How to Make a Wooden Clothes Pin House

Use clothespins to build miniature houses.

Things that you can find around the house often make interesting activities for rainy days. Wooden clothespins are useful craft supplies that are inexpensive and easy for children to work with. Rather than spending extra money on similar building materials made especially for crafts, such as craft sticks or model sets, clothespins can be used to create miniature houses to play with or use as knickknacks.

Things You'll Need

• Gelatin box
• Utility knife
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Straight hinged clothes pins
• Craft paint
• Paintbrush
• Markers

Instructions

1. Cut your gelatin box in half along the narrow sides with a utility knife. Cut all the way around so that you have two squares with very short walls.

2. Cut slits in the center of two opposite walls on one of the halves of the box. Cut the slits directly across from each other and straight down to the flat part of the box.

3. Fold the box towards the open side, into a triangle shape. The slits you cut will overlap each other. Tape the overlapping slits on each side to hold the shape. This will be the base for your roof.

4. Apply hot glue to both slanted sides of the roof in an "X" formation. Lay wooden clothespins along each side to cover them completely and press them into the glue.

5. Paint your roof with brown craft paint and a paint brush.

6. Clip your clothespins onto the short walls all the way around your other half of the box. Clip the openings over the short walls so that the clothespins are standing straight up and tightly next to each other to make solid walls all the way around the box.

7. Paint the outside walls of the house any color you like with craft paint and a paint brush. Allow the paint to dry.

8. Use markers to draw windows and a door onto the walls of your house.

9. Set the roof on top of the house. Place a bead of glue onto the tops of the walls to hold the roof in place permanently, or just let it rest on top so you can open the roof.

Tips & Warnings

• Adults should use the utility knife and cut the box for children to avoid injuries.

• Adults should use the hot glue gun to attach the clothespins to the roof. Hot glue can cause serious burns when in a molten state.

References

• Paper Toys: 22 Fun Activities for Kids