I always feel weird about trashing so many food boxes. I love the typography and the brilliant colors so I decided to start making things out of them. My first attempt is bookmarks. What does it say about me that I rarely pull out my sewing machine and when I do it’s to sew on paper? Maybe I have a fear of fabric.
I started by opening the box all the way.
Once I decided on the size and what I wanted included in the bookmark, I used my paper cutter to get a straight cut.
My bookmarks range from 5-7″ long and 1 3/4- 2 1/2″ wide.
I simply made a zig-zag stitch all the way around the piece.
And stitched a ribbon to the top in the center.
I think they would look great with different color thread, but since I don’t sew much I don’t have a great selection to choose from.
The kids love them, so I’m hoping they’ll use them often. BTW, does anyone know of books a 5th grade boy would enjoy reading? My boys always start struggling with reading about this time until I find books or series they enjoy. Zachary is loving reading right now because of “A Series of Unfortunate Events”, but I have to have something else ready for him once he’s finished with this series. Any suggestions?
Oh, and thank you to all my wonderful new followers. I’ve had google friend connect up for less than 2 weeks and I already have over 100 friends. And to all of you who follow me through RSS feed. I love you for being with me from the beginning. You all are the reason I blog and am able to continue blogging. So thank you!
Oh, those are just adorable!!! I want one! 🙂
I also love cutting up fun boxes to send postcards to my daughter at summer camp. My favorite was the Lucky Charms…and I wrote on the back…the Top 10 Ways we are LUCKY to have you in our Family!
I feel like I am always looking for great book series for my kids too. I’m not sure if your boys have read these or not but here are a couple of series my two oldest, 7th and 5th grade have enjoyed.
Harry Potter series
Percy Jackson series
Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
Alex Ryder series by Anthony Horowitz
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Hope some of these will work for your kids as well.
I love reading your blog because of all the simple ideas that are also so creative. This one I like even more because it is earth-friendly.
I have a fifth grader who didn’t love to read at all. This year, he’s enjoying Rick Riordan’s books (i.e. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) so much that he often asks to keep reading long after his homework reading assignments are over. Another series that seems to be popular with his friends is “The 39 Clues ” as well as any book by Roald Dahl. Hope that helps.
I have two boys, 9 and 11, and we all read ALOT!!! Some suggestions – Chasing Vermeer (and two follow-up books but not exactly a series), Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief series, the Artemis Fowl series, The 39 Clues series (this one has an online/playing card component too), the Alcatraz series by Brandon Sanderson (laugh out loud funny for everyone) and Peter and the Star Catchers (and follow-up books).
Love it! That would make really cute Valentine favors for my little boys class room – he is 8 and he loves to read but, he is a few years behind your little boy – my little guy loves Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid and anything Star Wars! Thanks for this idea!
This is such a clever idea! I’m going to be looking at food boxes in a different light now. Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Those are SO cute! And simple! And finished! LOVE IT!!
Semalee @ Nailing Jello to a Tree
Very cute. I love re-working items and using them all over again.
So cute! What a great idea to take Valentine candy boxes to make bookmarks for Valentine’s day. I wonder if I have time to buy a bunch, eat it all and make them before the big day??! I don’t know, but I’m going to try!
Wow, how crazy is that, I was thinking the same thing as the other Kim about valentines day ideas! I really liked the business card idea too and we go through tons of boxes here, sadly!
Kristy if you can find small bags at Michaels, in the jewerly section, you won’t have to eat all the candy, just give it as an additional treat!
Leanne- my son just finished reading Eleven Birthdays and PEAK. He is very picky but said they were both good books. I read the first one with him and thought it was a nice break from all the series books that you feel the need to “just get to the end already.”
My nephew is in the 5th grade, and loves the “Wimpy Kid” books!
My son enjoyed reading The 39 Clues too, the interactive website is fun http://www.the39clues.com/ There is another series similar to this can’t remember the name though. I think each story in the series is written by a different author.
James Patterson has a great website to help with book ideas, as well as authoring several series of books for young adults like Maximum Ride which about saving the earth.
Also, I purchase many of my childrens books off of ebay where I can get a whole series of books for the price of 2 or 3 new books. We like to donate them to the school library when we are done because in our rural area they don’t invest many funds into the school library.
Sorry to carry on, this is one of my favorite topics:)
Leanne,
This is so cute! I love how fun the zig zag stitching looks on those boxes. I think the kids and I have found a great Valentine’s Day project for play group — thanks!
How about ATTACK OF THE FLUFFY BUNNIES by Andrea Beaty? Roland Smith books are good. So are the Michael Buckley series: THE SISTERS GRIMM and NERDS.
I’m obsessed with bookmarks so this project is perfect for me. Thanks for the inspiration!
My 5th grader LOVES the Percy Jackson series. And of course, he’s read Diary of a Wimpy kid numorous times.
Try books by Gary Paulsen for your 5th grader. He has some adventure and some comedy books that boys will like!
Now that is a great idea! My kiddo always needs bookmarks and this is something I can make a ton of! Thanks for sharing!
I love this idea. My kids at school are always wanting bookmarks..so cool. This is a great recycling project, too!! Gary Paulsen’s books are great and my boys love Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Thanks for the fab idea!!
What a great idea! I can’t wait to make these with my students!
Too darn cute!
m ^..^
What a great idea!! I am a 3rd grade teacher and I know my students would love these!! Thanks for the inspiration!!
~J
Pretty cool! I wanted to make notebooks out of them but havent been able to find a binding machine I can afford. For now, I will just keep recycling them!
I love these! I am always making things with would-be trash. Come see sometime and see my upcycled and repurposed creations. Also, I’m giving away some super cool decorative tape from TapeSwell this week – come enter to win:
http://sceneofthegrime.blogspot.com/2011/01/decorative-tape-giveaway.html
I love these. I know my kids would love to have some. I am going to start saving boxes. Thanks for the great idea and for linking up at Trendy Treehouse!
I absolutely love this project! What a wonderful way to use those boxes and their great graphic images! Love it! So glad I linked up to Trendy Treehouse and saw your feature there!
What a crack up! These rock! Thanks for giving my 12 year old another idea for book marks. She is always making some. She collects the tissue boxes to do the same thing, including the tab that opens the box. I’m your newest GFC Follow Friday follower!
Stop over! Susie at Scraps of Life
Yours turned out great! Fantastic way to do a little recycling as well.
I have done the same thing in the past with my handmade bookmarks. Only difference is I covered them up with scrapbook paper
try the artamis fowl series..
It resembles reusing offering old garments to assist with making new ones.
Dora recently posted..Giving a Meaningful Life for Children with Cancer