If you’ve got a little boy, you know he loves anything with wheels! So it was a no brainer my friend’s son had a Hot Wheels themed birthday party when he turned four. The little paper racecars I made were a great addition to the adorable party decor.

To match Hot Wheels colors, I used Orange Zest cardstock and dark blue cardstock that I already had in my paper stash.

First, I downloaded the Snapdragon Snippets Race Car cut file. In Silhouette Studio, I resized the cut file so that the racecar measured about 3.5″ wide. I also made sure to resize the other cut pieces accordingly. Due to the small size of this project, I deleted the hubcaps and replaced it with a simple smaller circle.

Next in Silhouette Studio, I created a rectangle that was 1.5″ tall by 5.75″ wide. Then, I drew two dashed lines with the same width as the main rectangle (5.75″) and set each one 0.25″ away from the top and bottom edges of the rectangle. Dashed lines are very common in 3D paper crafts because they are essentially perforated lines that you fold to create your 3D creations.

The base of each 3D paper racecar is made up of two racecar die cuts and one rectangular piece.

With scissors, I made fringe cuts on the rectangular piece.

I lined up one end of the rectangular piece to one end of the car die cut. By manipulating the rectangular piece along the edge of the car die cut, I created creases across the rectangular piece at four points where the shape of the car changed: a) back bumper, b) back windshield, c) front windshield, and d) front bumper. These creases help define the shape of the 3D paper racecar.

Next, I used Tombow Mono Liquid Glue to assemble the 3D paper racecar. I was careful to keep the edges as clean and neat as possible. Sometimes I had to snip away some of the fringe to make certain curves fit.

Once assembled, I added car details like tires and side windows using Basis Cardstock in Black. The hubcaps were cut from silver cardstock scraps. Lastly, I love to personalize my creations so the number “4” (using Basis Cardstock in White) was added to each paper racecar.

You guys, I am SO stoked how this project turned out! In fact, I am probably way more excited about it than the birthday boy himself! I wasn’t sure how to transform a 2D design into a 3D one since I have never done it before but with a little persistence (or maybe stubbornness), an idea turned into reality! That’s the magic of creativity!

This is also a great parent-and-kid craft so if you think your child/grandchild would like a little paper racecar, don’t forget to save this to Pinterest!

xo,
Christine (@studioxtine)