Old Envelope Toys And How To Make Them
Don't throw away your old envelopes; see what amusing toys can be made of them simply by folding and cutting. No paste or glue is needed, and any one of the toys given here can be made in five minutes or less.
|  Fig. 87—The frog is sprawled out on the table. |
The Frog
The frog is one of the simplest and at the same time the funniest of the collection. gives a side view in which his beautiful open mouth can be seen to advantage. shows him sprawled out on the table. gives the pattern of the frog as it appears when drawn on the envelope. You will notice that the bottom fold of the envelope is used for the top of the animal. Draw the outlines as in , then cut along the lines you have drawn. The under part of the body follows the edge of the lower lap of the envelope from front to hind leg. Now flatten out the fold at the top and bend the paper under at the corners, which forms the head and tail. Cut a slit along the folded edge of the head for the mouth, pull the lower part down and the mouth will open wide as a frog's mouth naturally does. By working the lower jaw the frog can be made to snap at imaginary flies. Draw the eyes as shown in and bend down the lower part of the body along the dotted line, shown in , spread out the hind legs, and Master Frog is finished.
Fig. 88—The pattern of the frog drawn on an envelope. The Little Bed
Fig. 89—Use a long envelope for the little bed. For the little bed use a long envelope. If the top lap is open, cut it off. Flatten out the bottom fold as you did for the frog's back, then bend the ends and sides as in . Bend up the points at each end for head and footboards, and there is your bed.
The Table
Make the table of a smaller envelope in the same way, but leave the points extending out at the ends and cut short legs on the bottom edge .
Fig. 90—Fold the envelope this way for the bed. 
Fig. 91—Make the table of a smaller envelope. Plates and other dishes can be made very easily. For circular dishes use a cent or a ten-cent piece for a pattern. Very effective cups and goblets can be made from old pieces of tinfoil. The table, however, is strong enough to hold the little china or tin dishes usually found among a child's collection of toys.
The Sofa
Fig. 92—A comfortable little sofa. The comfortable little high-backed sofa is made of a long envelope with the top left open. Fold the envelope into the box shape, as for the bed, with the points turned up. Then fold the tips of the points inward, as in . Now reverse the box and slit down the two front edges which gives an opening in front. Bend down this front piece and cut it off on a line with the two ends.
Fig. 93—Fold the tips of the points inward. The Arm-Chair
A deep, low-seated arm-chair can be made of an oblong envelope of ordinary size by following the directions for the sofa and allowing the back to curve instead of making it flat, then slitting down the sides and bending them over to form the arms .
Fig. 94—Make the arm-chair of an oblong envelope. The Bath Tub.
Fig. 95—A little bath tub for imaginary water. A little bath tub, but one that will scarcely hold water, is shown in . In this the upper lap is left open, the points are bent under, and the sides left to curve naturally. A baby carriage can also be made in this way, but for the carriage the points must extend down and have wheels drawn on them and the tips must be cut off squarely at the bottom so that the carriage will stand. The lap is the back and the handle in one .
Fig. 96—A doll-baby can ride in this carriage. The Bungalow
Fig. 97—The bungalow is made of a long envelope. The little bungalow is something very different, yet it, too, is made of an envelope. Though it appears to have many parts it is all in one piece. The envelope is a long one, such as is used for legal papers. gives the pattern. The heavy lines show where to cut and the dotted lines where to bend. The lap forms the front porch, but the porch may be left off entirely if the envelope has been slit at the top in opening it. With a little care, however, many envelopes can be opened intact. Cut along the heavy lines of the door and windows, then open the door and the little shutters. Bend back the ends of the house and in the middle of each end take a little plait from top to bottom. This is to make the ends narrower and give room for the roof to slant. Bend the roof back from the eaves along the dotted line. The back of the bungalow is made like the front, except that it has no door, windows, or porch.
Children who have a knack at drawing can greatly improve the bungalow by drawing the slats to the blinds, drawing in the panelling on the front door, putting on the knob, putting shingles on the roof, etc., etc.
Fig. 98—Draw the bungalow on the envelope in this way. The Cart
The little cart , that will hold quite a heavy doll, and can be trundled about like one made of wood, is not cut at all.
Fig. 99—The cart can be trundled about like one made of wood. Fold an oblong envelope into the box shape , with points turned up, but let the points be deeper than for the bed or sofa. This is because the ends of the envelope are to form the sides of the cart and must be longer from front to back. Bend the tips of the points in and crease the folds sharply that they may lie flat against the sides. Sharpen one end of a small, round stick and push it through the middle of the folded point on one side, then slide a large, empty spool on the stick and thrust the point of the stick through the opposite side . The stick should stand out beyond the cart about half an inch on each side, and will need no fastening.
Fig. 100—This is the way to put wheels on the cart. Puncture a hole in one end of the cart, thread a cotton string through the hole, tie a large knot on the inside end and pull the string through until the knot presses close against the end of the cart. Let the string be long enough to reach easily from the floor to the little hand that will hold the other end.
Besides all these toys, a baby's cradle that has rockers and will rock, a cunning little dressing-table with its mirror, boxes of different shapes and sizes, and various kinds of baskets can be made of the old envelope. Probably there are other forms it may be made to assume—boats perhaps, that for a time at least will float on the water, and animals other than the frog.
More
-
A Home-made Santa Claus
<p>"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" calls out Santa Claus cheerily as the guests come trooping into the room.</p> <p>Laughing and joking, his eyes twinkling with fun, Santa Claus names each person as he hands out the gifts from his fat Christmas b... A Newspaper Boat Which Will Sail On Real Water
<div> <img src="/images/i023.png" alt="Fig. 25—The newspaper boat made water-proof and sailing on real water." title="Fig. 25—The newspaper boat made water-proof and sailing on real water." height="400" width="499" /> Fig. 25—The newspa... Christmas-tree Decorations
<div> <table summary="Christmas Tree and Star" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left"><br> <div> <img src="/images/i114.jpg" alt="Fig. 183—The Christmas tree with home-made dec... Little Twig People
<p>Have you seen the little people who live up in the trees? Little twig people who dance and swing and bob about, who nod and bow and flutter hither and yon; some astride funny twig horses, others dangling head down, many waiting to run a race when ... Nature Study With Tissue-paper
<p>A natural flower, some tissue-paper, a pair of scissors, a spool of thread, and nimble fingers are all you need.</p> <p>There are no patterns, only circles and squares and strips of paper which you gather here, spread out there, wrap and tie somew... Old Envelope Toys And How To Make Them
<p>Don't throw away your old envelopes; see what amusing toys can be made of them simply by folding and cutting. No paste or glue is needed, and any one of the toys given here can be made in five minutes or less.</p> <div> <table summary="The Frog... Paper Building Cards
<p>Make your building cards of ordinary writing-paper. You may have as many cards as you like, though twelve are all that are used to make the things shown in our photographs.</p> <div> <img src="/images/i009a.png" alt="Fig. 1—Cut an oblong out ... Paper Jewelry
<p>Ordinary brown wrapping paper is the best to use for this paper jewelry. Indeed the pale, creamy yellow of some wrapping paper is much like ivory in color, and the chains and ornaments made of it are really charming.</p> <h3>The Necklace</h3> <p>... Playing Indians With Costumes Made Of Newspapers
<p>The best framework for a newspaper wigwam can be made of long-handled feather dusters, but long-handled brushes, or poles of any kind you may happen to have, will answer the purpose; all that is necessary is something you can make into a framewo... Scrap-books
<h3><br /> Mother Goose Scrap-Book</h3> <p>The nursery scrap-books made of linen or colored cambric are, perhaps, familiar to most of our readers; but for the benefit of those who may not yet have seen these durable little books, we will give the ... Straw And Paper Furniture
<p>A handful of straws, such as are used for lemonade and soda-water, several large sheets of writing-paper, and some small-sized pins—these are your materials. A pair of sharp scissors, a ruler marked off into whole, half, and quarter inches, ... Toys Made Of Common Kindling Wood
<p>Just a glance at a pile of ordinary every-day kindling wood could hardly suggest to one the possibilities existing in the crude material for building all sorts of interesting and realistic things for the little folks, but experiment and you will fi... Toys Made Of Common Wooden Berry-baskets
<p>Use a one-quart wooden berry-box for the china closet . Turn the empty box facing you, and slide the prongs of a clothespin up through the open crack at the lower right hand of the box. Allow one prong of the clothespin to come on the outside and ... Toys Of Clothespins
<p>You can make cunning, soft, downy hens and roosters simply of raw cotton and clothespins . The little creatures may be pure white, dark colored, or part dark and part light, according to the cotton used.</p> <div> <img src="/images/i063.jpg" alt="... Visiting-card Houses
<p>From old visiting cards you can build all the different houses and furniture seen in the accompanying illustrations.</p> <div> <img src="/images/i098.jpg" alt="Fig. 156—The little tropical house in Uncle Sam's newly acquired possessions. Made ... What To Make Of Empty Spools
<p>Gather up all the spools you can find, big, little, thick, and thin; no matter how many, you can use them all. There is no end of fun to be had with these always-on-hand, easily found toys; they may be made into almost everything.</p> <h3>Spool Ho...