Monday, September 10, 2018

DIY Cardboard Dollhouse


Last Christmas, I bought my girls a tiny $20 dollhouse house. I thought it would be tons of fun and they would love it, but I quickly realized its way to small. Since then they have been begging me for a Barbie dream house. I remember, quite vividly, how much I wanted one as a child, yet I haven't come to terms with spending that kind of money. So I had an idea. Why not just build a doll house? I'm not a carpenter at all and wanted to use material I had on hand, so I decided on a cardboard doll house. I'm not quite done adding details but the girls are already playing with it and love it! Here's step by step instructions on how I built this adorable and simple doll house. 

Step 1: Draw up plans
I wanted a doll house that would suit both Barbies and little figurines, so my front wall was about 19 inches tall. I measured a Barbie to be sure and doubled it for a two story house. Decide how many floors, rooms and windows you'll want.

Step 2: Gather supplies
 Everything I used for this doll house I had readily available. I used a large cardboard box, a tape measurer, duct tape, a hot glue gun, colored tongue depressers, interior wall paint, old clothes and a box cutter.

Step 3: The cutting
First, I measured and cut the front wall. I decided to draw and cut a door imediately to avoid the cut piece from getting mixed up with the scraps. Once all 3 sides are cut, measure and cut 2 floors. Take this time to also cut out the windows. It is much easier than waiting until it is assembled.

Step 4: Assembly

Start by assembling your outside walls and gluing them together. I recommend using a high heat glue gun for maximum stickability( I think I made that word up). Next, glue your walls onto the bottom floor. The bottom floor is, by far, the easiest. For the upstairs floor you may need to use duct tape for security. I can't cut a straight line, so the duct taped help keep everything lined up. For the roof I used a side panel from the box and bent it in half to give the triangular look. I attached it to the walls with duct tape and used an outer piece of the cardboard layers to fill in the triangular hole between the roof and walls. I recommend taking time to cut a piece of cardboard for this, but by this point my girls were urging me to finish.

Step 5: Paint

I took the doll house outside and quickly gave it a single coat of blue interior wall paint. I used white acrylic paint for the door and window trim. If you are striving for perfection apply two coats of the paint to hide any flaws. Note, that the duct tape will definitely need a second coat but let it thoroughly dry first.

Step 6: The details

Next, you want to personalize it. I used acrylic paint to add bushes and flowers to the front. I let my daughter pick an address to paint by the door and even added a door bell.
  I placed strips of duct tape over the roof to give it a metal look.
For the curtains I cut a piece of pretty fabric from old clothes and hot glued it above the windows. I gave it a little crinkle to resemble real curtains.

On the inside you can really add a lot of detail. My oldest daughter is going to paint the walls and floors to her specifications. If you want to add stairs, cut a small square from the upstairs floor. Then, using halved tongue depressers glue them to a piece of cardboard and glue it at an angle against the wall.
The details are all up to you and your child. Use your imagination. I plan on adding to this doll house as I have spare time. A small shoe box glued to the side would make the perfect garage. Have fun with this project and your kids will love it!


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