Cardboard Creations

One of my favorite childhood stories was Chistina Katerina & The Box, by Patricia Lee Gauch.  It is the story of a girl who loves imaginative play, dressing up, and turning everyday objects into treasures.  Her favorite things in the world are boxes of all kinds.  (Yes, I still have my original copy... and yes it is well worn and loved and has survived its second generation of children!)

The story begins with the delivery of a new refrigerator.
Christina's mother says "Oh, how grand and new," looking at the refrigerator...
"It is!  Oh, it really is!"  says Christina, looking at the box.

The giant box goes through transformation after transformation providing weeks of castle living, race car driving, election scandals, fig newton enjoyment, and a summer ball in the front yard, before falling victim to the garden hose.

Today's post touches on a lifetime's worth of cardboard creations which began with this storybook.  With Halloween just around the corner, I share with you the Haunted Mansion Beanbag Toss from our neighborhood party a couple years ago.  It doubled as a clubhouse as well for a while.

Made from two boxes (one quite large) with windows and doors cut out.  Spray painted black and decorated with foam shapes and spiderweb.  We ran an extension cord to it, to light it up from the inside... so the numbered target holes were visible when it got really dark that night. 

The inspiration for this post was discovered on pinterest.  You can find amazing ways to recycle your boxes at a blog called ikatbag.  Below are just a couple of her creations, click the ikatbag link to see more!  For her tutorial (and tons more ideas!), click here.  For a bunch of additional cardboard links she lists, click here.

Thanks for reading!