Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Kids' Mailbox

So, I've had this project in the back of my mind for a couple weeks. I've been trying to encourage the kids to write more letters, so I started a little envelope with slips of paper that have names of friends and family on them. They can choose a name each week and write a letter (or send a picture or whatever) to that person.

Then I thought that it would be a nice idea to gather all their letter-writing supplies in one place. After fiddling with ideas, I realized that the container should be (duh) a mailbox. I collected some empty cereal boxes, taped them together and trimmed at an angle to make a mailbox shape, with built-in dividers. I covered the boxes with paper and covered the edges with color duct tape (my new favorite thing!).



The outside looks much prettier than the inside, but it works.



Then I gathered supplies ... writing papers, address labels, pencils, envelopes. As I was putting these things together, it occurred to me that if they had their own address book, they could really do this all by themselves.





A normal person would have waited until the next day and gone to the dollar store and bought one. A normal person in a hurry may have just grabbed one of a zillion blank notebooks lying around the house and used that. But since we are dealing with crazy lady over here, it was decided at 9:00 at night that I must make my own.





Though I'm actually thrilled with how it turned out. And now you all get to benefit from my craziness, because I'm including a link to the pdf.

• The book pages are already imposed.
• Print out the pages double sided on a color printer, using text paper.
• Print the cover seperately (b&w) on color card stock.
• Fold cover, fold pages and tuck inside.
• Attach with long-armed stapler down the center seam, cover with black binding tape.
• Trim edges with an Xacto knife. Cut off outside corners to finish.

Kids' Printable Address book here.
Kids' Address book cover here.

8 comments:

  1. Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave.com in the Printables category today [24 Mar 10:04pm GMT]. Thanks, Maria

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  2. what a fantastic project!! thank for sharing - you don't seem crazy, you seem amazing!

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  3. Thanks for a great idea. My daughter just starting writing to her Grannie and cousin on the other side of the country. This will be perfect. We found you on One Pretty Thing!

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  4. This is great! Might make one for myself!

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  5. very cute idea! my girls are constantly stuffing envelopes with little doodles that they want mailed out. I will definitely have to make one of these up for them...thanks so much for sharing :)

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  6. I love this! My 4yo daughter also likes to put things into envelopes to be sent off. I will have to print up some labels for her and maybe even try out giving her some stamps. She can address the envelopes, stamp them, and she can even reach the mailbox!

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  7. Thank You! You made my daughter's day!

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