Call me a “greenie” or just a plain ol’ weirdo, but I never get bored with crafting “trash” into treasures. Most recently I shared with you how I turned leftover juice pouches into wallets. It was a fun way to reuse the durable, flexible packaging, and teach my children about recycling. But that was only half the waste problem. I also wanted to transform the cardboard boxes into something new.
While you never can go wrong when recreating the sturdy boxes into storage containers and/or children’s building blocks, I tried something a bit different. I made standing picture frames (above). I figured if cereal boxes can become frames then so can juice pouch boxes. The corrugated cardboard holds its shape very well and doesn’t require any additional support to stay upright. Keep reading to find out how I turned a box into a DIY picture frame in a few easy steps.
Craft a DIY Picture Frame for Lasting Memories
For this project you’ll need the following materials:
- 1 empty, dry cardboard box, similar to the size of boxes packaging juice pouches
- Scissors and/or Exacto knife
- Decorative paper (scrap paper or old paper gift bags would work great!)
- Glue
- Optional Embellishments (i.e. pipe cleaners, ribbons, rhinestones, paints, etc.)
Instructions
1. Unfold your box so it lies flat on the surface.
2. Cut off all of the flaps. You should be left with a piece of cardboard measuring approximately 14 ½ inches long by 9 inches wide.
Tip: If your box has a hole by the “Open Here” punch-out, adjust the size of your cardboard to about 6 inches wide.
3. Adhere the decorative paper to the brown side of your cardboard. This will help prevent the bright, colorful designs of the box from showing through your paper. Spray adhesive or multi-purpose glue would work the best. Trim away any excessive paper.
4. Using your Exacto knife, cut an opening for your picture on either end of your cardboard. I cut a 4 ½ inches by 4 ½ inches in my cardboard that measured 6 inches wide.
5. Adhere your picture to the inside of the frame.
6. Fold your cardboard into a triangle or tent-shape. Be careful not to tear any of the perforations at the base of your frame, if this applies to your box.
7. Glue the top of your frame shut. I used hot glue then used binder clips to keep the frame closed tightly until the glue sealed the two sides together.
Tips: Don’t worry if the logo shows in the middle; this detail sets it apart as a one-of-kind.
8. (Optional) Add a personal, playful touch to your frame using embellishments. I made pipe cleaner flowers for my frame, but ribbons, rhinestones and paints are awesome too!
What do you think of this picture frame project? I’d love to know some of your ideas for reusing cardboard boxes?
Photo Credit: Talancia Pea