March 01, 2013

Snowboard for American Girl Doll

Overall dimensions: size 13" x 4" 


What you need
  • big cereal box ( I used a big Cheerios box) at least 13" tall
  • Elmer's glue and hot glue gun
  • 2 pages of white paper (Legal size)
  • Duct tape, color of your choice (for the binding)
  • roll of clear adhesive laminate, optional (you can also use any spray/brush on sealer to seal it)
  • clamps, heavy books
  • Exacto knife or scissors

How to make the snowboard
  1. Download pattern here
           Remember to set scaling to none !
           Please use this only for your personal use.
    Cut the pattern twice and tape together along the marked line.
  2. Cut your cereal box open along the glued line
  3. Cut 1x the snowboard pattern out of the cereal box and cut 2x rectangles slightly larger (especially longer) than the snowboard pattern (when we bend the the ends up we will need slightly more cardboard)
  4. Glue the snowboard pattern onto one of the rectangles but don't glue the ends yet (stop with the glue about 2 1/2" from either end)
  5. Glue the last rectangle to the rectangle with the pattern and again no glue at the ends just like in step 4
  6. Weigh down with heavy books and let glue dry
  7. We will do the front first. Put glue between all the layers in the front then bend the last 1 1/2" upwards, clamp and support the clamps and let glue dry

     
  8.  Now put glue between all layers on the back end and bend the last 1" just slightly upwards, clamp and support the clamps and let glue dry.
  9. After removing the clamps, cut along the pattern. It should look like this
  10. You can either paint it with your favorite design or print a design on the computer, I designed mine on the computer and printed it on Legal paper (the long paper)

  11. To make it easier for glueing and to make it shiny and waterproof I put a strip of adhesive laminate on my print where the snowboard will be (see in picture in step 10)
  12. If you are not using paper design skip the rest
    Spread glue on the underside of the snowboard with a brush
      

  13. Center bottom design and weigh down with heavy books, use the clamps to hold paper to ends and let glue dry
  14. Take scissors or Exacto knife and cut carefully around board
  15. Now spread glue on the top side of the snowboard and center top design. Weigh down with heavy books, clamp ends to hold paper and let glue dry
  16. Take scissors or Exacto knife and cut carefully around board
     

How to make the bindings

  1.  Take the boots your American Girl doll is going to wear with the snowboards and trace the outline of the boots on the cereal box

  2. Cut about 1/8" bigger than the marking

  3.  Take the duct tape and put both soles on it

  4. Cut around liberally and cut flaps every 1/4" or so
  5. Fold all flaps in
  6. Cut 4 strips 2 3/4" x 3/4" from cereal box and round them (I pulled them over a table edge a couple of times) and cut a couple of small scrap pieces of duct tape
  7. Put glue between the two strips and form them around the heel (cut of the sliver that is too long on the inside strip) and tape in place with the scrap duct tape. Let glue dry.


  8. After glue has dried, take the heel piece off and center in a piece of duct tape and cut flaps on top (those will be folded in) and cut the corners off as in the picture below
  9. Fold side flaps in then fold top flaps down
  10. Cut flaps and tape the inside, but make sure you only tape the cardboard part, not the flaps
  11. Put heal on sole and fold flaps down (the heel part should be on the outside of the sole so the sole can give it some support)
  12. Cut a 6" piece of duct tape and fold in thirds


  13. Put the shoe in the binding and tape with a scrap piece the toe strap in place

  14. Repeat steps 4 - 14 for second binding
  15. Position bindings on snowboard and glue (best with a hot glue gun) bindings in place

You are done !!!

6 comments:

  1. You are incredibly creative! Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. You are welcome. Have fun !

      Delete
  2. Really i am impressed with your post. You have shared such a wonderful Idea related to snowboarding. I am so glad to left comment on this ,Thank you for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice creativity with snowboarding... its amazing. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your site. AG stuff gets expensive. I am going to be busy for my granddaughter for Christmas. ty

    ReplyDelete