Category Archives: container







Zigzag books

book boxI’ve written before about the importance of containers in art therapy. Books are great containers for all kinds of expression. Fortunately, journals and sketch books, recycled books for altering, and paper for handmade structures are all readily available.

There are many easy ways to make simple books from one piece of paper. A basic zigzag (or accordion) book is just a long, narrow piece of paper, sharply folded back and forth in any shape or proportion. Any relatively sturdy piece of paper works for this.

zz examplesThe books can be used to display a collection of drawings or photos, or used as little journals. I glued a collection of  little mandalas on the pages of this 3X3 book.

mandala zzIf you want an accordion book to close, both side edges have to be secured somehow. I love finding different clasps and ties for these.

purple square

cartoon zzYou can also work directly on a blank book, and the space, whether horizontal or vertical, becomes like a little mural. So this space is great for longer or wider designs, poems, graffiti, boyfriends’ names, etc.

dots zz

dots zz coverYou can use one or both sides of the paper. I put a cardboard cover on this one and lined the other side with brown paper, because I used Sharpies and they soaked through.

dots zz open coverKids love working with zigzag books, particularly if they are mounted (after completion) in small boxes, which can also be decorated. Boxes make them special, gift-like, precious. Any small box you can collect works well. I use photo corners to mount the book ends in the box, but glue works fine too.


happy happy day



zz3Whether or not you decide to make some zig zag books, please remember this important advice about life from illustrator Maira Kalman:


Some art therapy clients benefit from working within a frame. If they have difficulty containing their feelings and behavior and lose control easily, they will most likely have trouble controlling art materials too. So it’s important to provide them with boundaries in the form of materials which can help them to feel more self-contained, organized, safe, and successful.

A frame can be as simple as a circle drawn on a piece of paper, but sometimes an actual physical boundary is more helpful to clients who are struggling with self-control. Cardboard berry flats make great readymade frames or shadowboxes, perfect for both 2-D and 3-D work. They come in several sizes and some even have handles that can be slipped through the holes to make a hanger.




If you have it in your mind to look for frames, you will find them everywhere. Thrift shops are loaded with them. But you don’t really need to spend any money. Any supermarket is glad to have you take those berry flats off their hands and save them the work of breaking them down for disposal. You can also make simple frames yourself. And never underestimate the great possibilities of scavenging. Below: different-sized old white drawer fronts that were left out on the street for trash pickup; a black thrift shop frame; a small corrugated packing box; and donated pre-cut oak tag frames.


Here is the work of a child who was given a paper-lined wooden cigar boxtop to work with. She used paints and Sculpey polymer clay to create her 3-D Rainbow Girl self-portrait.





Bottle jar box can

Bottlejarboxcan was the name of an old blog that I kept for awhile. It got its name from my penchant for constantly collecting all kinds of containers, which I use a lot in my own work.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAContainers also figure big in art therapy. A lot of importance is placed on the establishment and maintenance of a therapeutic container or frame. Therapists strive to provide a place of containment, a safe space to explore, express, and experience all feelings, a relationship of trust and collaboration. This is an important component of all therapeutic theory, particularly for those working with children or others who become easily overwhelmed by affect because they lack internal controls. An important theoretical concept here is D.W. Winnicott’s holding environment.

In the particular context of art therapy, the artwork itself also acts as a container, something outside of the artist that safely holds and reflects emotions. Sometimes providing a concrete metaphor by supplying  an actual container to work with can help a child to feel more safe in expressing difficult feelings.

The possibilities for containers are endless. To bottle, jar, box, and can, add book, frame, nest, teacup, basket, egg carton, or pretty much anything else you can think of. It’s pretty easy to accumulate tons of great containers without spending a cent. Any recycling bin is filled with them.