2026 Project No. 1 -- Ye Olde Covered Bridge

[Howard]

Greetings to all!

I am excited to welcome everyone back for another year filled with creative cardboard projects. It is my pleasure to continue sharing one or more builds each month. A special thank you goes to Paul Race for keeping this forum alive and working.

For the first project of the year, I have selected the construction of a covered bridge. It has been many years since I last drove through a covered bridge—the most recent memory I have is from decades ago, possibly somewhere in Georgia. Perhaps building your own covered bridge will bring back fond memories for you as well.

Construction Details
The overall construction process is like that of a house, with one key exception. Due to the large openings at the ends and the presence of multiple side windows, I reinforced these areas using wooden coffee stir sticks. To conceal both the sticks and the printed graphics on the cereal box cardboard, I painted the interior of the structure, including the floor, brown prior to assembly.

Bridge Base and Materials
The ends of the bridge are supported by two layers of standard corrugated cardboard, which I finished by adding paper as edge banding. Alternatively, materials like manila folders or scrapbooking stock can be used for the edge banding.

Frozen River and Ramps
The frozen river with skating pond base was cut out specifically for this project and for photographs. I will provide more details on how this base was created later. Please note that the triangular cardboard fillers for the sides of the entry ramps, as well as the three-layer thick cardboard strips for the ramp edges, are not included in the pattern sheets. These components must be cut to fit during assembly.

Project Resources and Updates
Below, you will find work-in-progress photos along with the patterns, available in two PDF files. I will continue to share project updates and will post a photo of the completed covered bridge soon. Stay tuned!

Howard

[Howard]

Ye Olde Covered Bridge Update 1/8/2026

Project Completion and Results
The Ye Olde Covered Bridge project is now complete. The result is even more impressive in person than what the photographs convey.

Construction of the Pond/River
The process began with a base made from a thin piece of corrugated cardboard. From there, I followed the method detailed in the link below:
http://www.cardboardchristmas.com/forum ... ef8#p10374
The steps were straightforward, though I did not use waxed paper to cover the tinfoil during construction.

Details and Decorations
To add festive details, I created tiny wreaths using short pieces of green tinsel craft stem. Small bows, cut from red card stock, were glued onto the wreaths with a dab of super glue. These decorations were then attached above the entrances of the bridge.

Frozen River/Skating Pond
The frozen river or skating pond was specifically designed to complement the Ye Olde Covered Bridge project and to enhance the photographs. However, your own display may require a different approach, such as a larger pond or a longer river, to suit your needs.

Upcoming Projects
Looking ahead, one of the next “flattie” projects will feature a "man harvesting ice" for the icehouse. Stay tuned.

Howard

[healey36]

A terrific little "model", Howard. We have a number of covered bridges here locally, and yours captures the charm of the real thing perfectly. I'm very interested in your methods for simulating iced over water. Thanks for the pattern and the description of your finishing methods! Brrr...looks chilly.

Paul R. II