Finding DIY online can be a bit of a chore: Some projectsare far trickier and more expensive to make than they would be to buy, somecall for materials I have a hard time finding here in the city, and some callfor unreasonable levels of expertise. Others the inspired little bits ofdesign that turn an afternoon's worth of effort into something cool andone-of-a-kind make it all worthwhile. The recycledcardboard cat scratch pad project posted at Design*Sponge last week is definitely one of the good guys.
To get started, all I really needed was a ton of cardboard(in our office, where two zillion boxes turn up every day, this was not a problem),a box cutter, and some clear packing tape. I spent a few lunch breaks slicingboxes into even strips, then curling them in spirals.
Lauren Oster
My favorite boxes came from the fashion department. Who knewSpanx could be a pet product, too?
Lauren Oster
I will say that the curling step was a bit hard on myfingers; I think it helped that I did it over several days. That was the worstof it, though, and after taping all of my curls together in a tight spiral, Ihad my pad. I cut some metallic brocade wrapping paper (also from the office)to fit the outside layer of cardboard, glued it in place, and voila! With luck,something that would distract my cats from the eighty-two other things theylike to scratch.
Lauren Oster
Verdict: Cat-approved (this is Chuck, one of our two guys), and highly recommended. Thanks, Design*Sponge(and Kate Pruitt)!
Posted by Lauren
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