I am a DIY/craft blogger for home decor projects made from Recycled/ repurposed/ restored materials. I am also a little steampunk mad at the moment so most of my projects at the moment have become steampunk related. This camera was built using mainly recycled materials I found around my home and workshop. As far as possible I wanted this camera to look like a real camera in design. I wanted to try and make a cardboard prop camera to be used in staging for my steampunk projects for my website. This camera has also been entered into the cardboard competition, so if you like it please vote for it at the bottom of this page.

Step 1: Building the Frame

To build this cardboard camera you will need a corrugated cardboard box. I am a useless cook and order all our meals from Hello fresh, I recycled the box the food came in. I cut my cardboard to the dimensions shown in the image above. I used a pen to score through the first layer of paper to help bend the box into shape. To make sure the camera was sturdy I added tape around all the sides. You can also add a small bag of sand to weigh it down if you so chose.

Step 2: Making the Camera Lens

The lens for this project was a recycled aluminium drinks can. I cut the can in half and cut slits into the end, which will be used to secure the lens to the camera. You will need another piece of cardboard cut to 10cm square. I used the can as a template for the circle and cut out the centre. Next, you open up the folds on the can and slide the cardboard over and glue the folds to the cardboard.

Step 3: Adding Texture

To add some character and texture to the camera I used more cardboard. You peel the top layer of paper which will expose the corrugated texture beneath. I used this corrugated texture to cover the box using a hot glue gun.

Step 4: Adding the Lens

To mimic the dials on a zoom lens I used more corrugated cardboard cut into small pieces and glued them around the can. Next, add the lens onto the front of the camera using hot glue.

Step 5: Making the Flash

For the flash, I used thick cardstock cut to 6 cm square. You will also need another piece which will be used to attach it to the base.

Step 6: Making the Door

The old fashioned cameras had doors on the back where you loaded the film. I cut more thick cardstock to 8 cm square for the door.

Step 7: Add Some Legs

I used some old wooden doorknobs I found in my workshop as legs for my camera.

Step 8: Decorating the Camera

To decorate my camera I used some silicone moulds and resin to make some charms which I glued all over the surface. I also used some broken jewellery and bits and bobs I found around my house as decorations. If you zoom in on the images you will see all the bits I used there are too many to name.

Step 9: Paint the Camera

Once you are happy you have covered most of the surface you can paint everything using black gesso.

Step 10: Apply the Wax Paste

You can be as creative as you like with this step. If you are not happy with the end results you can always add more black gesso and start again. These are the metallic wax pastes I used but some are no longer available. You can also make your own at home see how here.

To apply the wax, touch the wax with your finger and run it over the raised charms. Try not to cover all the black or the effect will be lost. I repeated this step adding a small amount of each colour to all the embellishments. I was trying to achieve a sort of Patina effect.