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Cardboard Play Day at Musashino Place
A few photos from our first ever, open-to-the-Tokyo-public, cardboard pop-up play day. We ran the event with just recycled cardboard, a few tools, bike power, and creative spirit. Neighboring Ito...
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My Tools
One of the things that I love about working with cardboard is that you need very few tools to get started. This is my go-to, can’t live without, get happy just looking at ‘em, collection of tools that...
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My Materials
This is it! A sampler of the things that I use other than post-consumer cardboard, paper bags and tubes that I find on recycling day. Glue: low VOC white glue for cardboard, and homemade wheat paste...
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Make a Cardboard Toolbox
Two years ago I found a beautiful old wooden sheep shearing box at Camberwell Market during a trip to Australia with my family. It was beautifully worn and even had tiny little strands of wool still...
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A Cardboard Toolbox for Kids
Note to readers: Washi tape has since been removed from the toolbox (only to be rein-listed with parental supervision (full focus parental supervision)). As a family of makers, a kids’ cardboard...
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Cardboard Heart Locket
When my daughter was about 18 months old, we went on a trip to an island off of Tokyo’s coast called Shikinejima. It was the off season, most restaurants were closed and we were sleeping in a tent. We...
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Stackable Cardboard Dressers for Kids
My daughters are young and their needs are always changing. They wear a pair of shoes for 6 months then need a new pair. They use a little chair, or a booster seat for a year or a month or 2 and then...
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Grocery Bag Business Cards
Meeting new people here in Japan involves developing more formalized graces. As a farm girl from the Midwest, this is always an area of improvement for me. One artifact of the Japanese getting to know...
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Cardboard Kid’s Chair Makeover
The Japanese book with the pattern for making these chairs is available in my Etsy shop. Our beloved cardboard kid’s chairs are almost 3 years old. They’ve been in desperate need of a makeover for a...
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Cardboard Play Days 4&5
Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard Play Day Cardboard...
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Brighten up Your Cardboard
Winter is grey and cardboard is brown! I’ve been feeling the need to share some of my favorite ideas for bringing energizing color into your cardboard projects… Layered columns of boldly colored...
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FLOW=VERALLS
The other day I had a friend ask me how I’m able to get so many cardboard projects done with two little girls running around. I told her about my loving and helpful husband and play-focused kids, but...
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Fort Building with Banana Boxes
I’ve been doing a lot of work with banana boxes recently and we’ve had so much fun building little places to hang out in….and then knocking them down!
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Spring Planting in Cardboard
Last year I started experimenting with planting in cardboard even though nearly everyone around thought I was crazy. Well, not one of them was shy when the time came to harvest our cherry tomatoes…...
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Nest Building with Kraft Paper
Spring is in the air here in Tokyo and we’ve been blessed with more than a week of beautiful 60 degree days. While out spotting Ume blossoms, we’ve been watching lots of birds, and talking a lot about...
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Cardboard & Cap Peg Rack
Now that my daughters are almost 2 and almost 4 they’ve started borrowing my jewelery. I’m not quite sure what that means about my taste in jewelery, but they are scaling my 4 foot high bookshelf to...
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Honey Comb Cardboard
A beautiful new cardboard find this week: Honey comb. I only have a few pieces dug out of a fruit vendors recycling pile. We’ve come up with one way to use it so far…in our toolboxes.
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Woven Cardboard Vase
I’m so excited about Spring’s arrival in Tokyo. Cherry blossoms are in full swing and Forsythia, Snow Drops, Grape Hyacinth and Narcissus are popping up all over our neighborhood. Inspired by a post...
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A Cardboard Sabbatical
Hi! Just a note to let you know I’m going on a little cardboard sabbatical for the month of April. I’ve got some surprises in store for you at the end of the month and I’ll be devoting all my time to...
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A Month of Making
I’m feeling a little out of practice posting to the blog, but also so excited to get back in the groove. April has been a wonderfully busy month! I sent my daughter to Japanese preschool for the first...
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