Welcome to my cardboard craft blog

Whether you are just plain bored or simply too broke to purchase other materials; cardboard is free! Cardboard is such a versitile craft medium that you can make just about anything from it. All you need is a little knowledge about different construction techniques to ignite your own art passion for cardboard. This blog is intended to show the construction techniques I use in my own cardboard crafts. When you learn the secrets of creating strength with cardboard you can create whatever you desire. From simple items like picture frames to extremely large pieces of usable furniture; it will all be possible. Travel along with me as I show you the secrets hidden within the cardboard. Go green or save a tree or just to keep it out of a landfill.... whatever your choice of phrases.... start creating your own cardboard art. If you find this blog helpful, please recommend it to your friends.

If you are new to this blog it's best to read the numbered labels first. ie: 1 - What do you see? 2 - Tools you need etc.

In those labels you will find the basic information you need to get started making your own cardboard furniture and crafts.



Thursday, June 24, 2010

Breakfast bar - the beginning

I often use the words paper boards and cardboards to mean the same thing.  With any piece of  cardboard furniture you need to start with a sketch.  You don't need to be precise with the drawing.  It's only to help you plan the construction so the furniture fits where you want it to fit.  I write notes on my sketch to help me remember measurements too.   For this piece I did a sketch of an overhead view to remind myself that it should have an area underneath for a person's legs just like a table would.




Next I did a sketch of what the front will look like.... maybe.  The outside decoration (finish) may change once the bones of the furniture is completed.  For now, on this piece, I've simply drawn a square around the outside edges to represent a raised area design.




This is what I want for the inside of the breakfast bar.  Shelves to hold kitchen appliances or whatever.  As I'm constructing the sections I can make changes if I want.




On the sketch I write the size of paper boards I need for the main construction.  This helps me decide the size boxes I will use to make this piece.  I get the nicest boxes from a friend's husband who brings them to me.  What large furniture pieces I make will be dependant on what he brings me.  In future posts I will show smaller things made from everyday household boxes.





Don't be tempted to start cutting out all your pieces before starting to put it together.  You will find out along the way that some sizes may change.... ever so slightly.  Cardboard may look smooth and even but in reality there are dips and valleys not seen with the naked eye.  Your cutting may not be as precise as you think either.  The way I construct a piece is to cut the outside pieces first and cut individual pieces for construction as they are needed.

For this breakfast bar I know I want it in 4 sections.  There are three seating area sections and one connecting section between the bar and the existing cabinets.  All four sections will be held together by the top and bottom.  I already know I will not have enough cardboard to complete the whole furniture piece.  Looking at what cardboard I have here, it looks like I can complete only one section for now.  I'll do as much as I can and wait for the man who supplies me with cardboard to bring more.  I'm told it may be a while as he doesn't get boxes all that often.  It's worth the waiting though because the boxes are good quality.

Are you ready to get started?

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