Sugar rush -- turning a cardboard candy box into an iPhone case

iPhone case made of Good & Plenty box
My guilty pleasure is candy -- especially Dots, Jujyfruit, and Good & Plenty.  One movie-size box will last me for days. Ok, hours.

And those cheerful boxes, with their bright colors and fun shapes, don't deserve to go straight into the recycle bin. They must be good for something, right?

Hmmm, a long thin rectangle -- what does that remind me of? My iPhone of course! Why not turn this cute happy box into a case for my cute happy iPhone?

The first step was obvious -- deconstruct the box by carefully pulling away the overlapping side and bottom flaps. The glue gave way easily, so the flaps didn't rip. I knew I'd need them later.
Deconstructed Good and Plenty case
Next, to strengthen the outside of the box, I covered it with clear iron-on vinyl.
iron-on vinyl
It's so thin, you hardly know it's there. Next, I poked a small hole in each side of the box, about a 1/2" from the top. (Can you guess what these are for?)
punching a hole with my awl
I inserted an eyelet into each hole.
putting an eyelet in the box
Then came the hard part -- glueing the box back together. Applying the E6000 was easy, but keeping the box edges together while it bonded wasn't. For the long side of the box, I used a bobby pin.
using a bobby pin to keep the box closed while the glue dries
For the bottom flaps, I tried something different. I placed round weights on either side of the box to keep it upright. Then I put one of the weights inside the box, to push down the bottom flaps.
using weights to keep the box closed while the glue dries
Pretty clever, if I do say so myself! I let the glue dry overnight. The next morning, I put my iPhone inside the box -- a perfect fit! And remember those holes? They hold a round metal clasp. It keeps the phone in the box and lets me attach a stretchy wrist strap.
a round clip keeps the phone in the box
The final product!
iPhone case made of Good & Plenty box
I love it! But I worry about that glue sticking, especially on the bottom. My poor phone takes a beating as it follows me through the day. I wonder if the box can take it? Stay tuned for version 2.0.

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