Creating Vendor Displays From Re-Purposed Materials

The economy is slow and the environment is hurting but that does not mean the show can't go on. Here is an idea that will brighten up any vendor display while saving money for the shop owner. Yes it will save money on costly signs and props and it will also help our environment. Re-purposed cardboard can be used to add flare, style and creative expression to any vendor's booth. Why not put your creative thinking cap on and see what you can come up with to help bring customers in to your booth and keep your overhead down? Try re-purposing cardboard to make signs and displays that will work for everybody.

What You Will Need

• Lots of heavy cardboard boxes
• Scissors
• A sharp box knife
• A coping saw
• Poster paint
• Paint brushes
• A roll of packaging tape
• A bright idea! Make a drawing of your design.
  

Start with a good idea and then get busy. It would be wise to first make a drawing of what it is you want to design. It can be a very simple idea or something that can get quite involved. The degree to which you want to go with this project is totally depending on what you want to achieve. For the example I used some of the youth necklaces I am currently selling. They are bright and young and I wanted to make a display that would get the attention of the children and the young at heart.

I used a cute dog because "dogs are a man's best friend". Why not appeal to the masses? You want to get the attention of everybody, right?

Make a drawing and you can use it to transfer the idea from the paper to the re-purposed cardboard.This can be done a couple different ways. You could make a pattern out of paper and then trace around the edge of the pattern.

• Use carbon paper and draw over the lines of the drawing on to the cardboard to make a carbon copy.

• Cut the drawing out and glue it to the cardboard and then paint right over the drawing.

• Sketch the drawing directly on to the re-purposed cardboard and then go from there.

The main thing is to get your idea on to the cardboard one way or another.

You can use any idea you can create in your mind's eye to make a sign or a display out of re-purposed cardboard. Not only is this an economical alternative to purchasing costly signs and props, it is a welcome helping hand for our environment. Hey look at all the possibilities here. You can do all kinds of fun stuff with re-purposed cardboard and some creative thinking.

Cut the cardboard to the size you need for your design. Use a sharp box knife, very sharp scissors or for very heavy cardboard try a coping saw. The coping saw will allow you to cut very detailed lines from the re-purposed cardboard.

When you have it all cut out the way you planned your design you can paint, decorate the re-purposed cardboard however you like. I suggest poster paint but the sky is the limit when it comes to finishing your new prop.

Adding Additional Props To The Finished Design From Re-purposed Cardboard

This is one of the things I found very nice about using re-purposed cardboard. Additional props such as a stand can be added to the back of the re-purposed cardboard using glue and tape. I used another piece of cardboard for the dog display to make it stand at a slight angle. This made the dog stand on it's own. Now it can be placed on a table top to support quite a few necklaces to sell in the vendor booth. It works, it helps the environment, it is almost free from cost and it can be customized to fit the theme of your display.

Remember to be creative and do not be afraid to experiment with this basic idea. There is so much that can be done with re-purposed cardboard to help the environment by using materials that would otherwise go to the trash. As a vendor you can save money on very costly props and signs and the best thing is that this project is lots of fun.