How to turn the humble cardboard box into a doll's house that other's will envy!

Today it was announced we would be in lockdown until the end of September 2021 which puts us at 14 weeks of lockdown ... I wouldn't be surprised if it also encompasses the two weeks of school holidays making it 16 weeks ... Either way it sucks and I'm feeling fragile.  I'm trying to keep busy and think of happier things. I miss my preschool class so very much, and I miss helping them reach their full potential as little learners. There is only so much we can do from the other side of a computer screen. 

So in this desire to find a happy place to plant some seeds, I thought I would create a blog post featuring some of the gorgeous cardboard doll's houses on my Pinterest board. I'll include images and screen shots and they will all be linked back to hopefully inspire you. You can make your own doll's houses at home with your children to help make this time more enjoyable, or its something you can do with your classroom and students.  

So I present to you: 

The Best DIY Cardboard Doll's Houses You'll Fall In Love With 

One of the things that made me happy as a child was making my own doll's houses. You see I had this AWESOME mid-century modern dolls house that really was the bee's knees and I was so in love with it. But of course my parents decided I didn't need it any more and they gave it away and subsequently broke my heart. So I started making my own using coardboard boxes from around the house. This love of DIY doll's houses has remained and I still to this day make simple doll's houses for my classrooms and the children love them. I get pet food delivered each week, and I reuse the bubble wrap and the boxes. 

So I thought I would share with you some of my favourite doll's houses ...

The Traditional Cardboard Doll's House 

This DIY Cardboard Box Toy House from Little Red Window is actually the first cardboad dolls house inspo I found when I made my first doll's house in 2019 to use in my very poorly resourced preschool classroom. I loved the simplicity of it. 

This dolls house actually came to me in TikTok of all places! Click the photo and it will take you to the video. 

photo by Erik Puzt on Today's Parent Magazine. 

This doll's house is colourful and is using random collections of things that make it so unique. I love the retro wallpaper and the images on the walls and I love that it looks like such a fun place to play with lots of small miniatures.  

This gorgeous house is using magazine pages to make the backdrop. So this is extra recycled. I love that the house is a bit quirky and not your traditional design of a dolls house. And the fact that magazine images have been used to decorate the inside is just taking the recycled element to the next level. 

by Handmade Charlotte 

What I am liking about this doll's house is the quirky shapes. I am also loving the colours. The rooms each have a colour theme which can be a great way to support children's developing colour awareness as well as the patterns! So much learning and aesthetic happening here. I also think the bunting is a sweet addition and the washi tape. I have so much washi tape, I should add some embellishments to the doll's house I have in my preschool classroom. 

How gorgeous are these dutch inspired cardboard doll's houses? I love the duality of them. They have the gorgeous outsides and the furnished insides. Let's not mention the working windows! Love. Just love. 

 Repurposed Cartons as Houses

What I'm loving about these carton houses is they are perfect for small world play and if you know me, and you know my businesses, we both LOVE small world play. If you want to check out our small world play resources click HERE and you look at all our amazing products on offer.

How divine are these recycled cartons?! Look at them! They've decorated the outside of the cartons using paper. They have then pasted on windows and doors and other features. And those trees! Those trees! You have eyes, you can see. 

 These houses were from an arts program for children in New Zealand called Creative Matters. They're a bit fancy and geared towards older children. But they would look awesome in a small world play scene.

 What I like about these houses is they are neutral and not too bright and wild.  I like the painted aspect with the black and white lined decorations of the windows and doors giving the houses some depth. In fact I think these houses will work perfectly with our Cruising Cork Road set.  

 Castles are Houses Too!

For a school project I had to make a castle. I remember using cardboard tubes and cardboard boxes. I also remember using a spray adhesive to stick sand to the surfaces of the castle for both visual and physical texture. 

As an alternative to the houses we've already covered in this inspo blog, I thought I would throw in some castles because I'm also a fan of castles! This gorgeous bright castle is from The Creative Jewish Mom. 

And if you want to go next level in the castle  department then you need to visit Adventures in a Box's DIY Castle from Recyclables. It really is amazing. Step by step, you can follow these steps and make your own castle. I can actually see our Knights and Dragon's Toob characters or the characters from the fairy tale characters from the Days of Old Toob being used with this stunning castle. 

Check out our Sticks & Stones Education Pinterest Page and our DIY Cardboard Houses for more inspiration