Make Your Own Tardis Costume...Without Cussing

Whatcha Need:

• Cardboard box (I used a Grand Wardrobe box from UHaul, but this won't work if you are any shorter than about 5'7" tall. You'll have to cut off the bottom if you're short.)
  
• Scrap cardboard from another shipping box, for your extra bits. (Surely you have an Amazon box sitting around somewhere, right?)
• Spray paint primer & Tardis blue (I went through 2 cans of primer and about 4 cans of blue.)
• Box cutter
• Hot glue gun and/or wood glue
• Packing tape or duct tape
• Tardis signs printed off on paper or card stock (You can find lots of these on Pinterest. I used these: 
• http://tinyurl.com/cb2warh
• http://tinyurl.com/natsge2 
• http://tinyurl.com/p876h5m)
• Ruler
• Black Sharpie
• Mod Podge & sponge brush
• 2-3 afternoons

Whatcha Do:

1. Cut the bottom flaps off your box and save them.
2. Cut two 3"-tall strips from a short-side flap and and two from a long-side flap (the ones you just took off the bottom of the box.) These will be your top strips, with the "Police Call Box" signs.
   
3. Cut squares/rectangles out of the front and back of your box - 6 on each side, 3 and 3. I made mine 7" x 8". Save them to attach to the sides of your Tardis.
   
4. Use the scraps from your bottom flaps and/or another shipping box to make long panels that will cover your open rectangles on the front and back.
5. Cut 4 more rectangles out of scrap cardboard, the same size as your others. These will be the extra blue panels for your sides.
6. Cut out 4 rectangles from card stock or white printer paper, the same size as all your other panels. These will be your side windows.
7. Take all your cardboard pieces outside and spray paint them with your primer. Allow to dry 1 hour.
   
8. Spray paint all but 4 of your cardboard square/rectangle panels blue. Save 4 white ones for your front and back windows. Allow to dry for 1 hour.
   
9. Spray paint a second coat of blue, if you need it.
   
10. Take the 4 white rectangles and the 4 white pieces of card stock and draw the Tardis window panes with black Sharpie (1 line across and 2 down). 
11. Glue or tape the long blue panels to the inside front and back of your Tardis, covering the cut-out holes. This will give the paneled look and serve as reinforcement. 
    
12. Glue or tape the 4 cardboard window rectangles to the front and back of your Tardis, 2 on each side. (I went back and painted the gray T-shape into the panels, just for a tad more authenticity.)
    
13. Glue or tape the other 12 blue rectangles to the sides of your Tardis.
    
    
14. Glue the Tardis signs to their proper places on the front doors. If you want to add an extra layer of protection to your signs, paint over them all with Mod Podge. I was glad I did this after walking around for several hours after dark, when the fog was thick and everything was covered in dew.
    
    
    
    
15. Then glue the 4 "Police Call Box" strips to the top of your Tardis. Draw a line down the center of the front. Draw on a door handle and key hole. Or, if you're not lazy like me, attach an actual door handle purchased from your local hardware store.
    
16. Cut a square in the top of your box for your head (I cut a 10" square hole for mine.)
    
17. Cut rectangles out of sides for your arms.
    
18. Tape up your top seams and put on your Tardis!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
     
19. Make a top light box thingie for your head. I used scraps of cardboard, painted it white with blue edges, and painted on the black panel lines. Then I took an old headband and hot-glued it to the headband. I think mine is a little too tall, but it serves its purpose I suppose.
    
    
    
    
    
    

Let me know if you make your own Tardis costume. I'd love to hear from you and see your creation!