Creative Projects Using Everyday Materials
30 tutorials published
A plain guide to choosing glue by surface: white glue, glue stick, tacky glue, low-temperature hot glue and tape, with a chart for paper, cardboard, fabric, glass, metal and plastic.
Measure, score and fold cereal box card into a small square gift box with a fitted lid, using nothing more than a ruler, a blunt point and glue.
Mark one diagonal on a cereal box, make four cuts, then reinforce and cover it for an upright file that holds magazines, notebooks and loose paper.
Slice flattened paper tubes into even rings, pinch them into petals and glue them into flowers that join up as a light, lacy wall panel.
Turn clean food jars into opaque vases with acrylic craft paint: how to prepare the glass, brush on thin even coats, add optional finishes and look after the result.
Build a standing or hanging frame for a 4 x 6 inch print from one corrugated box, with a window front, a slot for the picture and a fold-out stand.
Turn one clean food can into a desk holder: wash it, remove the label, tape the rim, then cover it with decorative paper, twine or a fabric remnant and add an optional felt base.
Four lightweight ornaments from everyday materials: a magazine-strip ball, a yarn-wrapped cardboard star, a jar lid frame with a paper tree and a paper tube snowflake, plus hanging and storage notes.
Learn which tool suits corrugated and cereal box card, why the direction of the ribs matters, and how to make straight cuts, scored folds, curves and windows with clean edges.
Wrap presents with what is already at home: stamped brown paper bags, map and magazine pages, knotted fabric remnants, reused boxes and jars, cardboard tags and twine ties, with notes on sizing and creases.
Measure your drawer, cut corrugated cardboard strips to height and lock them together with half-depth slots for a grid that fits your supplies. Includes a quicker option using cut-down boxes as trays.
Cut arches, circles and a leaf from a shipping box, stack them in layers, peel a few pieces to show the ribs and paint in two colors for a lightweight relief panel you can hang.
