DIY Fireplace from Cardboard 

I’ve always loved fireplaces. They give off this cozy ambiance. Our house doesn’t have a fireplace and I wanted to create something special for our 7 month old daughter so I did what one naturally does when they need ideas. I pulled up Pinterest. There were surprisingly a lot of cardboard fireplaces out there. Some simple and some intricate. I went simple and the cost was minimal. The pillars are made of paper boxes that printer paper comes in which was plentiful in the office that I worked at. Everything else was from boxes I had gotten in the mail or scrounged from my family. 

Supplies 

(The amount of boxes you will need depends on how large you want your fireplace, so the supplies list is an estimate.) 

5 paper boxes (2 ½ boxes on each side for the pillars)

5 big boxes 

Clear packing tape 

Razor blade

Large black poster board 

1 Roll Bulletin Board Paper(I used Stone from Hobby Lobby)

Scissors 

Hot Glue Gun 

Directions 

Determine how large you want your fireplace. Mine was going under my tv and there was already a hanging shelf there so I used that to determine the height, length and depth. It came out to be about 4 feet in length. I used the width of the board to determine the depth and it worked out almost perfectly with the paper boxes. 

Once you have the dimensions, it’s time to start cutting the pieces of cardboard to your specs.

When you make the base, I recommend creating supports in between the top and bottom piece because it will be flimsy if you don’t.  Something like this!

Once you have the pillars, base and top assembled, you will need to attach them together. You can use packing tape or hot glue. I used both to make it extra secure. 

I waited to create the middle part of my fireplace because I didn’t know how big it would need to be until all of the other parts were assembled. I took a thin piece of cardboard and attached it to the other pieces with tape. 

The tricky part comes when you have to apply the background paper. If you use some sort of brick or stone pattern, you want to make sure that you match the pieces together so it creates a seamless look. Mine isn’t perfect but I got it as close as I could. 

Here is the final look after I decorated it. 

The stockings were to my advantage because they covered up the seams where the pillars and the middle section were attached. 

Next Time…..

I am recreating the fireplace again this year but there are a few things I am going to do differently. 

Make the base look more seamless. I painted it gray but next time around, I want to continue with the stone look. 

Attach the black poster board to the back of the fireplace. It fit perfectly but sometimes it would fall forward or to the sides. 

Decorations 

All of the small decorations are from Targets $5 and under section. 

The stockings are from Amazon.

Woefully Unprepared

September of 2020, I found out I was pregnant. We had just said goodbye to my horse whom I’ve had since I was 7. I was completely torn but three days later, I felt the need to take a pregnancy test and got the best news. The two lines showed up and I couldn’t believe it. I took three more to be sure. I told my husband the next morning and then the planning began. I researched everything, I pinned nursery ideas to Pinterest, looked at cute outfits and watched tons of YouTube videos from moms doing product reviews. When I reached the second trimester, I started watching videos on what to expect during labor and practicing breathing exercises but the one thing I never researched was what to expect once my little one was here. I was unprepared to say the least. I didn’t have siblings that I helped take care of and my friends who had kids made it look so simple. I had to ask how to burp my baby, how to swaddle, everything while at the hospital . I was actually grateful we had to stay in the hospital for three days because I was scared out of my mind to take our baby home. All newborn classes were either cancelled or virtual because of COVID-19 and by the time I was looking at those, our daughter was already home. My mother in law was staying with us and I am grateful because I was on the brink of a mental breakdown. My anxiety was so bad that I did good to eat anything and I was crying non stop. I didn’t sleep hardly at all because I needed to make sure she was breathing and I was sick to my stomach every time she cried. She is three weeks now and I am finally starting to feel more normal and like I can breathe again.

Takeaway of the Day

If I can convince new parents of one thing, it is to please please please be prepared for brining a newborn home. Take a newborn class, learn how to properly use a car seat and have a plan in place for who is going to get up at night to feed or change diapers. Trust me, it will make your life so much easier.

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