Polar Bear Craft Made from Cardboard

When the Christmas ornaments are put away, this adorable polar bear craft. made with cardboard, glue and paint, will the void!

The inspiration for this polar bear craft came from a wood polar pear I saw at Home Goods for $30.  This one is just as cute and you can probably find most of the supplies in your craft stash.  You can dress him up by adding black button eyes and even tying some twine or scrap material around his neck as a scarf! The perfect piece of color to match your winter or holiday decor!

If you want your polar bear to Sparkle, after assembly, cover him with white glue and drown him in silver or white glitter!

Materials:
Corrugated Card Board (new like the link or use a box you have)
White Acrylic Paint
Utility Knife – SHARP
Paint Brush
White Glue
Cutting Board
Polar Bear Pattern
Scissors
Hot Glue
Pencil

Directions:

Remove all tape and labels from your box. Layer three pieces of cardboard on top of each other. The key here is to keep the smooth side out, so that can be the side of the bear you paint. Sometimes when you paint over a place that tape has been peeled off, the finish is rougher and the paint looks different on it. Use white glue between each layer to hold it together. If your cardboard is warped, place a book across the entire piece to keep it flat. Let dry overnight or at least for four hours. You don’t want the glue to be wet!

Use scissors to cut the pattern out. Using a pencil, trace the pieces onto the cardboard. Remember to select the smooth sides of the cardboard and pay attention to any writing and indentations in the cardboard. You’ll need 1 body and two of each leg.

Using a SHARP utility knife (I cannot stress this enough), begin to cut out your body and legs.

The trick is to go slow and be patient. Apply even pressure to your cardboard to be sure that you are not creating indentations. Slowly cut through the card board. It takes 2-3 cuts per piece of cardboard and since we have them three thick, 6-9 cuts for the stack. You may want to do short cuts, about 2″ or so and the move onto the next 2″, etc. You’ll have to do very small cuts to create curves and angles. It sounds worse than it is. Just go with short slow, and have patience. And use a sharp knife!

Using white acrylic paint, paint all body parts white. (Both sides) and let dry.  Apply a second and third coat if desired.

When dry, set your bear on it’s side and on a flat surface. Position the legs as desired and use hot glue to affix the legs to the body!

Set your polar bear out on a mantle with Christmas decorations and let him stay through the winter!

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