Thursday, July 21, 2011

cardboard airport

So remember how I made this?  Well, it really got the ball rolling on my cardboard town making.  I told  Jimmy we could start working on a bunch of different buildings and eventually it would all make a town.  He asked for an airport, and I said, "How about a house?"  Sigh.  He got an airport.  But ultimately, I ended up having a lot of fun with it and was pretty proud of how it turned out.  After looking up a few pictures of airports online, I was pretty much flying by the seat of my pants .  I just starting cutting and folding without any real plans or any real regard for proper scale (about right for Playmobil was my goal).  The scenic designer in me shudders at the thought, but the mom part of me knows that is the only way to get things done.  And, of course, I had a great helper who drew all my windows and colored it wherever he saw fit.  He loves it, so mission accomplished.  Not gonna lie -- I love it, too.
Jimmy even helped me set it up to take pictures "so Nano and Nana can see it."
Our airport has a check-in counter with a conveyor belt behind it for the bags, and while it does not have the best security in the world (it lacks walls and the baggage x-ray machine that Jimmy wanted), at least they give you the pat down:
Jimmy's favorite part is the control tower.
It may be mine, too. I even love its many imperfections
Jimmy loves sending the bags down out the "wipers" and down this conveyor belt.
He didn't understand why I couldn't make the wheels spin.
It is sweet that he thinks I am capable of anything.
Jimmy insisted that the airport have a tunnel that you walk down to get on the plane "just like when we went to Dallas."  
It may not have lined up with the plane perfectly, but I was excited about the corrugated look around the edges.  
And finally, the drop-off and pick-up ramps.
Cardboard is a pretty fun building material, but unfortunately it won't last forever; this is something I have been trying to explain to my son.  He told me I could just build him a new one if this one breaks.  I told him, "Probably not so take care of it and please don't cry when we have to get rid of it."
He said, "Okay, but we can just build a new one right?"  He has trouble listening.
... But just wait, friends.  It isn't over yet.  This was just the first building in our city.  More to come on that soon.

8 comments:

  1. Okay, you just won BEST MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD. that is amazing!!! too legit.

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  2. You ARE one fantastic Mom. He will remember this loving act of creativity all his life!

    Hugs~

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  3. Holy Cow!!! You are so talented and your boys are so lucky to have you as a mom. I wish I could do something like that!

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  4. Thanks for the pics so Nano could see it! Could have done without the pat-down playmobil guy ...

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  5. Just googling "cardboard airport" and came upon your incredible example! Mine isn't nearly as awesome, but you can see here:http://tourtot.com/?p=1579 Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  6. Thanks everyone. I could try to be humble but... well, I know its pretty cool. And Nano, you know you at least laughed at the playmobile "pat down" while you were shaking your head at me. And Jenn, good work while a 22 month old was trying to help you!

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    1. Hi Mary! I am working on an article for iVillage about cardboard-box crafts and we are considering your photo of the cardboard airport for the upcoming slideshow.
      May we have permission to use this photo? Could you send me a high-res version and the photo credit? Thanks! Ellen Niz, iVillage contributor, ellen.niz(at)gmail.com

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