How to Make a Doll House and Furniture
You can do many toys yourself. This way, you will save money and know exactly what the toy is made of and how safe it is. Besides, the process of creation can be really entertaining for both a child, and an adult.
5-Minute Crafts would like to show you how to make a dollhouse, as well as tiny furniture and accessories for comfortable life in it.
The base of the house
You will need:
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shoeboxes
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wrapping paper
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white paint
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duct tape
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all-purpose glue
What to do: Attach the boxes together using duct tape, as shown in the photo above. Attach them with the duct tape on the outside too, to make the construction stronger. Then cover the boxes with 2 to 3 layers of white paint. Glue wrapping paper to imitate wallpaper to the insides of the boxes. Attach the frieze fabric to the floor of the house that will work as a carpet. The base of the house is done.
Recommendation: Use nontoxic paints like gouache. To make it more durable, mix it with PVA glue at a ratio of 2:1. You can also add chalk to the mixture. This way the resulting paint will be rough like plaster.
A standing storage cabinet
You will need:
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a shampoo bottle
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a cutter
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2–3 wooden craft sticks
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a decorative napkin
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all-purpose glue
What to do: Cut the shampoo bottle as shown in the photo above. Apply glue to the outside surface of the bottle and cover it with the napkin. Break the sticks and attach them inside as shelves. Done!
A hanging rack for clothes
You will need:
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3 plastic straws
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3 wooden sticks
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black paint
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4 plastic beads
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3–4 metal paper clips
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a polystyrene food box
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all-purpose glue
What to do: Cut off the bending parts of the plastic straws, about 0.5 inch from each end. Cut one stick in half. Attach the bending parts to the ends of one of the halves. Insert 2 other whole sticks into the holes of the bent straw to make the construction look like a rectangle without a bottom. Paint it black. Cut the base of the hanging rack out of polystyrene and secure the stick in it.
Glue plastic beads to the other side of the polystyrene base. They will work as the legs of the rack. Take a paper clip, unbend it, and cut off the short end near the curved part. Now bend the clip so that it looks like a hanger. Repeat the same actions with the other clips. Done!
A chair
You will need:
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pieces of fabric
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a plastic cap from a gallon bottle
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a plastic lid of a yogurt cup
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decorative cord
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wooden lollipop sticks
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scissors
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all-purpose glue
What to do: Cover the plastic lid of the yogurt cup (using glue) with fabric and cut off the edges to make it look like a flat semicircle. This will be the back of the chair. Attach fabric to the bottle cap using the same method.
Glue the parts together as shown in the photo above. Decorate the edges with the cord. Cut the wooden stick into 4 pieces — they will be the legs of the chair. Apply 4 big drops of glue to the bottom of the chair and attach the legs to them. Done!
A TV set
You will need:
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an empty eyeshadow or blush palette
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a picture that imitates the TV screen
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a binder clip
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nail polish in red and green colors
What to do: Glue the picture to the back side of the palette. Draw green and red buttons at the bottom of the screen. Attach the binder clip under it and remove the metal part. Done!
A TV stand
You will need:
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a polystyrene food box
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6 matchboxes
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white paint
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all-purpose glue
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6 plastic beads
What to do: Glue the matchboxes together to get 3 boxes in a row out of 2. Paint the construction white and cover it with polystyrene using glue. Make sure that the drawers can still slide out. Then attach the beads to imitate the drawers’ handles. Done!
A flower pot
You will need:
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a wine cork
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3 teaspoons of potting soil
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an artificial plant
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1/2 teaspoon of water
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a cutter and fine-grit sandpaper
What to do: Remove the center of the wine cork with the cutter and file it with the sandpaper. Put the soil inside, insert the artificial plant, and pour the water inside the pot. Done!
A couch
You will need:
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4 sponges
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a piece of fabric measuring 16 by 16 inches
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2 wooden bars
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a piece of thick cardboard
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glue
What to do: Cut the fabric into 4 equal pieces that measure 4 by 4 inches each. Wrap the sponges with these pieces and glue the fabric on them. Then glue the 4 parts together — 2 of them will be the couch’s seat, 2 will be its back. To make armrests, glue the piece of cardboard to the bottom of the couch so that its edges protrude from under the couch’s sides. Apply glue to these edges and the couch’s sides, and then attach the wooden bars. Done!
A shower cabin and a sink
You will need:
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a juice or milk carton
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foamiran in blue and white
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glue
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a cutter
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a soap dispenser bottle
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5 plastic beads
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20 inches of metal wire
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a Ziploc bag
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a plastic straw
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a silicone baking mold in the shape of a seashell
What to do: Cut the juice carton in a way that you leave only the bottom and 2 neighboring sides. Glue over the carton’s insides with blue foamiran and the bottom with white foamiran. Make the bottom lip of the shower with white foamiran too. The cabin is done!
Cut off the upper part of the dispenser and glue the wire to it. Attach a plastic bead to the other end of the wire. The shower head is done.
Cut the plastic bag along the seams with a cutter, removing the upper part with the lock. Pierce the upper end of the resulting piece of the bag with the wire. The shower curtain is done!
Cut out one section of the silicon mold. Then cut it out along the outline. Glue 2 beads to it to imitate the faucet handles. Cut out the bent part from the straw, leaving about 0.5 inches of the straw on one end, and about 1 inch on the other. Attach the resulting faucet to the seashell. The sink is done!
Attach the items to the walls of the dollhouse where you think the bathroom should be.
A stool
You will need:
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a plastic bottle cap
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a cotton disc
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a circle of fabric that is slightly bigger than the cotton disc
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glue
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a plastic fork
What to do: Put the cotton disc on the circle of fabric, put the plastic cap on top, and then apply glue to it. Tuck the edges of the fabric into the cap, and secure everything with glue. Break off the prongs of the plastic fork and attach them to the cap for the legs. You’ve got a tiny stool. Done!
A table
You will need:
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2 small plastic cups
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a metal lid of a jar
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white paint
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glue
What to do: Paint the cups and the lid white. Glue one cup to the lid, then glue the other cup to the first one. Done!
Bonus: How to make other furniture and accessories for the dollhouse
