ID Mommy Projects: Recycle Happy Meal Boxes into Toy Houses!

I must have paper crafts on the brain, because last week when I treated Sammy to a McDonald's Happy Meal for lunch, my warped mind saw a little toy house.  It wasn't long before I had created a pattern to color, cut, and glue on to his Happy Meal box to turn it into a little cardboard house.

Luckily for all of you, I've just uploaded the pdf patterns for you to download for free, at my design site!  Like the road construction playset, I have it available in black and white (for your little Picasso to color), or already in color if you just want to get straight to playing house.

Here's how we did it...

Supplies: Happy Meal box, scissors, glue, scrap cardboard, printed pattern
Optional and very nice to have: X-acto knife

Step 1: Print out all 4 pages of the pdf and cut them out.  I did the already colored one here...if you do the black and white version, let your kids color it in before cutting it out.  On the front and back pieces, fold the side flaps back, as they will wrap around the corners of the house.  It also makes the whole thing bend easier if you fold along the dotted lines once to make a crease before sticking it to the box.

Step 2: Apply glue to the back of the pieces.

Step 3: Glue the front and back pieces on, making sure those white side flaps fold around the corners and stick to the sides.

Step 4: Glue the left and right sides on.

Step 5: Let the glue dry. (or the pages will easily tear when you do this step) Flatten the box, slip a piece of scrap cardboard inside to protect from cutting through to the other side...

...and cut out the windows and around the three sides of the door.  This is where an X-acto knife comes in handy.  Scissors are tougher to use here but they work too.

...and, you're done!  

This is a great little toy to take on-the-go, being that it has built in handles.  It also folds flat for storage, which is a big plus for us grown-ups.  Sammy calls it his "cheeseburger house!"

This also would make a great project to bring with on that road trip to the cabin or Grandma's house.  Just print out the pdf and bring it with you. The kids can color it in the car, and when you have to stop for a drive-through meal during the trip, keep your box for a fun project ready to assemble upon your arrival!

Fun Friday Finds

Just a few cool things to share with you today!  While I try to share things that you would be interested, I have to admit I use my blog just as much as my own list to record and keep track of all the projects I'd like to try, toys I'd like to get, products I'd like to review, and websites I'd like to explore more!  Today's post is no exception...

Check out this creative twist on block puzzles.  Designed by a Swiss toymaker, Naef, "Colorem" allows your kids to draw their own puzzle images with chalk.  Your kids can decorate all sides for 6 different puzzles, then simply wipe them clean with a wet cloth and start all over!  This seems like something that would be fun to make too, with some wood blocks and chalk board paint. They come with some chalk crayons, which I'm assuming stick better than your standard chalk...otherwise it would likely be a huge mess.  Looks like a blast!! (via Inhabitots)

Here's a fun way to use some of those little toys you have all over the house.  A whole lot better than stepping on them in the middle of the night...use them to light your path instead! Designed by Ryan McElhinney. (via LikeCool)

These shadow boxes by Peter Slight are so awesome.  When I was little I made one of these but it was a carnival scene with a merry-go-round and ferris wheel.  I still have it hanging on my wall.  I love the illustrations of these! Okay, more things for my creative to-do list... (via Drawn!)

MoMa's Modern Play House & Modern Family

I've been reading about this for a while now online, but it's finally available for purchase, so I had to pass it on!  I love this cute "Modern Play House" from MoMa.  The six cardboard walls nest together, and your kids can assemble the reversible furniture pieces and lay out their own house with included vinyl cling accessories.

Don't forget the family! Sold separately for $12.99, it includes 5 people, a cat, a dog, a dog house, and over 150 vinyl cling clothes and hair styles!  I just might have to get a set for myself...the paper crafter in me loves these little cardboard cutout people and furniture!

ID Mommy Projects: FREE DIY Road Construction Playset!

It's a rainy day here in Minneapolis, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to share this rainy day project for you and the kids!

The other day I came across this great website where you can download free patterns to cut, fold and glue into cute paper toys.  I printed out a car for Sammy to decorate.

Since we have some road construction going on right out in front of our house right now, I thought it would be fun to make some of my own paper toy patterns, and created this cool 3D paper road construction play set:

I know what you're thinking.  "Wow, I sure wish I could spend my afternoon crafting a paper port-a-potty and burly construction worker too!"  Well, you're in luck!!  I have decided to post this as a free pdf download over at my design website.  The 5 page pdf comes complete with 10 orange cones, 2 barriers, 2 barrels, 1 pile of dirt, a worker with a stop/slow sign, 5 pieces of road (not shown in photo), and last but certainly most necessary, 1 port-a-potty!  (Warning: there's a toilet seat inside, however, there is no toilet paper left so I hope you have some tissues in your purse.)

I have both a color and a black-and-white version for your downloading pleasure, just in case your child would like to decorate the pieces with whatever lovely colors their little hearts desire.

I know, I know, it's missing other vital pieces, like the trucks and bulldozers (Sammy already has plenty of trucks), the "right lane ends" and "detour" signs, and a worker who's actually doing some of the work and not just holding his thermos and a sign. But come on people, what do you want from me...it's free!!  Heck, at some point I had to stop working on this and go back to taking care of my kids and doing actual paid client work.  So, this is all you get.

Okay, fine, I'll give you a little more...here are a few tips for building this and other paper crafts you might try!

TIP #1: Trace over all of the dotted lines (places you'll fold) with a ruler and something pointy before you cut it out.  You want to put a "dent" in the paper along where the folds will be.  It'll make the folds bend more easily and stay nice and straight.  I find a dried up ballpoint pen works great.  Do this BEFORE you cut anything out.

TIP #2: Use an X-acto knife for the inside cuts, like this toilet seat.  You'll avoid the gigantic hole your scissors will make.  Also, if you're cutting pieces out of the middle of a pattern, it's easiest to cut these out first, and cut out the overall outline last.  It'll prevent tears in delicate places.  Use the scissors for the outside edges.

TIP #3: If you do a lot of paper folding, invest a few bucks in a bone burnisher.  (it's not for burnishing bones...it's MADE out of bone.)  You can probably get them at most craft stores now that Martha Stewart has introduced them to the masses...I got mine in a graphic supply store back in college during my first major of graphic design.  You use it to rub along the edges of your folds to make them nice and sharp.  I find the plastic handle of my scissors works just as well when I can't find my tool.

TIP #4: The thicker the paper you can print on, the better.  If you don't have thick paper, you can always glue the whole thing to something thicker like cardboard, or a second piece of paper.  It'll make everything more sturdy, and make the pieces like the worker guy stand up better.  For pieces with slots that slide together, like this dirt pile below, the width of your slot should match the thickness of your paper because that's what is going to slide in.  This is just printer paper so all I did was cut a single slit.  If I were using cardboard, I'd cut it out a little wider like the pattern shows.

I don't really have step by step instructions to build this thing, but in general, you'll want to cut along the thick lines and fold along the dotted ones.  The grayed out areas are for glue.  Here are a few photos of some of the trickier parts for your reference....

The barrel:

The cones:

The port-a-potty:

The barriers:

The worker:

I'm not too sure I'd trust this guy to direct traffic with that hard hat over his eyes, so be sure to proceed with caution.  His fingers are a little too long, I know.  You can trim them down depending on the thickness of your sign post and color in the back of his hand.  I used a piece of a bamboo skewer from my kitchen.  If you glue just where the paper touches, you can spin the sign to say "stop" or "slow."  Wow, just like the real thing!  (Yup, we strive for realism here at GF Design.)

Sammy's favorite piece, of course, was the port-a-potty.  Or as we call them, "yucky toilet."  ;-)  Maybe if I can craft a full size paper port-a-potty (or half-size toddler version) I could convince him to go #2 in the toilet.  Just once.  Please?!

Rainy days don't have to be so boring...Have fun!!

Here are some more great links to 3D paper craft patterns:
Canon Creative Park
Epson Japan
Epson Hong Kong
HP
Shin Tanaka
Free paper toys
Paper Kraft
Paper Craft Art Creative
Paper Modelz

Bad Illustration: Magnetic Learning Center

Today I picked up this little "write & wipe magnetic learning center" toy at a garage sale for 50 cents.  It's like a little wood briefcase that opens up, with magnetic white boards and magnets inside.  It looks really ugly in this photo, which is probably why it was only 50 cents.  But, I love wood toys, and good travel toys, so I picked it up.  The marker cleaned right off with a little Expo dry erase cleaner and it looks like new!  I thought it would be fun for Sammy to play with the magnets on a road trip, or color with a white board marker.  (once he's old enough that I can trust him with a marker in the car)


But the real reason I'm posting this is because the image on the outside of the thing is just hilarious.  Look at the boys' faces.  Gee, they sure look like they're having the time of their lives, don't they?!  This really reinforces the idea that learning is fun, now, doesn't it?!

The boy in blue looks jealous that the other boy is actually writing letters.  Clearly the other boy has a super awesome toy like the "magnetic learning center" that taught him to write so legibly.  That, or he's just jealous of the other boy's super sweet red sweater or perfectly smoth and spherical head of "Ken" hair.

Or maybe he's just depressed because the perspective in this image is so out of whack, that he's afraid if he even tries to write anything down, it'll just be skewed in the wrong direction.

 Alas, blue shirt boy is destined to a life in the shadows, staring aimlessly at his blank piece of paper, longing for "the good life," that only the magnetic learning center can bring.

Upon closer examination, however, this lucky, literate, dashing young lad in red doesn't look so thrilled himself.  Maybe the grass isn't as green on his side of the fence after all.  Perhaps things aren't all that easy for him either.  Just because your parents can afford to buy you fancy red sweaters, weekly haircuts, and incredibly effective learning tools like the magnetic learning center does NOT mean that life is any easier for you.  Noooo sireee bob.  Nobody understands the kind of pressure you're under, being expected to get straight A's just because the magnetic learning center has made you intellectually superior to your peers...not to mention the hour and a half of sleep you have to lose by getting up earlier than everyone else to start taming your locks into the fine, sculpted specimen that everyone has come to expect.



On second thought, maybe the magnetic learning center is not such a great toy after all. 

Yes, folks, these are the things that I notice and think about on a daily basis as a designer.  It's a blessing and a curse.