3-D Shark Jewelry Holder Tutorial for Shark Week

Make a 3-D shark jewelry holder from cardboard.

My sons like to accessorize with necklaces, and I’ve been looking for a way to help them keep their jewelry organized.  Most jewelry boxes are very feminine, so I started looking for ways to make a fun organizer that is more gender neutral.

I love the recent trend of making deer and moose heads from cardboard, and that’s what inspired this idea.  My boys and I have been longtime fans of Robert Sabuda’s work, and he generously shares free templates for making your own 3-D art.  I used one of his designs to create this three dimensional shark jewelry holder.

Supplies Used to Make a 3-D Shark Jewelry Holder:

• Robert Sabuda 3-D Shark Printable – free
• Cardboard box (recycled)
• Paint
• Wood square plaque
• Glue

Step one:  Download and print Robert Sabuda’s template here.  If sharks aren’t your thing he has dozens of other templates to choose from.

Step two:  Cut out and trace the template onto cardboard, and cut out the pieces.  (Note that I only used the head, not the fin or body.)  For the dotted lines, use a razor to cut the top of the cardboard, but not all the way through!  This will make it easier to fold on the line.

Step three:  Paint the teeth white, the inside of the mouth red, and the wood square blue.

Step four:  Assemble the shark and glue as directed.  If you want a smoother edge, you can use tape to seal.

Step five:  Paint the shark silver.

Step six:  Glue the shark to the wood board, and add a saw tooth hanger to the back.

My son just loves his new necklace hanger.  He thinks it’s hilarious to put jewelry inside the shark’s mouth!  Between all those teeth, the mouth, and the head, you can hang quite a few items on this tiny but mighty shark.  Now I need to make one more for my oldest son…maybe I’ll go with the more conventional cardboard moose head this time.