I saw this video about Caine, a 9 year old boy from East LA on the Craft site and was inspired. Caine used his formidable imagination and ingenuity to make his own arcade out of cardboard, but it was his determination and self-belief that won the day. Watch this short film about a creative kid. It will make you want to break out the cardboard and dust off your own imagination:
If you want to make like Caine and getting crafting with cardboard, here is a round-up of craft tutorials that make use of humble cardboard to great effect. These tutorials are meant for adults. There are plenty of tutorials for kids that make use of cardboard but I wanted to show you how cardboard can be just as beautiful as a material for adults as it is for kids.
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Every Friday I do a round-up of free craft tutorials on a certain theme. So stop by every Friday for your weekly dose of free crafts, patterns and tutorials. Or browse for more free resources by combing through the "Free Craft Tutorials & Patterns" category (just click the link) or use the Google Search function on the top left of my blog to search for something specific.
Decor
Mark Montano created a tutorial for the Fiskars site on how to create a cardboard art hat stand. Click the link to see the tutorial.
Patricia Zappata shared a tutorial on how to make a hurricane cover for a lamp out of cardboard paper towel tubes on her blog The Little Hut.
Click the link to see a tutorial from Amy of the blog Chestnut Tree Lane on how to create a heart garland out of cardboard and twine.
Design some amazing furniture from cardboard using these instructions on Instructables. Just click the link.
Use cardboard to make gourd placesettings for your table with this tutorial from the BBB Craft Sisters as featured on Design Sponge. Who says cardboard can't be sophisticated?
Click the link to see a cardboard hot pad tutorial from Jenya at Eva Foreva.
Use cardboard tubes to craft your own photo frames with this tutorial from Photojojo.com.
Weddings/Cards
Make cards or wedding programs with a DIY tutorial on Intimate Weddings to create some stunning card and burlap paper creations.
Dolls
Click the link to see a tutorial with a free pattern for making a card kimono doll bookmark as shared by Sandy on her blog, Sandy's Space.
Break out some cardstock to make a beautiful paper doll using a free art doll template from theEnchantedGallery.com. Click the link to see the template as well as some inspiring examples and ideas for how you could make these card templates into a piece of art using stamps or scrapbook paper.
Larissa Albernaz shared how she made a doll house out of patterned card on the Crate Paper Blog.
Crafting Tools
Diane Gilleland shared a tutorial on CraftStylish for how to weave on a homemade cardboard loom. You could use this technique to weave placemats, coaster, bags, you name it.
Emily on Red Bird Crafts shared a great idea for creating your own signage for craft fairs out of cardboard. Perfect for all you crafters who sell your work.
Make hanging file boxes, perfect for storing patterns, out of cardboard crates with a tutorial from Small Fry and Co.
Crafting with cardboard is green and it costs very little. What's not to like?
This is a marvellous video. Talk about being determined and undeterred. Wow! Thanks so much.
Posted by: Kitty Babcock | April 14, 2012 at 08:34 PM