DIY Toilet Roll Pixel Boy

The next time you're thinking of throwing away that toilet roll away because it's already 'used', don't. Here is a tutorial for you and why you should keep these lovely little things. Hello, Toilet Roll Pixel Boy! Enjoy : )



We will need:

1. Toilet rolls
2. Acrylic Paint / Spray
3. Strong glue
4. Acrylic varnish (optional)




Yes, that's actually all you need! Firstly, download the templates for Toilet Roll Pixel Boy. As you've already guessed, it is a gigantic version of a 'pixel' character, using each toilet roll to represent one pixel. What I've made for my wall is a Panda Toilet Roll Pixel Boy. You can create your own character with this template or choose one of these famous characters to work on. There's Astro Boy, Doraemon and Elmo. See if you can spot some of the other famous characters that I have in the template : )



The Panda Toilet Roll Pixel Boy is really simple to make, and can be done in 3 easy steps. First, paint each toilet roll 'pixel' to the desired colour.




Next, arrange and glue them together at the edges with a strong glue (see above diagram). Lastly, varnish (optional) and hang it up on your wall.






It's that simple! Hope you have enjoyed this one. Now start collecting your used toilet rolls and you will see the results : )

Toodles!

--Contributors--
Pearly

NEW! (S) Box Boy Plant Holder Tutorial

Oh boy, the past few weeks were not so good for me. I've been very ill, but am now on the road to recovery and getting better each day. Thanks to this incident, I also stopped all work and went on a small self-pampering shopping spree. So I went and bought some pairs of shoes and other material delights and guess what, since I didn't have any use for the (S)hoeboxes, I figured out that I would use them for something else. So here is the (S) Box Boy tutorial that I've been dying to show you all.

(S) Box Boy is a (S)hoebox plant holder that you can use as a center display for your home, or simply place him in your garden like a cute garden display. There are infinite ways in which you can customize these (S) Box Boys. You can even make an army of it with different cutting edge designs. It all only depends on how many (S)hoeboxes you've got. See, what did I tell you guys about keeping your trash? Let's go eco : )

We will be needing:
1. (S)hoebox (preferably with a full lid)
2. Any outdoor/indoor potted plant that you like (I'm using a Cactus Leaf plant a.k.a. Goldfish Grass)
3. Plant holder/tray/plate
4. Cardboard (thick)
5. Acrylic paint
6. Brushes
7. Fabric/other materials (optional)
8. Penknife/ Scissors
9. Strong glue
10. Acrylic varnish (optional)
11. Downloaded (S) Box Boy Template



Click on the image below to get a high-res file of the (S) Box Boy template:



Now with the (S)hoebox and template, we start off by brainstorming how we want our (S) Box Boy to look like. Come up with a fantastic concept and colour palette, and also play around with other materials such as fabric and recycled materials. Once we've got that going, we measure out a diameter on the (S)hoebox lid that the potted plant can peek out through then cut a hole. Once we've done that, we can now start to paint the lid and the box with the acrylic paint.




Leave it to dry while we work on the next interesting bit. Print out two sheets of the downloaded body template. You can scale it to any size that you like, depending on the size of your (S)hoebox. I printed mine on an A4 paper, scaled to fit. Tape one sheet at a time on the thick cardboard so that you can cut it out nicely. Be extra careful with the curved arms. Once both that's done, measure out the depth of how 'fat/thin' you want your (S) Box Boy's body to be. Then measure and cut out rectangles to 'extrude' the body. Glue these on nicely.





Now for the curved arms, measure out the rectangle piece and score it with a penknife in equal widths. Give it a little bend. You'll see that the cardboard curves up nicely without any creases. Glue these on too, and then fix the other cut out body template on top.




Finally, after all the cutting and measuring, we can finally get to the best part of all. The painting and designing of your own (S) Box Boy! That is, after you've glued the (S) Box Boy's head and body together ; ) This is where I like to say: GET CREATIVE & EXPLORE. Just let your imagination go wild. Choose between simple and extreme, or go for both : ) This time I'm going for something simple and cute. I painted the body white and added a touch of pink flesh paint in two areas.



When you've finished customizing, coat with a varnish (optional), then place the potted plant into the (S)hoebox. Let the pot sit on a tray so that the excess water can drain off without spilling onto the box. Close the lid*.

After all the hard work, treat yourself to a cam-whoring session with your masterpiece. You can leave it out in the open concrete jungle.







Or standing in the comfort of your own home.





Whichever way you choose, I hope (S) Box Boy brings a smile to you every time you see it.

While searching for some inspiration, you might want to check out come of these cool dudes:
Shin Tanaka
Kidrobot DUNNY
Undoboy (Check out Super-Bastard box toy)
Dolly Oblong
Marshall Alexander
Cubeecraft
Paper Foldables
Sal Azad
Oh-Sheet
Jerom

Toodles! : )



*For gift ideas: Decorate the inside of the box with lovely items to surprise your friend.

--Contributors--
Andy
Pearly

Do-It-Yourself 2009 Calendar

Happy 2009 everyone! : D

To kick start a good year ahead, I am going to share this calendar tutorial with you guys. So here goes:

I am going to recycle a cardboard box that was used for an electrical appliance packaging. Fortunately, this open box has 12 compartments (for 12 months) which we will be needing. And the best thing is, this box has other lovely small compartments that I can decorate with. So, keep your 'trash'. They'll come in handy one day.



Once you've found your perfect box to work on, draw out a concept of how you want the calendar to look. The concept for this tutorial is nature. Hence I've decided to use recycled and green materials that conjure up the idea of 'nature'. I will also be creating a simple yet adorable rag doll with moss sprouting out of its ears. This character will give a touch of humour to the final piece. Give yourself a few days to think through if neccessary. Ideas don't usually come in a split second. Rather, they develop overtime.

After all the brainstorming, prepare your materials. We will be needing:

1. A cardboard box with 12 compartments
2. Some dried decorative hay or moss
3. Carpet grass
4. Sticks
5. Strings (Brown)
6. White clay
7. Fabric
8. Cotton wool
9. Felt wool square (Black)
10. Sewing Kit / Sewing Machine
11. Construction paper
12. White glue
13. Paper clips
14. Nuts and bolts / Nails
15. Penknife



Stuff some decorative moss into the smaller compartments to create tiny bird nests. Roll the clay into small egg-shaped balls. Let dry then glue them into these nests. Next, cut out some carpet grass and stick onto the 'walls' of some compartments. If you're wondering how I managed to get the exact carpet size for this tricky shape, I actually reversed the box and traced out the irregular shape then used that as a template for the carpet grass.



Use your creative instincts to create a garden like landscape for along the rims or ledges of the box. I've glued lumps of moss on to make them look like grass platforms. Keep decorating until you are satisfied with the look of the grass-scape. Make some trees. Roll some hay into a ball and glue onto sticks. Let dry and glue the trees into the moss beds.



Here is how the box looks like at this stage:



Now for the calendar, grab any reliable 2009 calendar from the Internet etc. We will be needing the dates as reference. I am going to digitally create a new look for the calendar using Adobe Illustrator. Create a new A4 canvas. Divide it into 12 equal squares using the Ruler guide. Choose the fonts you want to use and copy the dates carefully from the reference material. You can highlight the important dates for that month and list them down on the footer.



Be creative. Play around with the layout and design. Once you are satisfied with the look, double check again. You don't want any wrong dates that will eventually confuse you : ) Now print out your masterpiece onto a piece of A4 construction paper. I've used a brown paper that will fit nicely into my nature theme. Cut out the 12 months squares.



Here's the interesting part. We are now going to 'fix' these 12 squares into the 12 compartments of the box. Used a penknife to indent two slits in each compartment. Take a brown string, wring through these slits from the back. Next, roll the monthly calendar outwards so that the name of the month can be seen from the outside. Place into the compartment and tie it up with the brown string. Repeat for the other calendar months.



Leave the January calendar untied. We will be showcasing this month's calendar on a fabric billboard swing. For the billboard, cut two slits on the cardboard box and fix a nut and bolt or nail into each slit. Tie brown strings around both nails and let the strings dangle. Measure and cut out a 9.5 cm piece of square fabric. Punch or cut out two holes at the top corners. Tie the dangling brown strings through the holes on the fabric. Then clip the January calendar onto the billboard fabric using a paper clip. There you have it, a swinging billboard calendar showcase.



Now for the rag doll feature. Sketch out a few adorable characters. From my sketches, I've decided to go with the one that looks like a rabbit rag doll. Think about how you want the finish of the rag doll to look like. Do you want a clean finish to it or leave it ragged and raw. Your decision will determine how you will be sewing the doll. For this tutorial, I am following a rough look for the whole concept, so I will be sewing with my hands. I am going to rely on my imperfect stitching to create a ragged look for the doll.



Firstly, fold the chosen fabric in two. Using freehand, draw out the head, body, hands and legs of the doll. Here's how you do the head of the doll in detail. Once you got the right shape, cut out the fabric and stitch it on the sides. Leave the top open. Once that's done, reverse the fabric inside out.



Fill in the cotton wool then stitch up the 'brain', leaving the ear holes open.



Stuff some decorative moss into the ears of the rabbit rag doll.



Use a hole puncher to punch out two small black eyes from the felt wool square. Stick the eyes on nicely. For the mouth, cut two short pieces of brown strings, curl it and stick on with glue. Use some bobby pins to hold these down while the glue dries.




Repeat this process for the other parts of the body. Here's how my rag doll looks like:



Sitting comfortably.



When the rag doll is finally done, pin it onto the frame of the cardboard box.

Tada! It's done! Phew!



Hang this up on your wall or leave it on a shelf. Enjoy : ) May the coming year ahead be a fruitful and meaningful one for everyone.

Cheers!

--Contributors--
Pearly