Here's a great project if you have small model horses that you don't know what to do with (like me) Schleich and small (Tiny!) Breyers are perfect.
I made these out of cardboard, small gift, and jewelry boxes, I used the tops as well as the bottoms.
Pick a calendar page you like and trace the box on the paper. Add about an inch to each side (or more for larger boxes) and cut it out. Then cut squares out of each corner (the size of the squares will differ depending on what size box you use) and fold the edges up to make a box. It may require some trimming and finagling but it should fit fairly nicely into the gift box.
I then used other parts of the same picture or pieces of other random things I found and added them for a 3D effect. The one with the waterfall has mica on the floor it and the grey horse is glues to a small rock to make him slightly raised.
A couple horses I had to hot glue to the box cause they simply would not stay. Hot glue is perfect for the job because you can remove it from the figure fairly easily. the box may rip some but it will come right off the horse.
I put thumbtacks through the boxes and stuck them on my bulletin board. I also put some horses on top of the boxes. They look great!
And you could make them for other animals too. Schleich has some mother baby sets that would look SO cute.
I do - once again - apologize for the poor quality of these photos
