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Cardboard Playhouses

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Cardboard Playhouse. I've been wanting to make Abe a playhouse for awhile now, so after sizing up the competition finding some inspiration on Pinterest (see a few of my favorites here, here, and here) I got to work on my project for...

Cardboard Playhouse

Home Depot is generally the last place I'd think to look for children's toys, but it's the first place we always go when we're working on the house. This time I was working on a house for Abe, and I knew that, except for a few supplies I already had at home, they would have everything I needed. I used one glass knob left over from refinishing my old dresser, along with one of the original knobs that I had taken off that dresser, to make the doorknob. Abe has been very interested in locks and keys lately, so I added a keyhole - custom made for his colorful set of keys. Abe helped decorate the house as I was putting it together. Of course every house needs some numbers! Cardboard Blueprints (PDF) To make it you'll need: utility knife Download the PDF for full instructions, but keep reading if you'd like to see detail shots of some of my construction techniques... This is where I joined the two boxes together on the side of the house above the window (step 9).

I overlapped the edges, ran a couple pieces of tape lengthwise on both the inside and outside, then wrapped tape around the seam to really hold it together. The side walls seemed a little flimsy because they weren't a solid piece of cardboard, so I taped one of the flaps I removed from the top of the box (step 3) under the window to help strengthen the wall (step 10). The flaps at the top and the bottom of the boxes were pre-cut, so I taped over the cuts to prevent weak spots on my roof and walls (step 4). The flaps that I left attached to the box were folded down and taped to the sides to help support the structure (step 6). DIY Collapsible Cardboard Playhouse. Turn a cardboard box into hours of entertainment for your little ones with this DIY collapsible playhouse.

DIY Collapsible Cardboard Playhouse

This cardboard playhouse was created, especially with small spaces in mind, because when the kids tire of it, the house collapses down flat for easy storage. Cardboard boxes are a hot commodity in our home -- even my 8-month-old appreciates a good drum fest with empty cereal boxes. Pretty much the perfect toy, boxes are free, plentiful (if you eat the way my boys do, that is) and provide the creative possibilities that can be a great exercise for a child's imagination.

My kids especially love making forts out of boxes, and it seems that for them, the smaller and cozier the better. Cardboard Playhouse: 1. Origins. The inspiration hit me one day after the kids were playing in a two-box cubby contraption their mother had thrown together in the room-without-clear-demarcation.

Cardboard Playhouse: 1. Origins

While putting them away, I noticed that these computer boxes were solid. And quoted on the base were all sorts of strengths: crushing, bursting, weight that-can-be-carried. My mind ticked over. Frank Gehry’s carboard chair has always been a favourite, I just love the idea of using something so unexpected for solid, long term furniture (and google it, several places are selling them to this day, and they cost more than an Aeron!) And in a similar vein, I’d not long before been to see the cardboard house outside the Opera House.

Cardboard Playhouse: 2. Design. This is just a quick overview of everything I planned to do.

Cardboard Playhouse: 2. Design

The basic, “typographic arrow” shape we’ve covered. In fact I think I got that from another impromptu box cubby put together by my good lady other half. You get an entrance tunnel and windows looking out in two directions. Cardboard Playhouse: 3. Construction. I could write very thick book!

Cardboard Playhouse: 3. Construction

But I wont, suffice to say the following truisms are .. true: You get much better (and quicker) with practiceMeasure twice, cut onceTools are good. Tools actually designed to do the job to which they are being used, are even better Construction went more or less as expected. I basically spent a long time slicing and gluing, and finally ran out of room in the shed to store bits.

I also discovered that fine-pitch corrugated iron is very floppy. How to Build Cardboard Castle. We can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than building this colorful cardboard castle with your kids.

How to Build Cardboard Castle

Christiane Lemieux, the founder and creative director of DwellStudio and author of Undecorate, has shared this inspiring cardboard castle that was designed and built by her two young children. The castle strikes a great balance between Christiane’s fondness for luminous colors which DwellStudio is famous for and the unstructured design and patterns that have flowed from her children’s imagination. Who better to exemplify the essence of Undecorate than children, whose design choices are not limited by boundaries or expectations but rather motivated by joy and creativity. cardboard castle View the next page to see how they did it or check out the photos above for inspiration.

Related. DIY Cardboard Castle Tutorial - Cost:$4. I have been getting lots of questions about how I made So here's a full tutorial on how to make it yourself!

DIY Cardboard Castle Tutorial - Cost:$4

If you get free boxes, use paint you already have.. Cardboard Box Castle - Enchanted Learning. Cardboard Fort With Solar Bottle Bulb. Makedo Makes Forts Easy. The awesome people over at Makedo sent us a FreePlay Kit for One to play with.

Makedo Makes Forts Easy

I had originally intended on having someone help us make this extravagant fort structure (and I may still try) but I think the fun of this product is that KIDS can use it and I wanted my boys to create something of their own. I know it's fun to see all the inspiration of the amazing things this product can do. (all photos from Makedo's Inspiration Gallery be sure to check out the rest!) I think this is a GREAT product for a gift for kids and wanted to show what the kids could do with it on their own. I helped a little to show them how the product worked and helped them brainstorm a bit on how to get what was in their mind to work. 2-Story Cardboard Clubhouse. To build the clubhouse, you'll need lots of cardboard and a few tools!

2-Story Cardboard Clubhouse

Cardboard Play House For A Rainy Day. Weather in this part of the country has been rainy and cloudy and just all around depressing.

Cardboard Play House For A Rainy Day

I thought May was supposed to be sunny and warm. To bring a little cheeriness to our indoor space and to keep a momma sane we took an old cardboard box and made it into our very own playhouse. Materials Needed: Cardboard Box* Box Cutter Markers or Crayons. Tinyfolk Cardboard Playhouses. Pretty Cardboard Playhouse - A Girl And A Glue Gun. DIY Cardboard Playhouses. Over the last few months I've found myself pinning various styles of cardboard houses on Pinterest. I've been wanting to make one, so when my daughter's 2nd birthday party was coming up, I knew this was the perfect opportunity.

Baby/toddler birthday parties always feel a little tricky for me. They can't really play organized games yet, and January is too bitter cold in our area to play outside. These houses were the perfect "what to do with the babies" solution. 1. Cardboard Haunted Playhouse (French: Good Pics) Je ne suis pas une fan de cette fête qui me parait consumériste à souhait, mais il faut bien avouer qu’elle génère beaucoup de créativité aussi : le net regorge d’idées en tous genres à cette période là, qui tournent forcément autour de ce thème. Je suis tombée sur cette chouette petite maison en carton pour enfant réalisée par Brenda Ponnay du blog secret-agent-josephine. Interlocking Cardboard Playhouse System.

Villa Julia Modern Style Inspiration Pics. Milan 09: Italian design brand Magis launched Villa Julia, a cardboard playhouse for children by Spanish designer Javier Mariscal, in Milan last week. The house was launched at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile last week, as part of Magis' Me Too range of children's furniture. The black and white Villa Julia comes with stickers so children can personalise their playhouse. See all our stories from Milan in our special Milan 09 category. Vicky Knysh - Cardboard City. DIY Mid Century Modern Playhouse. I ran across this playhouse, which is incredible, but beyond my budget. When we bought a gas grill, the giant empty box was the perfect opportunity to make one myself! Check out the step-by-step instructions and more photos here. [...] Here's the original box (from a Weber Q 320---which we LOVE---in case you're curious): All of the interior packing material for the grill was useful, including this awesome "roofing material": Step 1: take box apart and turn it inside out (so that the outside is solid brown and the graphics are inside).