{"id":7260,"date":"2016-02-25T05:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happilyeverafteretc.com\/?p=7260"},"modified":"2023-06-26T14:47:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T20:47:16","slug":"how-to-customize-a-cardboard-animal-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happilyeverafteretc.com\/how-to-customize-a-cardboard-animal-head\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Customize a Cardboard Animal Head"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sponsor<\/p>\n

\"Hey<\/p>\n

Every once in a while you find an idea that you absolutely love, something that jumps out and smacks you in the face! When I first started the mood board <\/a>for our guest room I wasn’t sure on a lot of things… the color palette was up in the air, the decorations were uncertain, everything was undecided except for the furniture.<\/p>\n

Then I found Eyan the Elephant<\/a>. At first I thought I wanted a large deer head (I mean one cardboard animal head is just as good as the next and the pictures on Pinterest<\/a> convinced me a deer was a great idea) but upon further investigation I figured out that what I truly wanted was an elephant<\/em> head!<\/p>\n

Who knew?<\/p>\n

It’s really not surprising though… take a look at how cute this guy is!<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Looking for a bunch of posts on DIY & Crafts? I’ve got you covered!
\n Click here to see all of my how to DIY & Craft posts in one place!<\/a><\/h3>\n

The best part about cardboard is how easily customizable it is! I absolutely love the shape but once I decided on a color palette I needed a great way to incorporate all of the colors throughout the room.\u00a0 Luckily I have an easy solution: wallpaper samples<\/a>!<\/p>\n

They’re free, come in a fantastic range of colors and apply to cardboard like a dream. How fabulous is that?<\/p>\n

Supplies:<\/h2>\n

One Cardboard <\/a>Animal Head<\/p>\n

Wallpaper glue<\/a><\/p>\n

Chip Brush (or foam brush… the main point is that it’s disposable!)<\/p>\n

Snap Off Utility Knife <\/a><\/p>\n

Wallpaper Samples<\/p>\n

\"How\"How<\/p>\n

Step 1:<\/h2>\n

The very first thing I did was to detach all of the cardboard pieces from the boards they come on and organize them. They’re all conveniently labeled so it was super easy to lay them out in order (#1 being the smallest all the way up to #25!).<\/p>\n

Now if you choose to wallpaper your animal in one continuous pattern or if you have a different pattern for each sheet you may not need to do this step… but if you’re trying to spread out your color palette laying your pieces out in chronological order is very important.<\/p>\n

\"How \"How<\/p>\n

For example, I wanted my pieces to have a variety of navy, silver and sage. So by laying them out in order I was able to insure that two navy pieces weren’t touching or two silver pieces. I was also able to insure that over 70% of Eyan was sage green… which was important to my room design.<\/p>\n

Bottom line:<\/strong><\/span> when planning your wallpaper sample order make sure to take into account where on the elephant your colors will be.<\/p>\n

Bonus Tip:<\/strong><\/span> If you lay each piece out on your wallpaper samples first you can make sure that each cardboard piece fits it’s designated wallpaper sample! Then you can fit the smaller cardboard pieces into the negative space! Plus you’ll be able to insure that duplicate pieces (like your ears or tusks) have the same pattern.<\/p>\n

\"How \"How<\/p>\n

Step 2:<\/h2>\n

Once you’ve decided which wallpaper sample goes where it’s time to glue! Go ahead and cut a loose outline of your shape into your wallpaper sample… I simply traced with my exacto knife about an inch from the cardboard.<\/p>\n

I tried to leave my very first wallpaper piece intact and soon learned that the larger your wallpaper piece is the harder it is to get the edges adhered properly! Basically a piece of wallpaper that is roughly the same size as your cardboard piece helps all the edges to glue properly. I don’t know the technical reason for this but trust me… it works.<\/p>\n

My second tip is to place your glue directly on the wallpaper… and then press your cardboard firmly onto the wallpaper sample. Go ahead and press all those edges down firmly… just to get an extra good seal!<\/p>\n

Bonus Tip:<\/strong><\/span> Make sure you glue the blank cardboard side to the wallpaper… your little tiny numbers need to be visible so don’t glue them down! Otherwise you will have the hardest time putting these pieces in order for the final put together!<\/p>\n

\"How \"How<\/p>\n

Step 3:<\/h2>\n

Once all of your pieces are glued down go ahead and cut the excess off from around the sides… and the little slots in the middle! The inside cuts don’t have to be perfect since you’ll be covering them with a different cardboard piece later.<\/p>\n

I used a simple technique to cut the rectangular spots from the middle of each cardboard piece. The first step is to mark the top of the rectangle from the back. See how I place the tip of my exacto knife against the corner and then press down?<\/p>\n

\"How \"How<\/p>\n

Now that I have two guide lines (one for the left and one for the right) I flip my cardboard piece over to the front. Now all I have to do is follow the cardboard down the entire space… don’t push just let the knife guide your hand. 9 times out of 10 it will try to follow the cardboard underneath.<\/p>\n

Of course if that’s not working I find that holding your piece up to the light will give you a back-lit effect to cut a clean line<\/p>\n

The final step is to cut the excess paper free! Easy peasy!<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n