Emma has been fascinated with all things tiny of late, so I thought it was time that all her little toys had somewhere to live. A shoe box is the ideal size for a doll house, and more importantly, it’s a great way to reuse items that would normally be discarded.
Her favourite crafting activities are pasting and stickers, so I tailored this project to suit. It’s the most crafting fun we’ve had together in a long time.
I remember making a similar shoe box house for my sister’s Muppet Babies figurines (remember those?).
You will need:
shoe box with lid
coloured paper for exterior
old magazines (home/interior ones are best) or furniture catalogs
glue
scissors
decorative stickers (optional)
How to:
Parents – from magazines cut out pictures of interior scenes, furniture, bookshelves etc… to ‘furnish’ and decorate the interior of the box, and pictures of greenery and trees for kids to paste around the outside of box as a garden. Cut a door and windows from the lid of the shoe box.
Kids – Cover the outside of the shoe box with some coloured paper, the kids will love job of pasting.
Decorate liberally with stickers and paste a garden on the outside and a cozy interior scene inside.
Include some wall art and maybe a fire place to make the space nice and ‘cozy’.
You are limited only by your imagination!
Time to play
And pack up is a breeze
This is a super cute project, I used to make myself little doll houses out of shoeboxes but they def weren't as pretty as these! Emma is a very lucky little girl!
Love it. My daughter made also one. http://joppe5.blogspot.be/2011/02/knutsels-van-fee.html
that a coincidence, red with white spots too.
What a great idea. Homemade doll houses are the best. I remember making tiny chest of drawers out of matchboxes.
whoaaa.. great idea ! I will make it too for my dolls . thank you
I just discovered your blog today and have been devouring it
I am a craft blogger too, in the U.S., but I also own Fun Family Crafts and will be featuring this adorable doll house on there. I only use a photo and write a short blurb, then link over to your post so people will come here to visit. Glad I found you 
I remember doing shoe box doll houses when I was a kid and yes, looking forward to making them with my bubba, when she grows older. So fun! I loved yours – so pretty with polka dots!!
Have a nice weekend, darling!
xx
I'm sure you'd be able to create a shoe box mansion!
So gorgeous, love the idea, when I was a kid i remember making a house out of a box to house my paper dolls with loads of paper furniture, but this brought back loads of memories would love to try this out with my daughter some time
this is so cute, we're having a few kids over for a kids craft day in the school holidays… think I might have just found the perfect activity! thanks
that sounds fun
the shoe boxes were a hit! http://heybubbles.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/little-girls-craft-day.html
we also had a few boys over who made shoe box zoos for some plastic animals
Just stopping by to let you know that we have featured your project on Fun Family Crafts! You can see it here
http://funfamilycrafts.com/shoe-box-doll-house/
If you have other kid friendly crafts, we'd love it if you would submit them
If you would like to display a featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above.
Thanks for the feature
Love love love this! Pinning and thank your for the inspiration. xoxo P
Where did you get the little baby dolls from?
Hi leon, the bigger one I used to stock in my shop, and the teeny one I bought in a craft store in japan. Sorry I'm not sure where they are available locally to you.
This brings back some memories. I used to make these. I remember using my grandma's listerine lozenge boxes for furniture. 20 years later my mom said my nieces found a couple of them and played with them all over again.
oh how lovely
[...] Shoe Box Dolls House from My Poppet [...]
Oh, that is just too adorable! My daughter would love that. Love how you used the pics from the magazine inside for the furnishings. Delighted to have found your blog via Picklebums
My daughter loves teeny things too – this is a perfect way to create a home for all her little friends!
http://Www.dreamchild.ca/blog
[...] Looking for a simple doll house for your child? Why not make one?!? You can make one out of many household items you already have lying around the house too. For some helpful ideas on how to make one for yourself, head over to My Poppet. [...]
I love when a craft sparks imagination beyond itself. This is just that kind of craft! Adorable:) Just posted on Craft Gossip!!
http://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/?p=7847
I used to make these when I was a little girl (I’m 62) and my mom used to make them when she was a little girl. I also remember reading The Bobsy Twins. They made them too. Such fun.