CEREAL BOX UPCYCLING: A COMPENDIUM

UPCYCLING CEREAL/SNACK BOXES: A COMPENDIUM

Image by: Chris Toumanian

Why I love Cereal/Snack Boxes:

-->They are the perfect thickness for many craft projects! You can generally cut through these boxes with ease!

-->They are a great size for so many projects! You can turn one cereal box into at least two journals and two bookmarks with ease!

-->They are usually very colorful and fun (thus requiring little necessary decoration!)

-->They are altogether so versatile, but mainly they are ABUNDANT TRASH! 

    There is nothing better to me than finding ways to artfully or pragmatically reuse items rather than even exerting the initial energy to recycle. After seeing so many people using my literal garbage to paint at Van Duzer Days I was elated to know that all of the trash got new beautiful life for awhile. Everyone created with abandon and I felt comfortable fostering that since essentially our canvases would have been more landfill anyway! 

So, to inspire you all further:

 

Things I Have Made: 

-->magazine files

-->journals/ notebooks/ notepads

-->artful diorama 

-->bookmarks

-->blog banner!

-->dry erase boards

-->stencils

Other uses/ideas:

-->I have now learned that these are the perfect canvases to paint on!-
-->But I tend to use boxes as my pallete or floor mat
-->penants!
--> kids face masks
-->paper dolls (for kids to decorate!)
-->wall art (I love so many of the colors and designs of cereal boxes!)
-->photo-mats (though you may want to use archival spray unless you want your photos to fade!)
-->place mats (you can cover them with clear plastic contact paper or vinyl!)

Awesome Tutorials/Templates:

-->Shala Beads of You Have To Wonder: Mega-List of Crafty Ways to Reuse Cereal Boxes!

I particularly like these Match-Book Style Mini-Notebooks. My version, I call "Mini-Art Pads make these with cut recycled paper and some pretty cardstock scraps. These cannot be more simple since all you need to do is cut, fold, and staple once!

-->Her Cup Overfloweth's awesome Cereal Box Tote

-->Replayground has so many fun ideas for upcycling! This Food/Cereal Box Wallet is easy and fun to make!

-->Plum Pudding uses cereal boxes as postcards, and Decorative Globes! 

-->Applehead's Elastic Bookmarks (Cyndy and I made these awhile back and they were so cool!)

-->The Long Thread's Make-It Monday Cereal Box Journal! (I have so so many easy versions that I will have to pour into a visual tutorial a la karma button! A few of you at Van Duzer Days learned my super quick tricks!)

-->Whimsy Love's Mini-Cereal Box Organizers are so cool!! I have a bunch waiting!

-->Cereal Box-- Gift Box 1 (via Curbly)

-->Cereal Box--Gift Box 2 (via Instructables)

-->Cereal Box Gift Bags

And PLEASE, cue me in one any other cool ideas you find or come up with!!