I have wanted to do a project utilizing me and my brother’s old Matchbox cars from the 1960’s and 70’s for a few years now. As a kid, I spent hours playing with these. I kept trying to think of a way to display them properly. I always have a few hundred projects going through my head at all times. Time and how I will go about executing things is always a major factor in how soon I get them done though. I thought I might have a few extra minutes today and I finally figured out how I was going to do this so I set to work.
First I started with a plain wooden board that I got at the ReStore shop. It’s a place that sells used building materials so you can pick up stuff here for pretty cheap.
Next, I painted the board black and created a square template using masking tape. As you can see, painting is a family affair around here!
I painted around the edges of the masking tape so the board would have a simple design on it.
After letting the paint dry, I glued my Matchbox cars on. I applied Gorilla glue on the wheels and placed the cars where I wanted them on the board. The cars are firmly attached and I can now hang this on the wall! Of course the kids think I am completely nuts for gluing cars to a board. They really think I should have just gave the cars to them to play with. I know better though, these would have ended up with the 48 other Matchbox cars under the stove right now!
Matchbox Car Art
Motherhood Is An Art 
thats awesome LOVE it. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you Teresa!!!
Melissa this is a great idea! 🙂 and I really like that you glued the cars, great memories I’m sure! 🙂
Thank you Ingrid! Yes, a little childhood nostalgia hanging around puts a smile on my face!
what a great way to keep them without having them all about the house! I may do this when my boys get bigger and I want to remember when they were cute – haha!
I think Bency has 200 Matchbox cars that are HIS that he has received on various occasions….I bet you could look under every piece of furniture in this house and find one!
Michael was like that too. He outgrew them so we passed most of them on to a friend of ours but I kept about 15 of them and now Troy is starting to love them so I’m sure the Easter Bunny will be bringing him some new ones of his own 🙂
Aren’t you clever? Brilliant! Love it!!
Thank you Lidia!!!
I’m with the kids – why glue them?
Btw, I also loved matchbox cars as a kid. Want to know how selfish I am – never showed them to my kids cause I did not want them to mess them up. Silly me.
I’m with you! Yesterday was the first day I ever showed these cars to my kids! I’ve had them sitting on a shelf in the basement for years! I know if they would have got their hands on them they would have been lost in a flash!
Good – I am not the only selfish one.
You’re not selfish! I unwisely gave my kids several of my childhood toys to play with and every one of them ended up destroyed…including wooden doll furniture my grandfather had made. Had I found a creative way like this to preserve them instead they could have appreciated them WITHOUT wrecking them!
That is a bummer. I am sure that toy from your grandfather must have meant a lot ot you.
The dilemma is that it would be nice to see the toys played with but I don’t want them messed up.
Oh, I beyond love this. But I can’t show it to my children because I so don’t want to do it…
haha!!! Thanks Jane!!!
I’ve got to save this idea for the kids in my life. Brilliant!
Thank you Colleen!
That’s GREAT!! I’ve been wanting to make some car art. My friend got an idea off of Pinterest to arrange the cars into the first letter of her boy’s name. We may have a hard time with the “B” names, but it’s super cute!
Way to burst my bubble Stephanie!!! When I thought of doing something with these cars a few years ago there wasn’t Pinterest around. So when it finally hit me the other day of what to do I really thought I had a unique idea on my hands! After I read your comment I went on Pinterest and found people doing stuff with Matchbox cars all over the place! I could have really saved myself a lot of thinking if I would have thought about checking it out sooner! I didn’t find the letter one but that is a really good idea!
Sorry I burst your creative bubble 😦 If it’s any consolation, YOU’RE my Pinterest 😉
Cute, cute, cute!
Thank you!
How awesome is that?! So creative and easy!
Thank you so much!
Very nice Melissa, and maybe next time a Maze Mat for those under the stove. Your Wall hanging is a very creative idea. Thanks for sharing another ideas for Matchbox Cars Collection. Be Blessed, Mtetar
Thank you Mtetar! We actually do have one of those car rugs for the boys to play their cars on…..yet they still get raced all over the house!!! The fun with boys!!
Yes!!! You’re welcome, Mtetar
Hmmm…this makes me wonder what happened to my match box cars as a kid, including the puke green one I got on my 16th birthday when I asked for a car. 🙂 They were the best, and they were mostly hand-me-downs; goodness knows how old they really are.
Oh no!!! Not the trick of “we bought you a car for your birthday!” That’s dirty rotten!!! haha!!! But yes you should find it and display it as your “first car!”
I like the wall hanging, but your grid made me think of the game “Rush Hour” where you have to move cars around a crowded matrix of “streets” to “win.” Maybe another grid for playing? 🙂
I just went and googled Rush Hour. I had never heard of it before! That does look like a really great game! Thanks for adding another idea to my already swimming brain!!!!
That is so cool! Very clever!
Thank you Julie!!!
Very cool ideas! Does it have a prominent display place?
Thanks Alison! Our walls are pretty full but I think I am going to hang it in the living room….there is one little space left that is screaming out to be filled with something!!
Very nice idea! I remember playing with them when I was younger too. Great way to display them.
Thank you so much!
Gosh, you are soooo crafty! Nice job Mom!!
Thanks Kerry!
You need to write a craft book! This is so clever! 🙂
Oh, thank you so much! I really appreciate that!
The coolest! Seriously, you should totally publish a book. And in 3-5 years I WILL BUY IT! xx
Thank you Vanessa! Oh boy, that would really take a lot of motivation!! We’ll see! We’ll see!!
I agree with jeandayfriday! You need to publish an arts & craft book! This talent must be shared, Melissa. I think it’s a great way to preserve old memories. 🙂
Thank you Anka!! You are always so sweet and encouraging! I truly don’t think this is book worthy stuff but it’s really nice of you to say! There are millions of people way more talented than me!
I beg to differ! There are NOT millions of people more talented than you. You are a complete package! Your giftings go way beyond arts and crafts! You’re a wonderful mother, wife, and writer!
Ohhh, I like the painting of the board and the green in there.
(admits, if I were your one of your little one’s I’d be tempted to use it as a race track for my other cars lol.)
Thank you! I still haven’t got it hung up yet…(trying to figure out where I put all of my nails) so it is just laying on the table. The kids keep eying it up so I’m sure it is only a matter of time before they start using it for a track….I really need to find those nails!
and the talented Mel keeps on going 🙂 xx
That is the coolest thing ever!! You are so clever. I LOVED my matchbox cars too. Do you remember those mats that had a pop-up garage?
Thank you!!! No, I didn’t have a mat with a pop-up garage!!! I did have the Fisher Price garage but yours sounds way cooler!!!