Mailbox Craft

Yup, you heard it... a craft from the mailbox. We (as I'm sure you do too) get catalogs in the mail almost every day, but the Nordstrom catalogs are SO beautiful, with fabulous pictures and glossy paper - it's a shame to throw them out. The kids and I sat down one afternoon and used a catalog to make a veritable flotilla of paper boats.

The supplies are simple, all you need for the boat is paper, and if you want to add a flag or sail to the boat, you will also need; scissors, hole punch, skewers and tape.

tip: do not use cardstock weight paper for this project

Boats:

• Take a rectangular sheet of paper and fold in half, horizontally
• Turn down corners of folded edge down, so edges meet at the center and crease
• Fold to the outside the open long edge of the remaining rectangle for a cuff
• Fold down the corners of both cuffs, following the angle of the triangle's sides
• Pull long sides out so the bottom corners come together to create a diamond shape and crease
• Fold up one bottom corner, making a triangle and crease. Repeat for other side
• At the diamond's top, pull flaps out and away from center tip in a single smooth motion
• Pinch boat's bottom edges and pull out so it stands

Flags/Sails:

• Cut paper into flag or sail shapes
• Tape onto skewer
• Hole punch a very small hole at top point of boat
• Insert skewer (tape underneath if necessary)
• Take pictures!

Have fun! And let us know which catalog you recycled into paper boats.