Gingerbread House Tissue Box

This is a great project to have kids decorate with stickers, Gelly or Paint pens (I like Posca acrylic pens but sharpie pens could work), patterned paper (scrap booking or wrapping paper), pom-poms, sequins, whatever the heart desires! The cutting is definitely an adults job.
You could cover it with felt and add cute felt candies. You--do you!

Materials:
Corrugated cardboard

Tools:
Hot glue Gun (and glue sticks)
X-Acto knife and cutting surface
Ruler
 

This project is easiest if it’s made so that the cardboard bends with its “grain”, the direction the corrugation runs. Make scoring lines so that they're in the same direction corrugation too.

Measure and cut a 20” long  by 7.5” piece of cardboard (corrugation vertical on long side).

Next, cut an 8“x 6“ piece for the roof (corrugation vertical on long side) and then lastly, cut a 6“x 2“piece for the chimney (corrugation vertical on long side).

On the 20” piece, measure, mark and score a vertical line every 5” across the length (lightly use the x-acto knife to cut through only the first layer of cardboard).

Draw a line 5.5" up from the bottom edge.

Divide the 2nd and 4th sections in half (2.5”) and make a mark at the top of the sections.

Draw connection lines from the top marks down to each side intersection to designate 2 roof sections.

Score and cut the roof sections out.

The best time to draw designs is when the house is flat.

Fold the scored sections back and forth and then hide the score/drawing lines by folding them inside the house. 

Use a line of hot glue to connect the 2 edges- hold in place until the glue is cool so that the pressure of the cardboard doesn’t force the house to spring open.

For the roof:

Measure 4” to the middle of the 8" piece of cardboard (i.e. half).

Score the line.
Fold the cardboard back and forth.
Measure and mark a 1.75” x 1.5” rectangle in the center of the roof – long sides of the roof and rectangle lined up

This may seem odd to cut the hole as a rectangle and not a square but when the roof is angled, the hole changes size.

Cut the rectangle out.

Bend the score line and flip the roof over and decorate.

On the last piece of cardboard, measure, mark, and score lines alternating 1.25” and then 1.5” apart.

Fold the scored sections back and forth and then back- hide the score/drawing lines inside the chimney.

Fold the chimney together and use a line of hot glue to connect the 2 edges- hold in place until the glue is cool (so that the pressure of the cardboard doesn’t force the chimney to spring open).

Add/push the chimney into the roof THEN glue the roof to the house.

Reach inside and add dots of glue to the chimney to secure in place.

Decorate more!!

Recycled Cardboard Coffee Cup Sleeve Ornaments

...otherwise known as cardboard beads, these simple ornaments are made from recycled cardboard coffee sleeves from Starbucks (or Panera- they have a lovely texture too). This is day 2 of my Christmas Ornament challenge for myself.

Materials:

• Cardboard coffee cup sleeves
• Hot glue
• Paint
• Glitter Mod Podge or white glue
• String

1. Open the cardboard sleeve and trim it into a triangle shape. You can use pinking shears to give it fancy edges.
2. Place the textured surface face down on the table.
3. Use a dab of hot glue to add a knotted loop of string to the wide inside surface of the cardboard triangle.
4. Start at the wide end and roll the triangle toward the point.
5. Add a dab of hot glue to the end to hold the end in place.
6. Paint the ornament any way you like- or/and use Mod Podge or white glue to add glitter. 

Experiment cutting the triangle in different ways- wavy edges or add extra cardboard pieces.

Cupcake Wrapper Ornaments

My goal is to make one ornament every day in December up until the 24th...using only (mostly) what I have on hand--very simple ornaments that are easy, easy, easy and fast for kids. And today - I give you the cupcake wrapper ornament.

Materials:

• Paper cupcake wrappers- regular and mini sizes
• Glue stick 
• Clear tape
• Pipe cleaner or twine or a paper clip
• Scissors- fancy edged ones are good too

1. Flatten or even iron (adults job) the cupcake wrappers.
2. Fold 8 wrappers in half with the pretty side inside.
3. Add glue stick to one half wrapper on the back side.
4. Then line up the edges of the next wrapper and smooth it into place. Continue until all 8 wrappers have been attached EXCEPT the last one.
5. Add the hanger in the middle seam with clear tape- it could be an opened paper clip, a length of knotted twine or a pipe cleaner section with a hook bent end.
6. Add glue stick and close the ball with the hanger nestled inside.
7. Trim any paper edges that are not quite lined up.

That's it!
One option is to use the fancy edges scissors or even to trim the ball into other shapes. The lightweight colorful paper is easy for kids to cut through even when there are several layers.

OR make a bunch of balls and string them on a garland.

OR try making them with doilies... it's a little more complicated as the glue stick will go through the holes-- put fresh scrap paper under each doily when adding the glue stick.

 

Halloween Countdown Haunted House

Oh! I love Halloween! I love the colors, the candy, the decorations and the costumes! This year I made a Countdown Haunted House so that we can love every day of October up until the 31st. 

This house is made so we can use it more than once; it's lightly hot glued together and the washi tape adds extra strength and bling!

Here's an overview of the process:

1. Measure and draw i.e. center and cut out the windows.
2. Cut the roof.
3. Trim the sides of the house.
4. Make the back of the house.
5. Make and install compartments (paper towel tubes).
6. Attach the front of the house to the back.
7. Hang!

Here we go! Let's start with the front of the house.

Materials:

Black Corrugated Tri-Fold Display Board or cardboard (and paint it black) I bought mine from Michael's for $5.49

Yellow or orange tissue paper

Hot glue

Glue stick or double-sided tape (I used a Tombo tape dispenser)

Paper towel tubes

Cutting surface

X-Acto knife

Painter's tape

Washi tape

CANDY!

Optional- stamps and ink

You can use cardboard and paint it black; however, I used a black corrugated Tri-Fold display board because it’s faster and cleaner than painting and there’s no buckling from the paint. I suppose you could try adding black contact paper?

House:

Cut both side sections off the tri-fold and set the center piece aside- use it for another project.

Trim one side piece 24.5" tall by 12" wide.

Windows:

Draw a vertical line down the center on the back of the cardboard.

Draw a horizontal line 4" from the bottom.

Now map out the windows. 

When finished, there will be 30 windows in all- each 1.25" high and 1" wide – all with .5" spaces between them.

The key is to start measuring from the vertical center line at the horizontal 4” line.

On the horizontal line, measure .5"on both sides of the center vertical line thus making a 1" wide column. 

Measure .5" for the window panes on either side and then continue by adding 1" lines for the next column of windows.

Repeat until there are five 1" columns with four .5" spaces between them.

Now make the horizontal rows.

Starting at the 4" horizontal line, draw horizontal rows that are 1.25" high with .5" spaces between each "window".

Mark the spaces that will be cut out with a large X.

Back

Front

Cut out all the X's - the windows.

Draw one extra line 1.25” above the top set of windows to mark the “ceiling” line.

The “ceiling” line will be the base for the roof cuts and the roof window.


Let's make the roof:

Roof:

Draw a line from the center top of the cardboard to one edge of the ceiling line.
Repeat on the other side.

Trim off the roof pieces.

Sides and roof overhang:

Measure 1" in on both sides along the “ceiling” line.

Measure and mark 1.75" in from the sides at the bottom of the house.

On one side, draw a vertical line from the 1" mark on the "ceiling" line to the 1.75" mark.

Repeat on the other side.

Trim off the house sides.

Top window:
Start at the "ceiling" line in the center of the cardboard and draw, then cut, a rectangle with a curved top for the center window.

Cut the top 2" off to flatten the roof; add a "grate" detail if you like.

House back (box):

Use the second piece of the tri-fold to cut a 17.5" by 10.5" rectangle.

On the (black) outside, measure and mark 1.25" along all four sides.

Lightly cut the marks – not so much that they’re cut through- just half way through.

Cut off the corners at the intersections and fold in the edges.

Line the house front up with the inside of the box and mark the windows so the "compartments" will be glued onto the correct spots later.

Tape the corners of the box with painter's tape on the outside and add hot glue to the inside corners.

Allow the hot glue to harden then remove the tape.

Compartments:

Flatten paper towel tubes, then cut them into 1.25" sections (or if the "box" is deeper or shallower).

Push the tube sections open and re-flatten them on the opposite sides to make them into “squares.”

Add hot glue to one edge of each paper towel section and place it down around the window holes in the box.

Lay the house front on the box to make sure everything lines up.

Tissue paper windows:

Add glue stick or use the double sided Tombo tape along the window panes on the backside of the house front.

Press the tissue paper to the back of the house and trim off the excess.

Protect your work surface as ink or pen will bleed through the tissue paper.

Flip the house front over and add the numbers to the tissue paper windows-you could use stamps, stickers, or just write the numbers with a marker.

 

If you mis-number (like I did), just cut the tissue paper out and add a new square.
I cut bat silhouettes for the top “window“-you could add a witch, an owl, a ghost etc.

Make an X at the top center back of the box and push a pencil through to add a hole to hang the house.

Place the candy into the paper towel compartments; we have 3 people who need candy- so 3 candies go in each compartment.

I used Dove candy eyeballs and pumpkins.

If you’re planning to use this again next year (or re-purpose it at Christmas) just add a few little dabs of hot glue to attach the front of the house to the back box along the edges and then secure them with washi tape.

Add a battery operated tea candle (DON’T use real candle) on the box ledge in back of the “window.”