Hippo Valentine Box

We have so much fun coming up with themes, and this year they decided to each do animals "eating" the cards. I wanted to share the "hungry" hippo we first created. We love it ... tons, ha!

My kids enjoy playing with paper punches, so those are always a go-to when creating characters for eyes, noses, ears, etc. This cute guy came together so quickly with just two recycled boxes!

Start with empty tissue and cracker boxes similar to the ones shown. Remove the center plastic and sand the box exteriors for better adhesion. You can either paint the boxes (easier for kids) or cover with paper.

We also decided to paint the inside of the tissue box pink, but he's cute without it, too.

Punch out feature details from assorted cardstock and glue onto boxes. We used hearts, ovals, and petals as shown.

Cut out rectangle teeth from white craft foam and glue inside mouth opening.

Have an adult hot glue the two boxes together for final assembly.