If you happen to have a small cardboard box around your house you have a unique way to display photos or even decorate for the holidays. A square cardboard box, with a tuck-in lid, is all you need to get started with the simple but beautiful conversation piece. And, when youre finished with the easy project, you can simply change the look of the photo cube any time you want, in mere seconds! The cube you use needs to have a lid and its the perfect box if the lid is attached and will tuck into the box. Box tops that are split down the middle can be taped shut and used for the photo cube, too. If the box doesnt have a lid you can cut a piece of cardboard and tape it in place. A square cube is perfect but the photo cube can also be made from a rectangular box.
Start by purchasing a roll of magnetic sheeting. Youll find it at any craft store. You can also purchase the magnet by the sheet but youll need to purchase two or three sheets, depending upon their sizes. Cut a piece of the sheeting to fit each side of the cube, including the top and the bottom. If you want, you can put something in the box to weight it, before starting the project.
After youve cut six pieces of magnetic sheeting, to fit the six sides of the cube, youll then attach the various pictures you want to display to the magnetic squares. Magnetic sheeting has a peel-away adhesive backing which makes it easy to attach the photos. Simply peel the backing and position the photo on the magnet. Trim if necessary. The first set of six pictures will actually be glued to the box. Glue one picture on each side as well as the top and bottom of the box. After the glue dries your cube is complete. To make it an interchangeable photo cube youll now make additional magnetic pictures. You can create particular themes for your cube or you can just cut family photos that youll use to change the look of the cube at any time. If you want to create themes youll simply make six new photos for each theme. Cut photos and images from magazines, cloth, posters, product boxes and other sources. Since the first set of magnetic photos are glued to the box the next set will easily attach to the first set. The magnetic sheeting allows you to simply stick the next photo to it. Display family photos this week, a Halloween theme later, then a Christmas scene during that time of the year. Theres no limit to the different themes you can make. Take things you love, like dolphins or lighthouses, and create a beach theme. Use other pictures to create a theme of your growing child. Select six different photos, which show your child as he or she was growing up, then make a photo cube with that theme. Its easy to make themes for holidays, anniversaries, graduations, or vacations. Dont continue sticking more and more pictures to the cube. Instead, keep the original photos glued to the cube, then add one new set over those, anytime you wish. The next time you want to change the theme just remove the old set and add the new. Stick with one form of images for each set. For example, make all the photos in a particular set out of paper or out of cloth. Dont make some of them from product boxes, some from cloth and others from photos. Although you can use the various types to form a collection of sets, the cube doesnt look quite right if you mix them. You can have one set thats all made from fabric images, one set all cut from magazines, and so on. Set the cube on a shelf, the mantle or a counter top. Display in a window or just set it on the coffee table. The cubes make great gifts and fabulous conversation pieces. Theyre easy to create and so easy to change - whenever you take the notion. Its an inexpensive way to show off your photos and holiday themes while investing very little money. Get the kids involved - its a great project for them as well!
