*Please note: This gift is a HARD DIFFICULTY project, requiring some detailed cardboard cutting and the use of an art knife.*
Dimensions:
- Track: 16.125" x 16.125"
- Coins: 1" x 1" x 0.25"
Featuring:
- High quality template
- 24 coins
- Mario Kart track
- Mario Kart character
You'll also need:
- An accessible printer with
- Thick paper (preferably glossy)
- Cardboard
- Copy paper (preferably yellow)
- Writing utensil
- Adhesive - hot glue gun & slower drying glue
- Scissors
- Art knife (aka X-acto knife)
Things that will make this project easier (since this project is considerably time consuming, I wanted to list some items that helped me cut down a lot of time):
- Paper trimmer - there is a lot of cutting, so this came in handy A LOT
- Self healing cutting mat - if you're using an art knife for the cardboard cutting, this will make your life a million times easier and protect your table
Tips & Tricks:
- If You Don't Have All the Materials: I highly recommend using all of the materials listed, because it makes it look significantly nicer. However, you can get by with just printing on white cardstock and using white copy paper.
- If You Want to Make This Gift Easier: 1) Take out the Mario Kart character. 2) Instead of making a pull-out message with the coin, you can just create a standard coin and write the message on the back of the coin. 3) Take out the gate. This will significantly cut down the total time to make this gift.
- If you can, I recommend using an art knife for cutting any straight edges of cardboard. Keeping the knife perpendicular to the cardboard, I lightly cut into the cardboard where I intent to, then i gradually go over it again and again with more and more force until it's completely cut through. I found this way to be the best way to minimize smashing of the cardboard while also giving the cleanest cut.
- I used the hot glue gun only for gluing the faces to the sides of the coin and gluing them on the map. Otherwise, I used a slower drying glue that allowed for more flexibility.
- When hot gluing the coin together, make sure to glue the non-numbered side first and apply glue to all edges except the coin slot (so you don't glue the coin slot closed by accident). Once you have the non-numbered side completed you can just pop in the numbered side. Since the numbered side isn't glued, you have more flexibility to straighten it.
- The note papers are 0.5" x 2.25".
- When gluing the print-outs to the cardstock and box, make sure to apply glue liberally so that all edges and corners are glued properly.
- The Mario Kart character, by far, was the most difficult part. I found it easiest to use an art knife for the more intricate parts, but this still took some time and patience because it's so small.
Happy gifting!
