Kids love to paint, color and draw, then display their artwork on the fridge, but if the refrigerator is getting a little crowded your child could have artwork lying around the house. Have you ever seen how upset a child can get when something is spilled on their art? Well, it suffices to say its not a pretty sight! Never face that problem; head it off at the pass. Make a carrier for your childs pictures and paintings and theyll be protected from accidents.
An ordinary cereal box is all you need to make a cute tote for a girl or a masculine art tote for a boy. Although the size of the box doesnt really matter, the larger the box, the larger pictures it will hold. Start by removing the flaps from the top of the box. Discard them or save them for a future cardboard project.
Use Decoupage or Mod Podge adhesive to glue pictures all over the box. The glue can be found at any craft store and helps to smoothly add paper or cloth to any other object or material. Tear pictures or paper and glue them on the box. The pictures can be cartoons cut from the newspaper, pictures cut from magazines or just pieces torn from tissue paper. Whatever type of paper you decide to use youll tear it into random small pieces. Spread a little of the glue on the backside of one small piece of the torn paper and stick it anywhere on the box. Now spread a little glue over the top of it. Continue adding another piece, and another, in this manner. Some pieces will need to be folded over the edges or sides. Cover the entire box including the bottom. Allow the glue to dry completely. Check the label on the glue jar to see how long it will take. On the front and back of the box youll need to create handles for carrying the tote. Make sure the handles are evenly positioned on each side of the carryall. To make the handles place a narrow, rectangular object near the top, at the open end, and draw around it. The rectangle can be a piece of cardboard or a remote control. Just use something around the house to create the pattern. As a matter of fact, the handles dont absolutely have to be rectangular shapes; they could be oval shapes, too. After youve drawn the two rectangles or ovals on the front and back of the box, cut out around the pattern. This will create an opening on each side of the box that can be used as a handle. It would be a little bulky to carry the tote the way it is so take steps to make the box more compact at the top. To do this use a narrow object, like a fork handle or flat spatula to make creases down both side panels of the box. The crease just be exactly in the center of each side panel. Measure with a ruler then make a line down the side. Crease along this line on each side of the box. Glue a velcro dot to the inside top of the front and back panels. The dot will help kids close the tote and keep the drawings inside. Although the dot completes the art carrier there are many ways to embellish the box and make it more unique. Craft stores are full of decorative items you can use to enhance the tote. Painted wooden shapes, roping, scrapbook frames and similar items make great embellishments for the art tote. Things you have around your house, like flat buttons, ribbon, beads and other odds and ends can help kids create the perfect tote for pennies. Make assorted boxes to carry a variety of things. Make one that is used for photos and another that holds coloring books and crayons. Use your imagination to make the tote even more than it already is. For instance, glue a piece of elastic around the box and itll hold crayons, markers and more. Place a glue dot every inch or so, all the way around the box, until the ends of the elastic meet. Glue the ends securely. Now slip writing or coloring instruments into the pockets formed by the unglued places in the elastic. Kids will love having a tote that holds their artwork and theyll love the fact that they can take their artwork anywhere. Make totes for your own self, too. They can hold craft supplies, receipts and paperwork, a collection of Mothers Day cards
No comments:
Post a Comment