Recycled Cardboard Christmas Tree 2008

Christmas Tree Complete
Originally uploaded by CyclotronX

Making a Christmas tree from cardboard, ornaments from yogart cups and lids.

See more images in my Flickr set for cardboard Christmas Tree

Hack a Cardboard Box into a DIY Solar Oven

From Lifehacker: "Eco-friendly weblog The Daily Green details how to turn a cardboard box into a DIY solar oven for a little weekend fun in the sun. All you'll need is the box, some construction paper, tin foil, plastic, and a few other items you're likely to have around the house, and when you're done you'll have a full-fledged cardboard cooker."

[via Daily Green]

Lifehacker has a Flickr photopool from those who have attempted this project.

Recycled Microwave Steamer and Strainer

Don't you hate it when you heat something in the microwave there is always a puddle of water in it? I do too. So I made this device from frozen entree plastic dishes to let the water drain away. It also enhances the cooking, making foood taste better.



View my Flickr set for instructions to Do It Yourself.

DIY Recycled Cable Spool

Works great with iPod headphones and cellphone ear pieces!
Have a stack of empty trays from a frozen dinner binge? Turn them into useful cable spools. Each tray can make about 4 cable spools. First I designed my shape in Adobe Illustrator. I pinced the the sides a little and the hole is roughly the diameter of your standard hole-punch. I printed out a sheet of templates. Cut them out. Then used clear packing tape to afix them to the frozen dinner tray. I started the cut ordinary scissors, but paused as I passed a corner to punch the hole. If you cut it all the way out, the tape will nolonger hold the template in place. The last step is to cut a slit to the hole so you can slip the cable in the hole. I haven't determined if angled or straight is best.

Download a PDF of the cable spool templates.

Reuse Those Trays
These trays are great for warming food in the microwave. Some can be used in the oven! Two identical trays make a bottom in a lid. Cover your food, keeping it moist and the microwave clean. You can even use them to keep left over by covering with foil or plastic wrap.

If you don't reuse them, please rinse off and recycle them.

Hot Tray Caddy for Frozen Dinners

Laugh in face of uncomfortable temperatures and cautionary warnings!
Reuse that box your frozen dinner came in as a caddy to carry that hot tray fresh out of the microwave. Trace the top rim of the tray on a side of the box. Then, redraw the oval line about a quarter of an inch inside the trace-line. Note the ends of the oval are square-ish so adjust the inner line accordingly. Use an X-acto knife to cut the shape out. It helps to reseal the end of the box with some packing tape first. It makes the box less flimsy.

Digg It!
More projects at my blog, Pizza Box Art

Pizza Box Popcorn Bowl

Bowl fits the average 3 oz microwave popcorn bag.

Materials: Empty pizza box, an Xacto knife or scissors, masking tape, a pen, and one 3 oz. package of microwave popcorn, popped.


See my Flickr set for complete instructions

DIY Wine Rack from a Box

Do it yourself wine rack with a an Amazon box:



I am thinking I want to keep them on. I have a few of these boxes. That means you can make stackable wine racks.



To start, make some templates of the wine bottle girth. By lying the bottle in the box, you can get an idea of how the bottle will sit. Remember, the bottle should tilt towards the cork. You can achieve this by making the bottom of opposing cutouts at the same height.

Tip: use the widest bottle you have to make the templates.



You can see I sketched out traces of both ends of the bottles (inner circles) then I roughly sketched out the shapes I will cut out. (I used previously used paper in order to conserve.) I've also added about 3/16ths of an inch to the the trace. The bottle will still sit snuggly, but not pinched.

Afterthought: I discovered after cutting I made the neck slots a little too wide.

Now I will cut these out and trace them on to the sides of the box. Use a ruler or such to line up the center of the cutouts on the opposing sides. Since this the mock-up, I am just eyeballing it. You can also measure from the edge of the box equal distances on both sides and align the center of the cutouts to those markings. Aw, heck, I'll measure mine too. My box is about 12 inches wide so that will be the center of my center cut outs. Once that cut out is marked, I'll eye ball the left and right cutouts, centering them in the space.

Tip: you can find the center of the cutout by folding it in half.

I've taped the cutouts on the same side to check the depth. I can probably add a quarter inch to the depth of the cutouts you can also see that we'll get about three bottles in this wine rack. Alternating the direction of the bottles and squeezing them together you might be able to rack 4 bottles. For this mock-up I am just going to accommodate 3 bottles in the same direction.



Now I will trace the cut outs on both sides.



After the cut outs are traced, I cut them out with an Xacto knife.


Here is the wine rack with bottles in it.



Here is the wine rack with the flaps taped into position.






Tip: If you use boxes of the same size, you can stack these. Now you can stack them in a cabinet or closet. If your wine racks are out in the open, cover them with contact paper before cutting. Or, you can paint them. The cardboard soaks up paint, so be sure to use a primer.

Wii Controller Holster

Everyone needs a place to store the controllers! My latest frozen pizza box project is a Wii controller and nunchuck holder.






See my Flickr photo-set.

Materials:
frozen pizza box
dry cleaning hanger
X-acto knife
ruler
pencil
white glue

Step one: sketch out the pattern on a piece of paper. The controller pocket is 1.5 x 1.25 x 6 inches. The nunchuck pocket is 2.5 x 1.75 x 5 inches. That back piece is 5 x 6 inches. I used an extra 2 in on three sides, folded back and glued down to re-enforce the back piece, make it stiffer. The hanger is bent to fit the end of my desk.

Step two: carefully open the glued end of the frozen pizza box . Using the ruler and pencil draw the pattern on the cardboard. You should be able to get both pockets on one side of the pizza box.

Step three: DOUBLE CHECK THE DIMENSIONS. My first pass through I made two controller pockets. Didn't realize it until I glued them down. Had to tear it apart and reglue new pockets.

Step four: Carefully use the X-acto and ruler to cut out the pockets and back piece. Use the back of the X-acto to lightly score the folding lines.

Step five: Bend the folds. You can lay the ruler against the bend to help keep the bend straight.

Step six: Once all the pieces are cut and bent, start gluing the pockets. I glued the pockets first before I glued the back. It's best to use a scrap of cardboard to spread the glue evenly and completely.

Step seven: Carefully bend the hanger to the dimensions you need. I used some pliers to help. I began bending by making the hanger straight. For the hanger that is under the cardboard its best to extend both ends so they overlap.

Step eight: lay out the bent hanger and carefully cut two holes just below the fold on the back. You should be able to insert the hanger without unbending it. Once the hanger is in, you can glue down the flaps. Its ok to liberal with glue on the area the hanger is against the cardboard.

Your done! Give it time to dry before using.

Extra: you can paint it or color it!