Tea Party Behind The Scenes - Cardboard

I had sooooo much fun with cardboard at this party.
I suspect that, on a subconscious level, I actually
like cardboard more than fabric. Incredible!

First up is a really simple cardboard beanbag toss board.

I drew a teacup, cut out the mouth, and had the kids decorate it.

Er... although first they had to play with it.

Ahem, so, as I was saying, the kids decorated it.

Tune in to the next post to see the beanbags!

Moving on now to the main cardboard thing:

Old granny handbags!

Cut out two handbag shapes from corrugated cardboard


and a 5" gusset of thick kraft paper
(bought in huge roll from Home Depot)

snip the edges of the gusset to wrap around the curves,
and glue it on with a good strong glue (I use UHU).


Reinforce the side with clear packing tape,


punch a hole on each side


and twist half a pipe cleaner/chenille stem to make a loop.


Repeat to make enough for every guest:


On the day itself, provide handbag-shaped paper
(we used wrapping paper and scrapbooking paper) in pairs


and a table full of supplies, including chenille stems,
glue dots and kid-friendly white glue:


Polka dot beads from here.
Self-adhesive gems from here.
Buttons from here.
Glue dots from here.


The little crafters threaded beads onto a chenille stem
(leaving about an inch free on each end)


and twisted the ends through the loops on the handbag


to make a handle.

Then they decorated their handbags with paper and
stick-ons. I have learned from experience that white glue
is horrible, disappointing and useless for anything 3D
that needs to dry quickly and strong (i.e. frustrating for
kids in general). However, it is marvelous for flat sticking,
like these paper panels on the sides of the handbag.


For 3D gluing, like adhering gems and buttons,
I use glue dots. They are fast, strong and not messy.
Kids love them because they turn anything into a magic,
instant sticker. The whole activity took about 20 minutes,
and even the younger kids were able to make and
decorate their handbags with very little help, thanks to
the glue dots.

This is one of my favorite cardboard crafts, I think -
it has a little of everything - gluing, sticking,
decorating, beading, and little girl/old granny charm.


When they were done, we hung name tags on them,
and the girls collected prizes, candy and favors in
them all afternoon.

At the end of the party, they took them home as goodie bags.


Want to make your own? Here's the pattern:
Click on it to open it up to full size (US letter) and
print it as you would any letter-size document.



Enjoy!