Soda Box Number One

Our little one's first birthday is quickly approaching and I've started tackling some DIY projects for decorations. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, I would much rather pay someone to do these types of things for me since I was not really blessed with the "crafty gene" but since becoming a mom I've realized it is best to spend our money on more important things than decorations. So I searched on Pinterest (of course) for ideas, EASY ideas. I stumbled upon these huge number 1 decorations and I decided this might just be the project for me.

There are many different variations of this craft, I've seen images of people cutting cardboard boxes and using baby cereal boxes but the one that caught my eye was the one that used soda can boxes.

The types of boxes you need are the ones pictured here, luckily for me my parents had a stash of soda left over from a party and I was able to commander the boxes.

I ended up using five boxes in total to make the number 1.

Normally pins come with instructions and a link to a blog post that shows the steps for how to make the item pictured however, no such luck with this one.

The "Before"

The base was easy enough, I left one box whole (Sprite) and I took the top of a second box (Seltzer) and shimmed it over the whole box and tapped them together.

For the "stem" 'if you will, I took a third box (Mug), left it whole and cut about a third off of a fourth box (Sierra Mist) tapping them together.

​The part I was worried about the most was the top and making sure the part that had to hang down fell at a good angle.  

To complete the one, I took a fifth box (a second Sprite) and cut it in half then took the second box from earlier (Seltzer) and cut it to size. Since I had cut this box on both ends I wanted a smooth finish so I snagged the top of the third box (Mug) to close it up. This way all of the ends were closed.

After I was happy with the shape, I felt like it would be a good idea to add some weight to the base and "stem". I simply shoved a few magazines through the slits of the soda boxes. I wanted to make sure that this wouldn't be knocked over easily. I put three magazines in the base and two in the "stem". I didn't weigh down the top at all.

The "During"

Another step I may or may not have added (no tutorial, remember?) is,
I wrapped the whole thing in wrapping paper using the reverse side so it was all white.

​This way, if I missed a spot or two you wouldn't see a box logo, you would just see white.

When looking at different examples  I found some people used flowers to cover the boxes, others used tissue paper, some painted it..

Not being super crafty and quite frankly proud I made it as far as I did, I decided to take a shortcut for most of it.

I purchased tissue paper pom-poms, like the ones to the left, that normally get hung up as decorations.

I didn't leave them whole, in order to cover more ground with each individual pom-pom, I cut them in half.

​First, I fanned them out and created the ball shape as it states in the instructions. Then I found the middle where it is tied off and cut them in half. I taped the bottoms to make sure they kept their shape and lastly, I glued the halves onto the number.

I wanted to ensure the front looked great, so I repeated this process for the two side panels. For the back, top and the under part of the top, I used pieces of tissue paper and despite how it appears to have photographed, it is all the same color. While the back doesn't look bad, I think the front looks much better as it has more fluff and looks more put together. It was simply more cost-effective to use tissue paper for the parts that really weren't going to be seen.

The "After"

Front

Back

Preparation has officially begun and I have to admit I am really proud of myself for getting this piece together. I think it will look great on Princess C's gift table at her party in just a few short months!

Stay tuned for more party prep and the post-party recap to see how everything came together!