So you’re at the end of your big move or you received a lot of deliveries and need to get rid of all these cardboard boxes and packaging that you’ve been left with. Recycling is an option, but it’s possible that not all of it will be recycled or it will be used unproductively.
After purchasing many packaging supplies and cardboard, what kinds of DIY projects can you do to make the most out of this potential waste without being left with extra unusable junk? Here are a few DIY project tutorials just for your extra cardboard.
1. Cardboard Letters
Whether you use lettering in your regular modern décor or you want to make your own banner for a party or event you are hosting. This is the easiest craft on the list and could be the one that you get the most use of. If you’re working with a specific kind of font, then you will want to start by referring to a stencil of some kind. Printing full-sized letters, cutting out the letter shapes with scissors or an exacto knife, and then tracing along the cardboard (if you’re worried about creating more waste with the scraps of paper, rest assured that paper is amongst the most easily recycled materials, being shredded into a mulch and pressed into a new paper product).
With the shape etched into your cardboard pieces, you only need to cut out these letter shapes, thread a string through holes at the top of each letter to string them together and hang them along a wall or ceiling, giving the illusion of floating letters. You can also bolster these letters with extra cardboard strips to make a letter-shaped 3D box that you can then hang up on your walls or place on surfaces.
2. Cardboard Skeeball
If you have ever spent an evening in an arcade, you know the allure of the skeeball game all too well. What if you could recreate that fun in your own home with nothing but cardboard? First, you’ll need a lot of cardboard, a few cereal boxes, scissors, duct tape, marbles or other kinds of balls, and a utility knife. Take the large cardboard box and open it up completely and prop up a part of the cardboard sheet on the cereal boxes (or other kinds of cardboard) to create a ramp.
You can either carve regular holes in the “goal” section of the elongated ramp or you can go for a genuine skeeball look by cutting paper towel rolls or cutting strips of cardboard to create a backboard and prevent massive rebounds for misses.
Tilting the goal section forward will funnel misses back down to the start section. It’s a quick makeshift game that can be made in just about any size and is suitable for all ages.
3. Schools Diagrams
If you’re attending school or have a child in school, you’ll know that one of the best ways to make your project pop is to make a diorama. How do you make the best historical re-enactment of a battle or event? Set up some cardboard figures with pictures on them.
Need a full-scale presentation board? Skip the supplies store and open up that large cardboard box you’re stuck with. Not only you or you child get an A+ on that project, but you can also clean out your living space and rest assured that you’re putting all that extra cardboard to good use.
4. Costume Ideas
Cardboard is also great for people who like to create their own costumes from scratch. Whether it’s just for a well-thought out Halloween costume or an outfit for a fan convention in town, cardboard is a very flexible material in that you can morph it to whatever you think of.