Cereal Dispenser (made From a Cereal Box)

My favorite corner of a hotel breakfast room is a fully stocked cereal bar. A row of dispensers, filled with different cereals, releasing small amounts of crunchy goodness. That was the inspiration for this zero-budget, low-tech, leftovers from around the house, cute and silly craft. Take a cereal box and turn it into a cereal dispenser.

1. cereal box
2. water bottle
3. empty kitchen tissue roll*
4. glue gun
5. cutter
6. ruler
7. pen

*you can use a toilet paper roll instead, but I find kitchen tissue rolls are more sturdy.

Start by marking out (1) and cutting the box in half (2). Position the bottle, facing down, and mark the center of the box top (3). Cut out the hole (4).

With the box on its side, mark how far down the bottle mouth reaches (5). Mark the circumference of the kitchen tissue roll starting from your previous mark (6). Cut out the circle and check that the roll fits the hole (7). Save this circle for later.

In order to get the hole in the right location, paint the tip of the bottle mouth with a non permanent marker (1). Put the roll in the box, and insert the bottle on top until it touches the roll, and twist (2). This should leave a mark (3) for where to cut the hole (4).

Trim the roll to the right length by marking the roll when its in the box (5). Then mark a large opening just opposite the bottle opening (6) and cut it out (7).

In order to create the valve that fits in the chamber, mark the size of the roll and then make a straight line down about 1mm narrower than the roll diameter (1). I covered it with tape (2) to make it turn smoother (3). Mark and cut the valve to to fit just inside the chamber glue it at a right angle to the center of the cardboard circle you saved from step 2.

Insert and glue the chamber into the box, with the hole for the bottle facing upwards (1). Glue the bottle into the box and the bottle mouth to the chamber hole (2). Finally insert the valve and glue a small piece of cardboard to the valve circle as a handle for turning (3).

Measure the width of a bowl against the box and cut out a rectangle of that width.

We decorated with colorful washi tape.

Of course, just like everything else in the house... this construction has been appropriately puppy tested (with dog food of course).

Note to self - buy more granola!