House & Carton: Dollhouse

by Amy Brown

See larger photo

Total Time Needed:: 2-3 Hours

Believe it or not, this place was a real fixer-upper when we started: just two cardboard boxes and a stack of empty egg cartons left over from Easter. Here's how we fashioned those trash-bin finds into a sweet (green!) dream house — and how you can make and decorate a charming mini manse of your own. Create a sturdy, three-story structure from two cardboard boxes. For ease and uniformity, we purchased square mailing boxes.

(For furniture instructions, click here.)

Don't Forget: Enter Disney FamilyFun's Dollhouse Decorating Contest!

Materials

2 cardboard boxes (ours measure 10 inches square)
Scissors and a craft knife (adults only)
Ruler
Marker

Hot-glue gun (adults only)
Scrapbooking paper or card stock
Tacky glue
Fleece or felt

Instructions

Flatten Box 1. Cut open Box 2 along one seam. Measure and mark the boxes as shown:
Click to see Box 1.
Click to see Box 2.
Cut Box 1 in half along the marked center line, then cut out the marked windows and doors. Using the holes cut for the doors as a template, mark and cut out the corresponding door openings for the other box half (see right). Use the same technique to cut two more windows. Cut the outlined pieces from Box 2 and discard the excess cardboard.
Assemble both Box 1 pieces (right), matching up the doors and folding up the flaps to complete the back wall. Hot-glue the box sides together. If you're adding wallpaper or flooring made of scrapbooking paper or card stock, use tacky glue to adhere it now.
Use hot glue to attach each 5- by 10-inch fl oor piece. Glue wallpaper onto the attic wall piece, if you like, then hot-glue the attic wall to the back of the house (right).
Hot-glue the roof in place.
For carpet, cut one 5- by 20-inch rectangle and four 5- by 10-inch rectangles from fleece, felt, or paper. Hot-glue them in place, or leave the carpet unglued to make future renovations easy.

Variations:: We were so excited about this dollhouse that we created a ready-made version that kids can decorate themselves. It's made of durable white cardboard — the perfect palette for hand-drawn designs — and folds closed for easy storage. Get our charming dollhouse — which kids can decorate by hand and fill with the furnishings — delivered right to your door. Made of heavy white cardboard, the undecorated house ships flat and includes how-tos for easy assembly. Post-construction, it measures 19 inches tall by 18 inches wide and folds closed for compact storage. Find it at FamilyFun Fun Shop for $19.99 (plus shipping).