How to Make Recycled Chipboard

Recycle food boxes into chipboard shapes.

Making scrapbook pages or paper crafts can be quite expensive. The price of decorative papers and embellishments can quickly add up. Cut your costs by making recycled chipboard embellishments using your paper scraps and cardboard food boxes. Cereal boxes, frozen pizza boxes and other cardboard packaging that is headed for the trash can instead be recycled into adornments for your paper creations. Personal die cut machines will cut the cardboard and paper scraps into matching layers for your new chipboard shapes.

Things You'll Need

• Recycled cardboard food box
• Scissors
• Personal die cutting machine
• Die cutting mat
• Machine cartridges or dies
• Decorative scrapbook paper scraps
• Glue pen

Instructions

1. Peel open both ends of your recycled food box. Using scissors, cut along the folds of the box to remove each flat section. Each section of the box is chipboard, and all sections are usable as long as your chosen die cut shapes fit on the surfaces.

2. Place a recycled chipboard on your die cutting mat with the printed side of the box facing up. The printed side is the side that has the logo art and printing from the food package. Choose your die cut shape and cut.

3. Place a piece of scrapbook paper on your cutting mat with the decorative side facing up. Cut the paper to match the chipboard shape.

4. Lay the cut chipboard shape on your work surface with printed side facing up. This is the front of your shape. Apply adhesive to the printed side of the chipboard using a glue pen. Place the cut paper shape over the chipboard with the decorative side facing up. Align the edges and smooth the surface with your fingers to adhere.

Tips & Warnings

• Personal die cutting machines that use cartridges can be adjusted to cut the size die you desire, while die cutting machines that use plates have a set cutting size for each shape.

• Recycled book pages and wrapping paper can also be used to cover the chipboard shapes.

• For thicker chipboard, cut two cardboard shapes and glue together using a glue pen.

• Turn your recycled chipboard shapes into vintage embellishments using a nail file and a brown ink pad. Sand the edges from the front to the back using the nail file. This will create a sanded, slightly beveled edge. Rub the sanded edges of the shape on a brown ink pad to complete the antiqued edge.

• Punched holes, grommets and eyelets can be added to recycled chipboard in the same way as on purchased chipboard.