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Create a cardboard fireplace to welcome Santa Claus

Create a fireplace to welcome Santa Claus

DEC. 2018

That's it, the magic of Christmas begins to illuminate our interiors ... The garlands are hanging on the tree , the decorations for the table of the new year's Eve waiting to be out of their box, everything is there or almost! But if you do not have a chimney, where will Santa spend Christmas gifts? Before you rush to a fireplace vendor, have you ever thought about making a cardboard model yourself? With a few boxes, a cutter and a lot of imagination for decoration, this creation is within the reach of all. Follow this tutorial!

The necessary equipment

First of all, to create a cardboard fireplace, you need ... cardboard !

You can opt for a large box that you cut to measure or several small that you assemble them. Then you need a roll of tape. The big brown model that we use for removals will be perfect. Then, you need water paint, red, brown, black, white and yellow to reproduce a brick pattern and hearth in the hearth.

Then bring some tree branches, some pine cones and a light garland for decoration. Finally, you will need a cutter .

Step 1: the assembly

There are two ways to proceed, depending on whether you have found a large or small cardboard box. In the first case, put the box flat, cut the opening of chimney on one of the faces then form the cardboard by simply closing all the flaps of the box with tape. For a better hold of the chimney, you can strengthen the box with another placed against the inside. Then tape the edges and opening of the chimney to consolidate it. Finally, using the piece you cut to create the opening, just close the sides inside the opening.

In the second case, reproduce on the floor of the living room the bridge shape of the fireplace with the boxes you have previously mounted, making sure that the coat is thicker than the poles for a more aesthetic and realistic. Then tape them one by one. In the same way as for the large box model, reinforce them on the edges.

Step 2: the decoration

Now that the structure of the fireplace is ready, there is room for decoration. We chose a visual imitating the bricks, but you can quite opt for the one of your dreams (it's a cardboard, all the follies are allowed). For example, why not imagine a baroque pastel-colored decor which will delight all the little girls?

Before painting, be sure to protect the floor of the room with a large plastic sheet . Start by painting the inside of the hearth with black paint, only one layer will suffice.

Then go to the structure of the chimney with red , brown and black , making here, there and there, large uneven streaks of color. You will reproduce the material and the nuances of the brick. Again, a single layer of paint should be sufficient.

Now, get a finer brush , all your patience and white paint , because it's time to paint them outlines of bricks. To help you, do not hesitate to print the photo of a brick wall that you will tape next to your fireplace to inspire you. You can proceed in two ways: or you create very fine and regular contours to give your fireplace a more realistic appearance or, on the contrary, you create wide, rounded stripes to give your fireplace a childish touch.

Then you can crack a fire in the hearth (to extinguish before the arrival of Santa ...). To do this, take yellow and red , and draw beautiful flames in the home. Apply the colors to one another without waiting for them to dry in order to achieve the desired orange hue.

You are now in possession of a beautiful cardboard fireplace that you have the satisfaction of having made yourself. The final touch: place the garland and branches in the hearth, and the pine cones on the mantelpiece. That's it !

> Illuminate your garden or facade for Christmas