What should I do with all this cardboard?
June 12, 2013 11:50 AM Subscribe
I've accidentally ordered 500 pieces of 13x13" cardboard. I can't return it. I'm a creative-project-doer. What should I do with all this cardboard? Make forts? Build giant airplanes? Do community projects where everyone gets to paint one? Construct furniture?
What would you do with that much cardboard? Give me your awesome ideas!
Big tetris pieces!
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 12:01 PM on June 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 12:01 PM on June 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Giant robot costumes for all your friends. Then go to a public event wearing them.
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:07 PM on June 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:07 PM on June 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Not sure if it qualifies as an awesome idea to you, but I know what I'd (happily) do with it... sheet mulch. Got any lawn you'd like to turn into a garden?
posted by 0 at 12:09 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by 0 at 12:09 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
You could make some cardboard layer sculptures like this or this. When I was in high school I did several projects like this for terrain and lake depth maps also.
posted by sanka at 12:09 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sanka at 12:09 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
What would you do with that much cardboard?
Cardboard fort
posted by whyareyouatriangle at 12:16 PM on June 12, 2013
Cardboard fort
posted by whyareyouatriangle at 12:16 PM on June 12, 2013
The possibilities are endless!
wall pockets
kids furniture
cats scratch pad
We built an entire city for a gentrification simulation game out of cardboard. So maybe start a community project? Would that be good PR for your business?
posted by travelwithcats at 12:18 PM on June 12, 2013
wall pockets
kids furniture
cats scratch pad
We built an entire city for a gentrification simulation game out of cardboard. So maybe start a community project? Would that be good PR for your business?
posted by travelwithcats at 12:18 PM on June 12, 2013
My dream for unused cardboard is to put monsters in vacant lots. They'd cardboard cut-outs of monsters, but still something amusing to see in a weedy yard. And unlike other more substantial sculptures, if people get annoyed at having "trash" in their yard, they can just recycle it. (I've even thought of putting a sign on the back: "If you don't like me in your yard, please move me somewhere else, or recycle me. Thanks!") I haven't ever done this, and if you do, kudos.
Stiffeners for mailing LPs
But where will you get 500 LPs? Oh, you could sell these back to a record store.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:30 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Stiffeners for mailing LPs
But where will you get 500 LPs? Oh, you could sell these back to a record store.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:30 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
The cat scratcher travelswithcats linked to is one of my to-do projects, but I'm going to base mine on this design.
Here are some kid-friendly cardboard projects on pinterest.
If you know anyone without cable, I made this HD antenna and it's better than any of the store-bought ones I tried.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:30 PM on June 12, 2013
Here are some kid-friendly cardboard projects on pinterest.
If you know anyone without cable, I made this HD antenna and it's better than any of the store-bought ones I tried.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:30 PM on June 12, 2013
Stencils!
posted by goggie at 12:34 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by goggie at 12:34 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
(It's not creative at all, but I'd be totally overwhelmed by 500 and would probably offer the bulk of it to a local school/shelter/etc. for whatever the kids there can dream up (FORTS, yes!!))
Otherwise, do you know anyone into cosplay... or going to Burning Man? I bet you could help them make something pretty frickin' epic (some ideas).
posted by argonauta at 12:49 PM on June 12, 2013
Otherwise, do you know anyone into cosplay... or going to Burning Man? I bet you could help them make something pretty frickin' epic (some ideas).
posted by argonauta at 12:49 PM on June 12, 2013
Art! Do this, but instead of buying styrofoam, carefully glue ~5-10 pieces of cardboard on top of each other until your desired thickness (or the thickness of the ribbon you plan on using around the edge), and voila, DIY art! If you prefer, you can probably modge podge fabric instead of scrapbook paper.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 12:52 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 12:52 PM on June 12, 2013
I'm currently *not* a creative-project-doer, so I would probably donate it to the nearest elementary school teacher to use for classroom art projects. I've been shocked to find out that school teachers often pay out of pocket for things like art supplies, and every bit helps.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:52 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:52 PM on June 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'd find a Boys and Girls club (or similar) nearby and donate the cardboard so the kids can have some summer fun.
posted by barnone at 1:00 PM on June 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by barnone at 1:00 PM on June 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Build a lightweight model train layout with a lot of landscaping.
posted by Namlit at 1:15 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by Namlit at 1:15 PM on June 12, 2013
Any local public, private, or homeschool group would put that to good use.
posted by brownrd at 1:49 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by brownrd at 1:49 PM on June 12, 2013
Paint or attach printouts, and use as game tiles in building a life-size board game for a party.
Put instructions on them ("forward 2" "lose turn" "back 1" "roll again") and you've got a follow-the-path board game that you can lay out a different path every time.
Scrabble tiles? (sidewalk-chalk grid on the parking lot?)
Carcassone tiles?
this is a list of modern tile-laying games that have square tiles (like carcassonne, except I've never heard of any of them, but if you're a game nerd...)
posted by aimedwander at 2:18 PM on June 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Put instructions on them ("forward 2" "lose turn" "back 1" "roll again") and you've got a follow-the-path board game that you can lay out a different path every time.
Scrabble tiles? (sidewalk-chalk grid on the parking lot?)
Carcassone tiles?
this is a list of modern tile-laying games that have square tiles (like carcassonne, except I've never heard of any of them, but if you're a game nerd...)
posted by aimedwander at 2:18 PM on June 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Giant Bananagrams! (making the huge banana pouch optional.)
posted by vespabelle at 2:49 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by vespabelle at 2:49 PM on June 12, 2013
If you collect fabric at all it would be awesome to use to organize a stash by wrapping each piece of cloth around a piece of cardboard. So organized!
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 2:49 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 2:49 PM on June 12, 2013
Offer it all (or some of it) on your local Freecycle. I guarantee someone will snap it up quicker than you can blink.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:59 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by Thorzdad at 4:59 PM on June 12, 2013
Use them as a backing for Rasterbator printouts, as I did here.
posted by Mapes at 5:20 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by Mapes at 5:20 PM on June 12, 2013
Glue the sheets together, and make a bookshelf.
posted by oceanjesse at 9:01 PM on June 12, 2013
posted by oceanjesse at 9:01 PM on June 12, 2013
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posted by stopgap at 11:56 AM on June 12, 2013 [2 favorites]