I had done 24" long instead, but I did a little "flair" at the bottom of the top of the hat, which made the opening bigger. Your choice. Cut out the piece of cardboard.
2. Measure and mark the following lines on your piece of cardboard:
a. 2" down from the top edge
b. 1" and 2" up from the bottom edge
c. across the middle
d. every 1.5" or so across the entire length
3. Cut the "cut" lines. Score and fold on the "fold" lines.
4. Form the cardboard into a cylinder. Butt the edges together and tape along the seam on the outside. On the inside, glue/tape a narrow strip of cardboard over the seam to strengthen it.
5. Cut three circles of cardboard that are 12" in diameter. From the center of one, cut a 10" diameter circle out. Cut an additional circle 10.25" in diameter. You should have the following pieces:
a. two 12" diameter circles = top and bottom of brim
b. one 12" diameter ring = middle of brim
c. one 10" diameter circle = inside top of hat
d. one 10.25" diameter circle = outside top of hat
6. Tuck the 10" diameter circle inside the top "flaps" of the hat so that it rests on the fold 2" from the ends.
7. Glue the flaps down to the circle. Start at one side, do the flap across from it, then continue to crisscross - this will help keep the circle centered. You may have to trim the corners off some of the flaps. Don't worry if the hat ends up a little "wonky", it's going to look great.
8. Fill in the center with cardboard scraps, if you want to add strength, and glue in place. Glue the 10.25" circle on top.
9. In the center of the two 12" diameter circles, draw an oval the size that you want for the opening. You can practice getting the shape right on scrap pieces first, then trace it onto your circles. For adults, it's about 7.5" wide by 8.5" long. If the hat won't be worn, you can just do 8" circles. Cut out the middles.
Slide one ring onto the hat from the bottom.
10. Glue the flaps to the ring, crisscrossing like you did for the top. Glue the 12" diameter ring with the 10" diameter hole to the first ring, around the flaps. You may have to trim the ring narrower in some places. Glue the third ring to the narrow ring and the flaps.
11. The hat is built!
Isn't that cool?! Now for the fun part: decorating.
TO COVER THE HAT IN FABRIC
12. Place the hat on a piece of fabric and wrap the fabric up around the brim to determine how much you need in order to cover the entire brim (about 20" diameter circle). Mark/cut the circle of fabric. Glue the fabric to the brim along the seam between the brim and the top, working on opposite sides to keep the fabric centered.
13. Trim away any excess fabric around the top edge. Flip the hat over. Carefully cut an oval out of the center of the fabric about 5" in diameter.
14. Cut slits in the fabric ever inch or so to create flaps.
Glue the flaps to the inside of the hat. Cover the flaps with a strip of fabric or piece of ribbon, if desired.
15. Place the hat upside down on a piece of fabric and wrap the fabric up around the top/sides to determine how much you need in order to cover the entire top/sides (about 30" diameter circle). Mark/cut the circle of fabric. Glue the fabric to the side along the seam between the brim and the side, working on opposite sides to keep the fabric centered.
Trim away any excess fabric around the edge. Cover the joint area with a strip of fabric or a ribbon.
DONE! Add whatever decorations you like, throw the hat on your head, and get ready to receive compliments on the awesome hat you just made.
Pinatas are a lot of fun at parties and they are an easy way to thank your guests for attending without doing individual treat bags. Unlike individual bags, it doesn't matter if guests cancel at the last minute or arrive unexpectedly, because the treats are simply divided among whoever is present.
Pinatas are also very versatile: you can make them any size and shape you want and the contents are easy to customize to your theme and preferences. You can fill them with your child's favorite candies, opt for healthier options such as fruit snacks and granola bars, or skip the food all together and use small toys, erasers, stickers, etc.
This tutorial is for a triceratops pinata, but you can definitely use the basic techniques to customize it to whatever animal you want. By adding or removing elements, changing the colors, and using your imagination a little, this could easily become a cow or elephant or dog pinata. And remember, the best part about a pinata is the smashing, so don't worry about trying to be perfect.
MATERIALS
- BODY: cardboard box around 12"x10"x8" (30 cm x 25 cm x 20 cm)
- HEAD: cardboard box around 4" cubed (10 cm)
- FRILL, HORNS, TAIL: cardboard pieces
- LEGS: cardboard tube(s)
- white glue
- scissors, exacto knife
- acrylic paint, brush
- 3-4 sheets of tissue paper
- tape
- string
- treats
1. Turn the large box upside down (opening to the bottom). Poke a hole in both sides near the top edge in the center of the edge. Thread approximately 6' (2 m) string through both holes and tie the ends together. This is how your pinata will hang. (I completely forgot to do this until the end and used a long stick to thread the string through the box.)
2. Turn the box over and fill it with treats. Glue the opening shut just enough that it will stay sealed but still be the weakest part of the box (so the treats will fall out). If you want the pinata to be a "pull-type", poke holes in these flaps and add long strings to them before closing the box. Turn the box upside down again, so that the opening you just sealed is now the bottom of the pinata.
3. Cut a piece of cardboard to make a frill approximately the same size as one end of the large box. I had a thick piece of cardboard that was already the right size and a cool shape. You can make yours as simple or elaborate as you want - basically a wavy-edged oval is the shape you're going for. Once you have it cut out, trace the small box onto the frill along the bottom edge and cut out the square.
4. Glue and tape the small box to one end of the large box.
5. Glue the frill to the large box, fitting it around the small box.
6. On a piece of cardboard, measure and mark out six triangles that are 6" (15 cm) long and 2" (5 cm) wide.
Draw a diamond on cardboard approximately 3" (7.5 cm) high by 2" (5 cm) wide.
Cut out all the pieces.
The diamond is the nose horn. Glue/tape it in place with half on the small box and the other half sticking up.
Two large triangles are the eyebrow horns.
Four large triangles are the tail. Glue/tape them together.
7. Cut narrow slots into the frill above the small box for the two large horn triangles to slip in. Glue them in place.
8. Glue/tape the tail to the opposite end.
9. Cut the cardboard tube(s) into four pieces around 4" (10 cm) long.
Glue/tape to the bottom of the large box.
10. Stand the pinata on the legs (tubes).
Allow all the glue to dry thoroughly.
Paint the entire pinata whatever color(s) you want. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.
11. Cut the tissue paper into long strips that are 2" (5 cm) wide. Snip along one side of the strips approximately 1" (2.5 cm) deep and 3/4" (2 cm) apart. (I used binder clips to hold my strips together and snipped lots at once.)
12. Starting at the bottom of the pinata, glue the uncut side of the strips to the pinata, overlapping as you go.
13. Work your way around the pinata, gluing on strips from bottom to top. You can use different colors for different parts or leave some parts bare. (I left the legs bare for now so that it's easier to store the pinata until I need it, but I might cover them later.) For the frill, start at the outside edge and work your way in. DONE.
