How To Make: A Shoe Box Doll House

Crafts Materials Needed:

  • Shoe boxes x 4
  • Ruler
  • Cardboard
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Glue or paste
  • Paints (optional)
  • Lace paper doilies (optional)
  • Brush (optional…needed only if you paint)
  • Fancy paper (optional…needed only if you want to wallpaper the inside of the house)

Step 1

Remove the covers from four shoe boxes of the same size, and throw them away as you will not need them. Glue one pair of shoe boxes together, end to end.

Glue one pair of shoe boxes together, end to end.

Glue the second pair of boxes the same way.

Step 2

Place the boxes with the open ends towards you, and glue the second pair over the first to make a two-story house.

Place the boxes with the open ends towards you, and glue the second pair over the first to make a two-story house.

Step 3

For the roof, measure a piece of cardboard two inches longer than the width of the house. ( When the roof is folded and placed over the house, the overhang will be one inch on each side. Cut out the roof. Fold the roof section exactly in half, the long way, as in illustration A.

For the roof, measure a piece of cardboard two inches longer than the width of the house.

Step 4

For the gables of the roof, cut two triangular pieces of cardboard, with a little flap on each of the three sides, as in illustration B.

Bend the flaps back.

For the gables of the roof, cut two triangular pieces of cardboard

Step 5

Glue the bottom flap to the box top, and the two other flaps to the underside of the roof section. Do the same to the gable at the other end.

Glue the bottom flap to the box top, and the two other flaps to the underside of the roof section.

Step 6 : Wallpaper or Paint (Either is Optional)

Paint the inside of each of the four rooms a different color. Allow them to dry thoroughly. If you like, you may glue fancy paper to the walls of the rooms, instead.

Step 7 : Cut Out Windows and Curtains

Cut out windows, and glue pieces of lace paper doilies inside the windows, for curtains, as in illustration C.

Cut out windows, and glue pieces of lace paper doilies inside the windows, for curtains

About Helouise Steenkamp

I'm a 50+ year old Devoted Wife and Mother. Adonai has blessed us with the amazing privilege of raising our own sons, and being involved with Foster Care for 12+ years. I truly believe that foster care is God's heart for children from hard places and their families, to come to a place of healing.
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3 Responses to How To Make: A Shoe Box Doll House

  1. Babs says:

    Great illustrations! I like how you’ve got four boxes for different rooms – kids would love making this!
    Just a quick point: you will need to cut a wider piece for the roof. The hypotenuse of a right angle triangle (rise of the gable over half the house width) is longer than either other side. To skip doing math, I would start with a piece that’s about twice the width of your box, then figure out the amount you want to trim off. It’s a lot easier than trying to piece your cardboard back together!

  2. mary kate willow says:

    i love it very nice Thank you !!

  3. Iris says:

    THANK YOU for your wonderful idea! GOD Bless!

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