Supplies:
*Pattern (2 pages)
*Heavy Cardboard (work area & house base)
*Light Cardboard (house & roof)
*Transfer Paper (or carbon paper or make your own)
*Hot Glue
*Craft Glue
*Scissors
*Xacto Knife
*Paint
*Tissue Paper (or vellum)
*Felt (enough to cover house base & to add to top of roof)
*Glitter
*Electric Tea Light (battery powered)
*Decorations
Difficulty Level: Medium-Hard - there's a lot of cutting here.
Time: I did not make this one, but my friend did. Took her about 2 1/2 hours.
Directions:
01. Print out the pattern (images below - direct link to download at Retro Renovation below that).
02. Lay the carbon paper onto the plain side of the lightweight cardboard (such as a cereal box you've cut open). Lay the printed out pattern on top of the carbon paper. Using a pencil or pen, trace the entire pattern (all lines, window openings, doors, circle for door knob, & the tabs).
*I have carbon paper already, so it's what I used. You can use another type of transfer paper, or you can make your own, as shown by Retro Renovation. Use charcoal or a pencil to colour in & sheet of plain paper. Use the charcoal/pencil side facing the cardboard & the pattern on top of this.
*Pattern (2 pages)
*Heavy Cardboard (work area & house base)
*Light Cardboard (house & roof)
*Transfer Paper (or carbon paper or make your own)
*Hot Glue
*Craft Glue
*Scissors
*Xacto Knife
*Paint
*Tissue Paper (or vellum)
*Felt (enough to cover house base & to add to top of roof)
*Glitter
*Electric Tea Light (battery powered)
*Decorations
Difficulty Level: Medium-Hard - there's a lot of cutting here.
Time: I did not make this one, but my friend did. Took her about 2 1/2 hours.
Directions:
01. Print out the pattern (images below - direct link to download at Retro Renovation below that).
02. Lay the carbon paper onto the plain side of the lightweight cardboard (such as a cereal box you've cut open). Lay the printed out pattern on top of the carbon paper. Using a pencil or pen, trace the entire pattern (all lines, window openings, doors, circle for door knob, & the tabs).
*I have carbon paper already, so it's what I used. You can use another type of transfer paper, or you can make your own, as shown by Retro Renovation. Use charcoal or a pencil to colour in & sheet of plain paper. Use the charcoal/pencil side facing the cardboard & the pattern on top of this.
03. Next you'll cut out the pattern that is now on the lightweight cardboard. Be sure to have heavy weight cardboard underneath all of this on your work surface. (You'll use it for Xacto-ing, painting, glittering, & hot gluing. You'll also need a portion to use as your house base.)
First Page: The large pointed rectangles are all windows, along with the rectangle in the door, & the double windows to the right. They'll all be cut out. The line running top to bottom (to the left of all the windows), you'll lightly score because it will fold to make a side wall of the house. You'll do the same thing with the line on the second area (the back of the house). The large square will be cut out & is where you'll insert the electric tea light.
Second Page: This is the rick-rack roof & cute retro mail box. You'll need to use lightweight cardboard for the roof, so you can fold it into the appropriate rick rack shape. You'll also need to cut a strip of heavy weight cardboard to use as the mail box post, since that is not supplied in the pattern.
First Page: The large pointed rectangles are all windows, along with the rectangle in the door, & the double windows to the right. They'll all be cut out. The line running top to bottom (to the left of all the windows), you'll lightly score because it will fold to make a side wall of the house. You'll do the same thing with the line on the second area (the back of the house). The large square will be cut out & is where you'll insert the electric tea light.
Second Page: This is the rick-rack roof & cute retro mail box. You'll need to use lightweight cardboard for the roof, so you can fold it into the appropriate rick rack shape. You'll also need to cut a strip of heavy weight cardboard to use as the mail box post, since that is not supplied in the pattern.
04. From here you can fold all the tabs and lines that put the house into shape & hold both the front & back up (together). This will give you an idea of about how large to cut the base for your house. Do you want to add trees? Do you want no space really? I suggest a 1/2" - 1" space in the back. 1/2" - 3" for the sides. 1" - 4" for the front yard. You should also keep in mind where you will display these & if your desired size base will fit?
05. Now you can paint your house. The photo above is the Retro Renovation house. My friend's creation is below (before the patterns). She also purchased vellum to use for the windows. Her house was absolutely precise & impeccable. Though the Retro Renovation one is perfectly fine & lovely, you can see that it's not perfect. I don't know how my friend did it, but she could have sold that in a store for like $40. I'd laid out no rulers, but all of her lines were perfectly straight, even her glitter edged roof seemed like all her glitter was in a row & not slapped on there by a drunk Yeti (Like the picture; and like mine always look.)
Paint the roof. If you are using "snow" felt on your roof you only have to paint the top part of the roof that will not be covered by snow. If you want the entire roof covered in snow, then you don't have to paint.
You'll also want to paint the exterior of the mail box & the mail box post if you're so inclined. Retro Renovation left their post unpainted. Now I can't remember what my friend used for her garage support posts. Retro Renovation used paper straws cut to size. Smart. You could use plastic straws cut to size, thin cardboard rolled, glued, & painted. Or anything else you think might work.
Any paint will do, even cheap dollar store kids craft paint. It doesn't have to be fancy. Allow all paint to dry completely (about 15 - 30 minutes).
06. When the paint is dry, you'll add the windows. This is where the tissue paper or vellum comes in. Just flip your unbuilt house front over so you're working with the backside (the interior). You'll cut your pieces so there is enough excess to glue around the windows onto the cardboard. It doesn't have to be exact, or perfect, or a large piece. You can cut one piece for all three of those front windows & the door window, & then another piece for the double windows on the right. Glue around the edge of window with Elmer's type glue & then stick the tissue paper to this. Allow to dry completely (about 5 - 20 minutes).
07. Now it's time to assemble, which means warming up the hot glue gun. First items I'd recommend are covering the house base in felt. You can use white for snow (or The Sister created one using tan for sand). Just have a colour you want your yard to be. Grass? Choose a green. Dirt? Choose brown. Snow? Choose white. They even make white felt with glitter in it, so that's pretty.
Then you'll hot glue a piece of felt to the roof for snow, if you're going with a snowy theme. Next lay out some glitter on your work surface. Put a line of hot glue on one edge of your roof & dip in the glitter. Repeat for the remaining three sides. You can use any colour glitter, I just also like the white crystaline look of the "snowy" glitter that was shown on Retro Renovation, so it's what I use. You could use silver. You could use any colour. It's your house you can make it look however you want.
Next you'll assemble the garage roof support beams, the mail box, & then glue the mail box to the post, then glue the post to the house base.
Once all the house extra's are on & in place, then hot glue tabs to put the house together. Then hot glue bottom tabs (& the bottoms of the garage roof support beams) & stick house onto base, pressingly firmly (but not firmly enough that you crush it). Next hot glue the roof onto the house, again pressing firmly, but not too firmly.
09. Now it's time to decorate. This is where you affix bottle brush trees or pieces of felt as a walk way, a wreath you made or purchased, presents under the tree, large pieces of glitter or pom poms as snow flakes, twinkle lights, or simply festive decoration. This can be things you wish to purchase, things you make or have yourself. You don't even have to decorate if you don't wish to.
10. Turn the tea light on & place inside. Ah... it's so pretty!
Paint the roof. If you are using "snow" felt on your roof you only have to paint the top part of the roof that will not be covered by snow. If you want the entire roof covered in snow, then you don't have to paint.
You'll also want to paint the exterior of the mail box & the mail box post if you're so inclined. Retro Renovation left their post unpainted. Now I can't remember what my friend used for her garage support posts. Retro Renovation used paper straws cut to size. Smart. You could use plastic straws cut to size, thin cardboard rolled, glued, & painted. Or anything else you think might work.
Any paint will do, even cheap dollar store kids craft paint. It doesn't have to be fancy. Allow all paint to dry completely (about 15 - 30 minutes).
06. When the paint is dry, you'll add the windows. This is where the tissue paper or vellum comes in. Just flip your unbuilt house front over so you're working with the backside (the interior). You'll cut your pieces so there is enough excess to glue around the windows onto the cardboard. It doesn't have to be exact, or perfect, or a large piece. You can cut one piece for all three of those front windows & the door window, & then another piece for the double windows on the right. Glue around the edge of window with Elmer's type glue & then stick the tissue paper to this. Allow to dry completely (about 5 - 20 minutes).
07. Now it's time to assemble, which means warming up the hot glue gun. First items I'd recommend are covering the house base in felt. You can use white for snow (or The Sister created one using tan for sand). Just have a colour you want your yard to be. Grass? Choose a green. Dirt? Choose brown. Snow? Choose white. They even make white felt with glitter in it, so that's pretty.
Then you'll hot glue a piece of felt to the roof for snow, if you're going with a snowy theme. Next lay out some glitter on your work surface. Put a line of hot glue on one edge of your roof & dip in the glitter. Repeat for the remaining three sides. You can use any colour glitter, I just also like the white crystaline look of the "snowy" glitter that was shown on Retro Renovation, so it's what I use. You could use silver. You could use any colour. It's your house you can make it look however you want.
Next you'll assemble the garage roof support beams, the mail box, & then glue the mail box to the post, then glue the post to the house base.
Once all the house extra's are on & in place, then hot glue tabs to put the house together. Then hot glue bottom tabs (& the bottoms of the garage roof support beams) & stick house onto base, pressingly firmly (but not firmly enough that you crush it). Next hot glue the roof onto the house, again pressing firmly, but not too firmly.
09. Now it's time to decorate. This is where you affix bottle brush trees or pieces of felt as a walk way, a wreath you made or purchased, presents under the tree, large pieces of glitter or pom poms as snow flakes, twinkle lights, or simply festive decoration. This can be things you wish to purchase, things you make or have yourself. You don't even have to decorate if you don't wish to.
10. Turn the tea light on & place inside. Ah... it's so pretty!