Kids Craft: Shoe Box Doll House

shoe box dollhouse mypoppet.com.au

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 dollhouse mypoppet.com.au
  • 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 make a doll house from a shoebox:

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!

shoe box dollhouse mypoppet.com.au

shoe box dollhouse mypoppet.com.au

Time to play

shoe box dollhouse mypoppet.com.au

And pack up is a breeze

shoe box dollhouse mypoppet.com.au

Did you ever make a shoebox house as a kid?

25 Comments

  • teacakemake says:

    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!

  • Sharon says:

    What a great idea. Homemade doll houses are the best. I remember making tiny chest of drawers out of matchboxes.

  • ndandut says:

    whoaaa.. great idea ! I will make it too for my dolls . thank you 🙂

  • Amanda says:

    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 🙂

  • Maria V says:

    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

  • Miss Cinti - my poppet says:

    that a coincidence, red with white spots too.

  • Friolina Fancy Designs says:

    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

  • Anna says:

    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 🙂

  • Miss Cinti - my poppet says:

    Thanks for the feature 🙂

  • Love love love this! Pinning and thank your for the inspiration. xoxo P

  • Leon says:

    Where did you get the little baby dolls from?

    • Miss Cinti - my poppet says:

      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.

  • Anonymous says:

    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.

  • Debs says:

    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 🙂

  • Cindy says:

    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.

  • Miss Cinti @ My Poppet says:

    love the little chairs 🙂

  • Miss Cinti @ My Poppet says:

    Thanks for the links. One can never have enough doll house furniture 🙂

  • Iris says:

    This is so beautiful and vibrant! I’m going to make one to take visiting with friends. Thanks for the great article.
    I made a cardboard box dollhouse, check it out here if you like:
    https://wp.me/p3W7GT-7c
    So glad I found your beautiful blog : )

    • Miss Cinti @ My Poppet says:

      Thanks for sharing your dollhouse, I love your matchbox furniture, especially the bunk beds and drawers 🙂

      • Iris says:

        Thank you for having a look. They’re so much fun to make aren’t they! If only we needed more in our house : )

  • angela mammaemamme says:

    great idea. I have some shoes boxes left and yours is a great idea to make a good use of them. my daughter will make it with great pleasure and lot of fun to give a house to her three little dolls. thanks for sharing. it will be one of my next post on my blog.

  • Love and Lollipops says:

    Seriously cute and such a fab, fun idea! Love it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.