Charcoal and Crayons: August 2011

There’s just something special about cardboard boxes. While they can be filled with trinkets and things, they are also filled to the brim with possibilities. A rocket ship, a car, or a house...

...your imagination is your only limitation.

Since our move earlier this year, the basement has been storing several cardboard boxes in various stages of unpacking. A few of those boxes just so happen to be the perfect size for a little boy to call his own.

So armed with a glue gun, a sharp knife, and pair of scissors I was able turn a couple of cardboard boxes into Ollie’s House.

It was a spontaneous sort of thing so I don’t have photos of the creation process. I’ll try my best to explain, but if you’d like any further information on this project, please don’t hesitate to email me at andrea.brand.art@gmail.com

Here’s the how to...

Box it up

You’ll need 1 large box and 1 small box. The ones that I used can be purchased at The Home Depot and cost around $3.50. They come folded flat and need to be opened up and taped shut on one end. The large box will become the main structure of the house, while the small box will be for extras such as window frames and the chimmney.

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Cardboard Cutout

Cut off the flaps of the large box and set aside (these will become the roof). Turn the box upside down. Cut out an upside down L shape for a door. Cut out squares for windows (the Home Depot logos on the sides work perfectly for this). A little window can be cut into the door as well. A pair of scissors or a sharp knife can be used for the cutting (I used a combination of both).

Raise the Roof

Glue together 2 of the flaps that were cut from the large box. Repeat with the other 2 flaps. You now have 2 panels which will form the main roof.

Make small strips about 2” in length out of the extra cardboard cut from the windows. Fold strips in half. Using the strips, glue the two main roof panels together. These strips are also used like L brackets to attatch the roof to the house.

Cut 2 flaps off of the small box to use as the little roof over the doorway and attatch to the house using strips as described above.

Window Wonder

To make the frame around the window, take the extra piece cut from the window and place on the side of the small box. Trace around the window cutout and from corner to corner. Cut along these lines. Here’s a quick little illustration...

Glue the pieces around the window. Extra cardboard can be used to create a cross pattern within the window (in technical terms these are called “muntins”). Repeat for the other windows.

A Charming Chim Chim Cher-ee

Use extra pieces from the small box to create a chimmney. Glue 4 similar sized rectangular piecies together to create a little box. Line up the end of that little box with the edge of the roof and trace along the roof line. By doing this, you’ll be able to cut the bottom of your chimmney at the correct angle. Leave the shortest side of the chimmney a little longer than the rest and fold to create a flap. Use this flap to glue the chimmney to the roof. Cut out a square slightly larger than the chimmeny and glue flat onto the top. Cut and glue narrow strips to the edges of the square. Top off your chimmeny with a section cut from an empty toilet paper or paper towel roll.

Knock Knock

You can’t answer the door without a doorknob! I stole this knob from our master bedroom nightstand. A few stacked pieces of cardboard create a lovely little detail that also adds extra depth for the knob’s screw.

The Great Debate

I’ve been debating over painting Ollie’s house or leaving it the way it is. For some reason, I really quite like the cardboard look. But I can imagine it painted... maybe a light blue with white trim like our house... and I think I’d like the look of that too. So what do you think...

Does Ollie’s House need a coat of paint?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Please feel free to leave a comment (I am so grateful for each and every one) and check out the poll in the side bar to cast your vote as well!

Thanks for stopping by... around here, the door is always open.