DIY Project: Cardboard Dollhouse

Ever since we had a kid, hubby and I had begun appreciating toy sets that came with kiddie meals at fastfood chains.  Though we are not too fond of fastfood (unhealthy choice), we do sometimes give in especially if we need food on the go or if we spy some toys that we think G would love.

So far, we’ve collected dragons, aliens, Barbie’s and books (and belly fat, if I may add). Just recently, I saw Jollibee was offering Hello Kitty mini room sets with their kiddie meals.  I must admit that McDonald’s offer more enticing toys but the HK set was too cute to pass up.

There were only 2 room sets so one lunch date was all it took for M and I to complete the series. Little G loved it. So much so that she requested for more ‘rooms’ and that is why I came to do her cardboard dollhouse.

Mind you, I was leaning towards a wooden dollhouse but that would take more planning so I resorted to using cardboard and spending a weekend to tend to our child’s whim. This post is all about the things I used to create my weekend project.

The main thing about this project is that this is just temporary.  With the main structure made only from karton, the life span of this dollhouse would only be short-term. You can’t really expect it to withstand the force that is a 3-year old toddler who hasn’t fully grasped the concept of “fragile”.  So I decided to let my OC-ness slide a bit and decided not to invest too much on the design and little details. I decided to use recycled materials and little junk lying around the house so it wouldn’t be too painful if G wrecked it to pieces.  I also wanted to use this as a practice run (in making miniatures and decorating) should we decide to have the wooden dollhouse made.

The house itself is made of cardboard. Used cardboard would be fine. I made some slits on the walls and floors then glued them together to make it sturdier. Cutouts were made for the doorways and windows.  I didn’t bother to paint the outside, except for the roof, since G didn’t really take notice of it.

We have an assortment of wall coverings. Most of the walls were covered with either plain white paper or colored paper; the floor were covered with brown Japanese(?) paper.

Colorful tapes or washis as well as punched out shapes was also used as wall décor.

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The couch in the living room was made from stacked cardboard pieces and then covered with cloth (from one of my old pambahays). The “rug” is a silicone coaster. Plant holders are from G’s toy castle accessories.  The photo on the wall is from G’s thank you sticker, leftover from her first birthday, stuck on a piece of cardboard.

Table and chair sets were made from popsicle sticks while the stove top oven in the corner was made from cardboard. Buttons were used to resemble the ‘stoves’.  The low lying pink cabinet is from the Jollibee Hello Kitty set.

The wall character on the entertainment room was cut out from a paper bag.  Stack of drawers were made from matchboxes that was then covered with scrap gift wrapper.  Dried glue was used as drawer knobs. Other items in the room were also from the Jollibee Hello Kitty set.

Close up of the drawers

The toilet was made from shampoo bottle caps glued together. An old transparent container was cut and used as a bath tub.  Wall mirror is a piece of cardboard covered in foil with the edges trimmed with washi tape (lace design).  The sink bowl is a cap of the plastic capsule of the toys that came from the Zaini surprise eggs.  This was glued onto a cardboard sink covered in gift wrapper. The faucet is a bendable straw that was painted white.

The bedroom wall was lined with decorative tape for the stripes design. The bed frame was made from popsicle sticks.  A foam cutout was  covered with fabric to resemble the mattress and beddings as was the pillows.  The bedside table was made from popsicle sticks that was decorated with a strip of washi.  The “books” are chips of colored popsicle sticks glued together.  All other items are an assortment of G’s toys.

Here’s the final look.  I know it looks bare and I meant it that way since I saw how G had kept piling all her small toys (finger puppets included) inside. So I guess was the house won’t be running out of occupants soon. :)

I’m ok with how it turned out. So now I have a happy squealing kid who kept on asking for more (?!) dollhouses. Considering I spent almost nothing (financially) on this project made me more curious on what other dollhouse furniture could be made from recycled materials. My miniatures fascination had been re-ignited and I’m looking forward to making our heirloom (?) dollhouse.