The Dave-Liner and The Jackoneer

When you have more imagination than wallet, cardboard can nourish special moments like this. When you get an assignment to be this cheap, it makes the moment even better!

Last night David reminded me that he needed help to 'build' a cardboard car for the drive-in movies tonight at AWANA. The result was The Dave-Liner, a truck made from a Lillian Vernon box using paper cups for lights, packing tape for construction, and a permanent marker for detail. David wanted to use his keys (given to us by key cutting employees at Lowe's out of the "mistake drawer"), so we drew door handles, stuck a toilet-paper roll exhaust pipe out the back, and cut "key holes" in the side. David also wanted special license plates like our truck has, so he drew a pair. We then traced the outline of a round teapot on another piece of cardboard and made a steering wheel for the interior. This morning my Mom told me I was making "box" cars 40+ years ago with boxes that came in with food shipments to our island. My favorites have always been appliance boxes; you can make houses with them!

Naturally, because his older brother had one, Jack wanted a car of his own. So after David was on the bus for school this morning we started in on another car. Jack insisted on wheels, steering wheel, keys, and doors like David. Despite being smaller, The Jackoneer took longer to make than David's - a full two hours. Thicker cardboard? I just don't know. When I left for work this morning, Jack was sitting in the car watching a Veggie Tales video while eating a waffle. Life is good.

And me? I got all the leftover cardboard to create a smile that tells people how much money we saved by building from cardboard!