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Nov 2 2016

cardboard creatures: autobots & elephants

Posted by hayley
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Surely by now you know I have a *thing* for cardboard. I kinda love that it’s free (hello, Amazon Prime), easy to work with, and has almost limitless potential when paired with a little hot glue and paint.

Around Sept I started saving boxes. By early October the kids placed their Halloween costume orders and I got to work.

Elephant Costume : Cardboard Creatures | greyhouseharbor.com

Optimus Prime Transformers Costume : Cardboard | greyhouseharbor.com

Bug crushed the trick-or-treat scene as Optimus Prime from the Transformers series.

Optimus Prime Transformers Costume : Cardboard | greyhouseharbor.com

Optimus Prime Transformers Costume : Cardboard | greyhouseharbor.com

Arm guns included. Duh.

Optimus Prime Transformers Costume : Cardboard | greyhouseharbor.com

cardboad-creatures-2016-2

When he laid down flat, the whole costume transformed into Optimus’s signature semi-truck mode. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for a video of him in action as well as some behind-the-scenes clips…

Optimus Prime Transformers Costume : Cardboard | greyhouseharbor.com

And then my animal lover: Songbird, the elephant. The entire headpiece was fashioned on the fly: cut, fit, re-cut, glue. Old-fashioned trial and error.

Elephant Costume : Cardboard Creatures | greyhouseharbor.com

Little plastic snaps and straps of elastic kept all 4 “feet” secure, while still allowing full range of motion. A small loop of cardboard glued to the back of the tail easily attached it to the hoodie with a kilt pin.

Elephant Costume : Cardboard Creatures | greyhouseharbor.com

Elephant Costume : Cardboard Creatures | greyhouseharbor.com

The night prior to Halloween, I stayed up past my bedtime to make myself a cardboard hat. I feel a kinship with the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland; we both frequently feel as though we’re losing our minds, have large heads that look great in hats, and think that wanting to sit and sip (sweet) tea in peace is really not asking for much.

Mad Hatter Costume - Cardboard Hat | greyhouseharbor.com

Some people might wonder why I would spend so much time and effort on something that’s worn for just one night. It’s the same reason people spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress that’s worn once: love.

Cardboard Creature Costumes : Transformer & Elephant | greyhouseharbor.com

The love of a making my kids’ dreams a reality and shaping their childhood memories. The love of succeeding at a challenging project. My love for changing up the daily routine and a great excuse to dust off my paintbrushes.

Cardboard Creature Costumes : Transformer & Elephant | greyhouseharbor.com

As an artist turned homemaker, I’m not going to see my work hung in a fancy gallery any time soon. For now I’ll just enjoy it hanging on my kids.

Cardboard Creature Costumes : Transformer, Mad Hatter, & Elephant | greyhouseharbor.com

Be sure to watch the video for Bug’s awesome transformation!

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Tags: art studio, cardboard, costumes, halloween, our life
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41 comments
May 28 2014

how to make a cardboard box dump truck

Posted by hayley
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how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Back in January, when I wrote about Bug’s 2nd birthday, I also posted a tutorial on how to make a cardboard box bulldozer. Since then, I’ve had a few requests for step-by-step instructions for the cardboard box dump truck too. And since you asked so nicely…

Supplies
– 1 large box (18 x 18 x 24)
– 2 small boxes (16 x 12 x 12)
– yardstick
– pencil
– box cutter
– scissors
– glue gun
– paint

1. Hot glue one end of the large box shut.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

2. On the top side, measure 6″ back from the closed end. Use a yardstick to draw a straight line across. Then, find the middle and draw a line perpendicular all the way through the back flap.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

3. With a box cutter and yardstick, cut the long line first. Angle the vertical back flaps in to better support the back flap as you cut it. Then cut the perpendicular line the same way.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

4. It will look like this when you fold the cuts up.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

5. Fold in the backs of the top and, overlapping about an inch, hot glue together.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

6. Cut off the two side flaps. Fold the bottom flap inside the body, hot gluing in place.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

7. Back to the top, measure down 3″ and cut off all the way around. This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes the scale of the dump truck more accurate.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

8. Next, hot glue both ends of one small box. Be sure the long flaps are on the outside.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

9. Center the small box on the front of the large box and hot glue in place.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

10. Cut the remaining small box open so it lays flat. Trace bowls to make four circles. I used one 11″ bowl and one 14″ bowl because I like the back wheels to be larger. It’s easiest to cut these out with a regular pair of scissors.

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

11. I recommend painting the dump truck and the wheels separately, then attaching them after the paint is dry. But for this tutorial I’m gonna hot glue them in place you can see where they go. Glue the back wheels with a little sticking out beyond the back edge and line the front wheels up against the back of the small box. (and yes, that’s Bug’s head popping out… couldn’t keep him out at this point!)

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

how to make a carboard dump truck  |  greyhouseharbor.com

12. Now you paint! A little paint goes a long way—I used three 8 oz tester sized jars: 1 orange, 1 black, and 1 white. I mixed the black and white to make the grey tones and used yellow from the bulldozer for accents.

If you make one, come share a photo of it on our Facebook page! »»» facebook.com/greyhouseharbor

Cardboard Dump Truck

Tags: cardboard, cardboard construction equipment, cardboard dump truck, diy, kid stuff, tutorials
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I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

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