How to Build a Miniature Doll House

Use ring gift boxes to make a miniature dollhouse.

Give your miniature family their own dollhouse. They will enjoy their toy house as much as you enjoy yours. A scale model miniature dollhouse for a 1:12 scale house will have to be 1:144 scale. Ordinary miniature building materials will not work in this scale. That is why most of the "dollhouse dollhouses" for sale are just a block of painted wood. You can overcome these difficulties by substituting cardboard and paper for wood when you construct your mini-mini house.

Things You'll Need

• 6 cardboard ring gift boxes, 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 by 1 1/4-inch
• Craft glue
• Paper
• Craft scissors
• White glue
• Brush
• 8 clothes pins
• Card stock

Instructions

1. Remove the tops and stuffing from six ring boxes. Glue the sides of two boxes together with craft glue. Glue two more boxes together the same way.

2. Glue the pairs of boxes together, with one set on top of the other, to make a square of boxes. The open ends should all face the front. Glue the remaining two boxes together and glue them on top of these boxes to make a stack of boxes, two boxes wide and three boxes tall. This is your miniature dollhouse. The open side is the front.

3. Cut a 7 1/2- by 6-inch rectangle of paper. Mix equal parts of white glue and water. Lay the dollhouse on a table with the front side down and brush the back of the house with the glue mixture.

4. Lay the rectangle of paper over the boxes so that 1 1/2 inch of paper extends beyond the house on all four sides. Smooth the paper and allow the glue to dry for five minutes.

5. Pick up the house and brush both of the long sides with glue mixture. Fold the paper over the sides, and smooth it into place. Clamp the paper in place with clothes pins, and allow the glue to dry for five minutes.

6. Fold the paper in on both the short ends as if you were wrapping a gift. Unfold the paper, and brush glue on the end of the house and between the folds of the paper. Fold the paper back into place, smooth it down and clamp it with clothes pins. Allow the house to dry for 10 minutes.

7. Remove the clothespins and cut off the excess paper that extends beyond the edges of the boxes. Cut a 3-inch square of poster board and fold it in half. Use craft glue to attach it to the top of the dollhouse for a roof.

Tips & Warnings

• Draw on windows and doors.

• Use rectangles of fabric for rugs and paint or wallpaper the walls.

• Make tiny furniture by cutting pieces of balsa wood and coloring them with markers or paint.

• Cover your table to protect it from damage.

References

• Paper Creations; Gay Merrill Gross; 1997
• Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures: CDHM Miniature Tutorials