Like so many of us, Jen Prior, 29, can’t stop online shopping in lockdown.
But she’s come up with a way to at least put all those deliveries to good use – by turning the leftover boxes into special cars for her cat, Toltex.
To be entirely clear, these are not mini Lambos with their own motors, but rather toy cars crafted from cardboard. Toltex will not be causing havoc on major motorways.
So far Jen has crafted a tank, a Jurassic Park jeep, and an ambulance for Toltex to sit in, after noticing the cat absolutely adored playing in bits of cardboard.
The greeting card designer from Bracknell, Berkshire, said: ‘Because I was bored in quarantine, I got really into TikTok – I loved seeing all the silly cat and dog videos on there.
‘I saw a really funny video of a cat walking down a runway with some little sunglasses on.
‘My sister tagged me in an article on Facebook of people so bored in quarantine, they’ve been making cardboard tanks for their cats out of cardboard boxes.
‘So she tagged me in that saying “you should make one for your cat” – that’s how it started.
‘We’ve ordered so much stuff online since quarantine. We’ve got quite a few boxes around.
‘T absolutely loves cardboard boxes anyway – when I’m working inside on my dining table, if I’ve got a cardboard box, he’ll just jump in it.
‘He absolutely loves it – he falls asleep in them.’
For the tank, Jen used a H&M cardboard box for the base and other leftover cardboard for the details.
For the ambulance and jeep, she repurposed each previous car, because let’s be real, no cat needs multiple vehicles at one time.
Each one takes quite a bit of time and effort to create, with Jen spending more than two hours every night for a week crafting the works.
She said: ‘I did a bit each night so it didn’t feel like it took so long – it was a relaxing thing to do after work.
‘The Jurassic Park one definitely took longer.
‘Because I was born in the 90s, I love all the 90s nostalgia and I just love the iconic music – it’s one of our favourite films.
‘Everything was out of cardboard – the jeep was part of the tank and part of the ambulance.
‘I spent ages looking on Google images looking at what real ambulances look like – the same as the Jurassic Park jeep.
‘I would get lots of different angles to make sure that it looks alright.’
Jen and her partner Niall have a few ideas for their next project, including a Batmobile and a James Bond Aston Martin – and they might even attempt a spitfire plane.
Jen said: ‘I’m a very creative person – I’ve always been obsessed with Art Attack.
‘It’s just a bit of fun to cheer people up during such a difficult time.
‘We all need a good laugh.’
Have you done a bit of impressive DIY in lockdown (for your cat or otherwise)? Tell us all about it by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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