Cardboard is actually a nice material. It’s cheap (practically free), easy to cut and mold and it’s quite safe, unless you decide to eat it. Cardboard is used in all walks of life and it shouldn’t be strange to us beaders either, at least if one wants to create jewelry displays that are different from the ones sold on eBay. Although, you can find quite exquisite displays online too.
Not all cardboards are created equals. Some are better than others. A dense and solid cardboard (the left one in the image) is much sturdier if your construction needs to be light and small, or you need to carve out miniature shapes. The right one is mainly good for larger, more massive pieces, or for curved surfaces.
Then there are even more heavy duty dual layer cardboards that can hold several pounds of weight. They are good for base plates but beware, if you store or use them in a place that is not completely dry (too much air humidity) they might start to curve.
The rolls that come with toilet paper and paper towels might be useful for some purposes, but usually they are so weak and thin that they start to break down very easily. A better, although harder to come by, material can be found in many supermarkets. Those small and transparent plastic bags that are usually located in the fruit and veggie area are rolled around a very sturdy cardboard roll. These rolls mostly maintain their shape even if you slice them to pieces (like in the video).
Let your imagination fly. Many things can be built from cardboard. The downside is that stuff made out of cardboard may not have a long lifespan. But hey, it’s all recycling!
Here are two examples that my husband built for me. They are one of a kind. I hope they’ll give you some inspiration.
