How to Make a Cardboard Boombox Decoration

Decorate a music-themed party with a realistic-looking boombox, or use the boom box as a prop for a special school performance. The boombox is constructed from leftover pieces of cardboard, making it an environmentally friendly project and a simple activity, so young children can help with the custom craft. Embellish the decoration with realistic-looking speakers, and then add knobs and dials, made from inexpensive craft scraps from around the home.

Cut two rectangles from the cardboard to make the top and bottom of the boombox. Make these rectangles 6 inches by 24 inches in size. Cut two rectangles to make the front and back of the boombox. Make these rectangles 12 inches by 24 inches in size. Cut two 6-inch by 12-inch rectangles to make the two ends of the boombox.

Lay one of the 6-by-24-inch rectangles on your work surface. This is the bottom of the boombox. Apply a line of hot glue along the outer edge of one long side of the base. Stand one of the 12-by-24-inch rectangles in the glue and press firmly. This is the back of the boombox. Cut a 24-inch long piece of masking tape and run it along the inside corner of the two pieces to reinforce the joint.

Spread glue along the outer edges of the short ends of the base and stand one 6-by-12-inch rectangle in the glue at each end. Cut two pieces of masking tape, each 6 inches long, and run these along the inside edges of the ends to reinforce the joints.

Spread glue along the top edge of the back and sides of the boombox. Press the remaining 6-by-24-inch rectangle down on the glue. This is the top of the boombox. Cut a 6-by-24-inch piece of masking tape and two 6-inch by 12-inch pieces and run these along the inside edges to reinforce the joints.

Cut one more piece of cardboard. Make this piece 1 inch wide by 8 inches long. Make two slits in the top, center of the boombox. Space these slits about five inches apart. Slide the ends of the cardboard strip into the slits and use the masking tape to secure the ends to the inside of the boombox. This makes the handle. The boombox is now assembled, except for the front piece of cardboard.

Place the boombox on old newspaper in a well-ventilated area and spray the entire outside of the box with silver metallic spray paint. Lay the remaining 12-by-24-inch piece of cardboard on the newspaper and cover it with the coat of spray paint. This is the front of the boombox. Let the paint dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Measure 2 inches inward from the short ends of the front of the boombox. Draw two circles with a diameter of about 4 inches and cut out the circles. Cut two pieces of the black mesh into 5-inch squares. Lay these on the backside of the cardboard and tape them over top of the circle cutouts. These are the boombox speakers.

Cut two 1-inch circles of cardboard and spray these with black spray paint. Let the paint dry. Poke a butterfly paperclip through the center of each circle. Poke the clips through the front of the boombox, just above one of the speakers to make dials.

Draw a rectangle in the center of the boombox front with black marker and color it in to make a tape deck.

Spread glue around the open edges of the boombox and hold the front piece against the glue. Press firmly for at least 30 seconds to allow the glue to adhere.