Category Archives: Kids

Introduction to Magic The Gathering {by K}

Posted on by

2

I’m proud to introduce you to my first guest blogger: our oldest son! Since we always talk about writing about what you love, here he is explaining his favorite card game, Magic The Gathering. And without further ado, I give you K…

———————–

I am here to teach you how to play my favorite card game Magic The Gathering. I first learned how to play from one of my friends at school. First, I will teach you about creatures. Creatures are the cards that represent your army. In the picture below, it shows the top of a creature card. On the top left is the name of the creature card and on the top right is the amount lands or mana the card costs to cast to the battlefield.

Above it shows the middle part of a land card. Lands are the cards you use to cast creatures, and almost any other type of card in Magic The Gathering. On any card in Magic other than lands there is a mana cost you need to pay in order to cast that card. The mana cost is either a ball with a number in it or a symbol, a fireball, a water drop, a tree, a sun, or a skull or it is combination of both . If it is a ball with a number in it you can use any type of land to pay it or if it is a symbol then use the the land the symbol stands for. Fireball=mountain, water drop=island, tree=forest, sun=plains, and skull=swamp.When you use mana you tap or turn sideways the land card.Tapped cards can not be used.

Below is a picture of the bottom of a creature card in Magic the Gathering. On the bottom of a creature card there is the creature’s power and toughness. Power is the amount of damage a creature can do in combat. Toughness is the amount of damage a creature can absorb. Right now I am going to teach you how to battle. Creatures cannot attack on the turn they are cast unless they have haste. At the beginning of your battle phase if it is your turn you will choose if you want to attack or not if you want to choose which creatures you want to attack with. After you have told your opponent which creatures you are attacking with your opponent will choose what he want to block what. In battle creatures both deal their power to each others toughness. Example:A 1/1 fought a 2/2 the 2/2 would win because 2 power beats 1 toughness and 1 power does not beat 2 toughness. If a creature attacked it becomes tapped if it does not have vigilance. Tapped creatures can not block. Blocking does not cause creatures to tap.

Here is the middle and bottom of a instant. Instants can empower your creatures,weaken your enemies creatures,and can do almost anything you can think of. Instants can be played during your turn or your opponents turn. Instants are considered spells.

Below is a picture of the lower portion of a sorcery card in Magic. A sorcery is the same as a instant except you can only cast them during your turn.


Above are two different types of enchantments. The first enchantment is a enchantment that affects something on the field. The second type which is called a aura affects one creature. Enchantments can only be cast on your turn.

Below is a artifact. There are two types of artifacts one type is not shown. Like enchantments the first one affects the field and the second type is called a equipment and affects one creature. Artifacts can only be cast during your turn.

Below it shows a card called a planeswalker. Like all other cards in Magic they have a mana cost. At the bottom are it’s loyalty counters. In the middle section are some actions it can do +1 means you add 1 to it’s loyalty. If you do not want to take damage a planeswalker on your side can take the damage for you by removing loyalty counters equivalent to the damage. If a planeswalker’s loyalty falls to 0 or less put it into the discard pile. SETUP

Each player starts with 20 life, a 40-60 card deck, and a 6 card hand.

TURN SEQUENCE

Untap Phase: Untap all of your cards.

Draw Phase: Draw 1 card

Upkeep Phase: Activate any cards that say during the upkeep

Main Phase 1: Play lands, sorceries, instants, and cast creatures

Battle Phase: Attack and block( Instants may be played during battle phase)

Main Phase 2: Do anything you could do in main phase 1 except play a land card

End Phase: Activate cards that say during your end phase

SPECIAL POWERS

Trample: Battle damage done by a creature with trample not absorbed by a blocker’s toughness is dealt to the defending player.

Vigilance: Creatures with vigilance do not tap after attacking.

Flying: Creatures with flying can only be blocked by creatures with flying and creatures with reach.

Reach: Creatures with reach can block creatures flying.

Morbid: Creatures and spells with morbid get stronger if a creature died the turn it was cast.

Exalted: Creatures that attack alone get +1/+1 until end of turn

War Cry: If a creature with war cry attack and then creatures attack after them the creatures that attacked after the creature with war cry get a bonus.

Clothespin Wreath Advent Calendar

Posted on by

5

My brain has been whirling with all the creative advent calendar ideas out there. I grew up with a beautiful felt advent calendar my mom made, and I want to recreate something like that for our boys. While I’m still mulling over all the options for the long term, it is the end of November, so for this year, I’ve decided to make a clothespin wreath using Christmas wrapping paper and scrapbook papers to hold 24 cards with activities we can do together through the month.

Clothespin wreath advent calendar with an activity for each day {Jewels at Home}

Clothespin wreath advent calendar with an activity for each day.

The instructions for the wreath are detailed in the previous post. The only changes were that I made this wreath a bit bigger (13″ diameter) to accomodate 24 pins, and I added numbers to the pins for each day. The numbers are stickers on punched out circles, and I used removable tape to stick them on the clothespins, in case we use this wreath for pictures or cards in the future.

Clothespin wreath for Christmas makes a lovely advent calendar or card display {Jewels at Home}

Clothespin wreath for Christmas makes a lovely advent calendar or card display.

Numbers for a clothespin advent calendar {Jewels at Home}

Numbers for a clothespin advent calendar

Clothespin wreath advent calendar {Jewels at Home}

For the activity cards, I printed 2″x4″ shipping labels with 24 different activities, one for each day. There are lots of options – here are some I thought would be fun to do with the kids this year. I’d love to hear what you are planning, too!

  • Get a Christmas tree
  • Decorate the Christmas tree
  • Write Christmas wish list
  • Make ornaments
  • Holiday Faire at school
  • Make a gift for a friend or family member
  • Give a homemade gift
  • Drink hot chocolate
  • Go see Christmas lights
  • Wrap presents
  • Make snowflakes
  • Read How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • Read The Polar Express
  • Prepare Christmas “thank you” cards
  • Donate food
  • Donate toys
  • Decorate a gingerbread house
  • Visit reindeer at the zoo
  • Watch “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”
  • Watch “Frosty the Snowman”
  • Make a snowman pizza
  • Bake Christmas cookies
  • Write cards for teachers
  • Deliver gifts to teachers
  • Family game night
  • Snowman pancakes for breakfast
  • Mail Christmas cards
  • Brunch with Santa (like family photos, this is a strange torture I cannot resist!)
  • Call relatives and sing carols to them
  • Movie night (this is a Christmas Eve tradition for us)

I stuck the labels on cardstock in Christmas colors and patterns and then clipped them to the wreath, with the labels facing the back. We can turn over one each day!

Clothespin wreath advent calendar with a special activity for each day {Jewels at Home}

Clothespin wreath advent calendar with a special activity for each day.

Maybe I’ll come up with a new advent calendar next year, or maybe this wreath will become our tradition. I think I’m at least as excited as the boys for the countdown to Christmas!

“Jewels”

I shared this project at:
Somewhat Simple

Kids’ Art Gallery Frames

Posted on by

5

My kids’ art projects tend to accumulate in (not so) little plies all over our house. I’m implementing a new system to organize all of it, but more on that later. I would love to have more of their creations up on display, but I get around to it so seldom that the few pieces that are hung are completely outdated. I’ve been looking for a solution that makes it easy to change our our display, and I knew I had found it when I spied these frames with clips from Shanty 2 Chic.

I decided to make mine with fabric, rather than paper, backgrounds. The fabric matches these DIY picture mattes I made. I’ll show you how to make your own!

Change our your art easily with these DIY frames. Jewels at Home.

Materials:

  • frames – I used NYTTJA frames from Ikea, which are perfect, because the front is plastic that has a protective film on it for packaging. I left the film on, so that if I ever want to use these are regular frames, it will be easy to peel off the fabric.
  • fabric or decorative paper
  • magnetic bulldog clips

Instructions:

  • Take apart your frame and spray the glass (or in this case the plastic) with spray adhesive. I think you could also use a glue stick, if you spread it thinly. (top left picture below)
  • Cut out a piece of fabric (or paper) about 1.5″ wider than your glass in all directions. Lay the glass, adhesive side down, on the back side of the fabric. Cut the corners diagonally, to reduce bulk. (top right picture below)
  • Fold over the fabric and tape it in place securely. (bottom left picture below)
  • Reassemble your frame. (bottom right picture below)

Change our your art easily with these DIY frames. Jewels at Home.

  • The last steps are to hot glue the bulldog clips in place and add your art! (pictured below)

Change our your art easily with these DIY frames. Jewels at Home.

Here is the kids’ new art gallery in their room. I can tell already that I will be using these frames a lot! Also pictured are the DIY travel-themed pencil tins I made for them.

Change our your art easily with these DIY frames. Jewels at Home.

Kids' gallery wall with DIY initials and frames with clips to change art easily. {Jewels at Home}

DIY frames with clips to change art easily. {Jewels at Home}

 

Next up: I’m getting started on some projects for Christmas!

“Jewels”

DIY Fabric-covered Picture Mattes

Posted on by

2

Little details like art pieces are what bring personalty to a room and make it feel complete. Sometimes, it seems like I’m so busy battling piles of laundry and other basic necessities, that I will never get around to all these little details, but I’m always rewarded when I do! I finally put up the travel art for the boys’ room.

I decided to try making my own picture mattes by wrapping cardboard with fabric. You could do it with a large sheet of art or wrapping paper, too. One caveat is that cardboard can be acidic and could damage valuable art or photos, so this is not a project for your heirlooms. I turned the coated side of my cardboard towards the back, hoping that would protect the art a bit. This project turned out to be pretty easy, and I like how it looks. I’m also glad, because I have some other plans for this fabric in the room, and now it will all coordinate!

DIY fabric-covered picture mattes with tutorial. Jewels at Home.

Materials:

  • light or medium weight cardboard, like cereal boxes or toy boxes. I think regular corrugated cardboard would be too thick and bumpy.
  • fabric or paper to cover your board
  • glue (glue stick and tacky or white glue) and scissors

Instructions:

  • Cut the cardboard to the size of your frame’s glass, and cut an inner shape to fit your art – you don’t have to do a simple rectangle or square; how about an oval? You also don’t have to center your opening; western-style mattes look great when the bottom area is slightly taller than the top, grounding your piece. Asian art is often centered with the top area slightly taller, representing the sky. (top left picture below)
  • Cut a piece of fabric about an inch wider than your cardboard in all directions. Use the glue stick lightly on the front to stick the cardboard onto the fabric. Instead of glue, you could also use Heat’n Bond Ultra Hold Iron-On Adhesive (top right picture below)
  • Fold the fabric around the cardboard, and use the white or tacky glue to hold it in place, clipping the corners. Do the outside first, and then the center. (bottom left picture below)
  • Ta-da! (bottom right picture below)
DIY fabric-covered picture mattes with tutorial. Jewels at Home.

Step-by-step tutorial for fabric-covered picture mattes.

Here are the art posters up on the wall in the big boys’ room.

DIY fabric-covered picture mattes with tutorial. Jewels at Home.

Kids' gallery wall with DIY initials and frames with clips to change art easily. {Jewels at Home}

Kids' gallery wall with DIY initials and frames with clips to change art easily. {Jewels at Home}

And here are the newly framed pictures next to the DIY cardboard initials I made. This display wall is slowly coming together – I’ve got one more project planned!

Now, hopefully this motivation will carry over to my own bedroom gallery wall!

“Jewels”

Kids’ Reading Nook and Clubhouse

Posted on by

6

When we installed the Ikea Pax built-in closets, it created an alcove in the corner our boys’ room.  Some day, I think this might make a good place for a desk, but for now, it makes a cozy hideout for reading, games, and “K+L+J” club meetings.  This is an easy project, with a fun twist with its starry ceiling.

Materials:

  • 2 tension-mounted shower curtain rods
  • Tab-top curtain panels
  • String lights
  • Large floor cushions – we were lucky to inherit this great beanbag chair, part of our friend Victor’s bachelor decor that he had to part with when he moved in with Nicola 🙂
Great kids' reading nook with starry ceiling. Jewels at Home.

Great kids’ reading nook with starry ceiling.

Great kids' reading nook with starry ceiling. Jewels at Home.

To close off the alcove, I mounted one tension rod at the front, holding the curtain panels, and the other at the very back of the alcove.  For the starry ceiling, I wrapped the lights around the two rods, weaving between the curtain tabs.

Easy starry ceiling for a cozy reading nook. Jewels at Home.

Easy starry ceiling for a cozy reading nook.

I’d like to add a few more things to the walls of the alcove, but for now, there’s a world map that fits with the other travel-themed decor in the room.  It looks like the boys are having a good time in their new space already!

Create a cozy kids' hangout with just a few simple materials. Jewels at Home.

Create a cozy kids' hangout with just a few simple materials. Jewels at Home.“Jewels”

 

Firefighter Birthday Party

Posted on by

3

“Baby” J is hardly a baby anymore. He’s 2! Yes, I am sad. But,whenever I think this idea through, whether it be about my kids progressing too fast through childhood or myself approaching middle age, the conclusion always seems to be that I am grateful that we have the chance to grow up or grow old. And of course, we are all only growing older, so I try not to let the sadness about the passing of each stage overshadow my enjoyment of it.

Now, enough philosophizing and onto the fun! J is in that stage of a young boy’s development that centers around all things with wheels, engines, and in the best cases, both. When I told Steve I wanted to throw J a firefighter birthday, in honor of his favorite vehicle, a firetruck, he commented that it was certainly a better idea than celebrating J’s second favorite, which is a garbage truck. True.

Invitations

I found these cute “Red Fire Truck” invitations on Shutterfly, which worked our perfectly for our party.

Red Firetruck birthday invitation from Shutterfly. Perfect for a little boy's party!

Red Firetruck birthday invitation from Shutterfly. Perfect for a little boy’s party!

I also printed up this little note. As I mentioned, I like to try alternatives to birthday gifts to teach the children about giving and reduce clutter at home.  At J’s party we raised $80 for the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. My colleagues and I have seen several firefighters at the Cancer Center where we work. These women and men are exposed to many dangerous substances in their work protecting others, and they often do not get all the financial support and services they need to address the risk of cancer, so this organization is a good way to fill that gap.

Instead of birthday gifts, collect donations for a meaningful charity. From Jewels at Home.

Instead of birthday gifts, collect donations for a meaningful charity.

Decorations

We dressed up the house with red and white balloons and these birthday banners I customized.

Customized firefighter birthday banner. Jewels at Home.

Customized firefighter birthday banner.

Customized firefighter birthday banner. Jewels at Home.

Another customized firefighter birthday banner.

For the children to play, we had the play firehouse I made, as well as a pop-up firetruck made by Playhut. I found the best price on eBay.

Firefighter birthday with DIY playhouse and pop up firetruck. Jewels at Home.

Firefighter birthday with DIY playhouse and pop up firetruck.

Sticking with my pledge to reduce plastic trinkets from birthday parties, I chose to buy real cotton baseball caps and add these firefighter badge stickers, rather than buy plastic hats that will break in a few days. The cotton hats were reasonably priced when bought in bulk, are very good quality, and blank, so they can be reused for any occasion. I wrote each child’s name inside with white puffy paint.

Firefighter birthday. Buy cotton caps in bulk and add a sticker for a reusable and durable party favor. Jewels at Home.

Buy cotton caps in bulk and add a sticker for a reusable and durable party favor.

Games

In case you are looking for game ideas for a firefighter birthday, I’ll include mine below, but I’ll also disclose that we didn’t end up playing most of them.  The kids were all so absorbed with each other and our toys that I didn’t manage to rally everyone in one place at one time for games…

These were inspired by some fire safety stickers I found. I wanted each child to get a sticker for completing an activity. I tried to make them things that kids from two to nine could all enjoy.

Dial 9-1-1

  • Lesson: Ask kids if they know the number to dial if there they need the police, ambulance or firefighters. Remind them that they should not call 9-1-1 for fun. It is only for a serious emergency.
  • Activity: Kids hop on a hopscotch pattern with the numbers 9, 1, and 1

Bee smart. Don’t let fires start & Fire safety starts with me

  • Lesson: Be aware of items that could be a dangerous and start a fire. Remind kids to stay away from these items.
  • Activity: Ask each child to name two things in a house that could start a fire. For the younger kids, name a few items and ask them to say if they could start a fire, eg. stove (yes), candles (yes), shoe (no!)

When fire strikes, Get out and stay out & Crawl low in smoke

  • Lesson: If there is a fire, get out of the building as quickly as possible. Do not hide inside. If there is a lot of smoke, crawl on the ground, where there it’s less smoky.
  • Activity: Make an obstacle course (ours started in a playhouse) that includes a crawling segment. To make it fun for the older kids, you can time them.

Happy Birthday, dear JJ!

I can’t take credit for the cake – we bought it – but I will take credit for eating several slices.

Firetruck birthday cake.

Firetruck birthday cake.

Birthday boy and his brother enjoying cake and their new firefighter caps.

Birthday boy and his brother enjoying cake and their new firefighter caps.

In the end, I think it was a fun birthday for baby J and his friends.  The occasion was made extra special, because Nicola came with her new baby (remember the bib and onesie bouquet I made?).  We are looking forward to many more family celebrations with them.

“Jewels”

 

 

Fire Station Play House

Posted on by

1

We are having a firefighter birthday for our youngest, and as part of the surprises and decorations for that day, I wanted to make him a fire station play house. I started by making a cardboard house that can be folded flat for storage and transportation. Then came the fun part of adding the fire station details – actually, making the house was pretty cool, too!

First, I painted the sides of the house grey, to match the duct tape. I had grey paint left over from painting the mid-century nightstand for our boys, and it matched well. For the roof, I picked up a deep red on sale at our local hardware store.

The details on the house were simple:

  • a few painted bricks to give the impression of a brick building
  • a fire hydrant painted on the side
  • a sign printed using Microsoft Word. The font is Castellan.
DIY fire station playhouse - it's foldable for storage! Jewels at Home.

DIY fire station playhouse – it’s foldable for storage!

For the opening, I sewed two simple white cotton panels with velcro along the top and painted a fire engine. To draw the engine, I sketched half the truck on one panel and then used Sharpie marker to outline the drawing, and the marker went through to the second panel, so I got a symmetrical picture. I painted the design with acrylic craft paint and heat set it with an iron. The velcro is glued to the inside of the house with tacky glue. When the curtains are closed, it looks like the engine is inside, waiting for action!

DIY cardboard fire station play house. Jewels at Home.

Curtains for DIY cardboard fire station play house. Draw your design on one panel using Sharpie marker, and the picture will transfer to the other panel in reverse.

As a finishing touch inside the fire house, I “hung” these charming firefighter scenes that J’s brother drew for him.

DIY cardboard fire station play house. Jewels at Home.

I meant to keep the house as a surprise for J’s actual birthday, but it isn’t that easy to hide a giant play house, so the boys are already having fun with it!

DIY cardboard fire station play house - it can be folded flat for storage. Jewels at Home.

DIY cardboard fire station play house - it can be folded flat for storage. Jewels at Home.

DIY cardboard fire station play house - it can be folded flat for storage. Jewels at Home.

Many happy returns, baby J!

“Jewels”

Retro Travel Art and Accessories for Kids’ Rooms

Posted on by

4

Every time I walk into Lavish in Hayes Valley, I find a great piece of wrapping paper to use for a new project. At just $4 a sheet, these provide a lot of creative bang for the buck. First, there was the graphic red print I used to line J’s nursery bookcase. Next, I found a sweet hydrangea paper for my craft studio. Most recently, I was inspired by this retro air travel print from Cavallini & Co..

Retro air travel paper from Cavallini a& Co.

Retro air travel paper from Cavallini a& Co.

I didn’t originally plan a themed bedroom for our older boys, and I still want to keep it pretty neutral. The travel theme evolved first from these beautiful retro-style city posters by Karen Young of Loose Petals.

Retro-style city art prints by Karen Young of Loose Petals.

Retro-style city art prints by Karen Young of Loose Petals.

When I saw the wrapping paper, I knew it would tie in perfectly. I framed a section of paper as art – easy! – and then used more for DIY pencil tins and magnets for our DIY racing stripe magnet boards.

Upcycled DIY pencil tins with cool retro air travel paper. From Jewels at Home.

Upcycled DIY pencil tins with cool retro air travel paper.

Upcycle advertising magnets with some fun paper. Jewels at Home.

Upcycle advertising magnets with some fun paper. Jewels at Home.

Here are those new items pictured in the boys’ room.

DIY upcycled pencil tins with a cool retro air travel paper. Jewels at Home.

DIY upcycled magents with a cool retro air travel paper. Jewels at Home.

DIY upcycled magents with a cool retro air travel paper. Jewels at Home.

 

Kids' gallery wall with retro travel art, DIY wall initials and DIY frames with clips to change art. Click for details and tutorials. {Jewels at Home}

Kids' gallery wall with retro travel art, DIY wall initials and DIY frames with clips to change art. Click for details and tutorials. {Jewels at Home}

And here’s a summary of the fun projects I did with this new paper: pencil tins, magnets, and framed art:

Ideas for fun wrapping paper projects: DIY pencil tins, magnets, and framed art. Jewels at Home.

There’s still plenty of paper leftover. I’m thinking it would be perfect for luggage tags!

Yay! I’m excited to see the boys’ room slowly coming together!

“Jewels”

Chimchar and Monferno Pokemon Halloween Costumes

Posted on by

5

Halloween is not a major holiday at our house (when did it become a major holiday at all?), but of course, it’s fun to see the kids dressed up. I don’t make elaborate costumes every year, but there are a few I look back on with pride, including the fall the big boys wanted to be the Pokemon Chimchar and Monferno.  I lucked out finding good quality plain monkey costumes at Old Navy. They were fleece, so I bought fleece fabric to add the embellishments.

First, an overview of how the costumes turned out, next to the original characters.  Directly below is Chimchar and below him is Monferno.

Chimchar Pokemon costume. From Jewels at Home.

Chimchar Pokemon costume.

Monferno Pokemon costume. From Jewels at Home.

Monferno Pokemon costume.

Pretty good likeness, right?

And here’s a breakdown of how I altered the monkey costumes to make the Pokemon.  For Chimchar, I

  • removed the tail completely.
  • sewed the tip of the tail to the top of his head, to make his little cowlick.
  • used brown embroidery floss to embroider the curl on his chest.
  • made a large flame for the tail using yellow and red fleece, stuffed it and sewed it in place.
Chimchar Pokemon costume for Halloween. From Jewels at Home.

Details on a Chimchar Pokemon costume for Halloween.

For Monfernon, I

  • sewed a white collar out of two layers of white fleece and sewed it in place.
  • cut blue and red fleece for the face mask and sewed these in place with embroidery floss.
  • cut small white teeth and sewed these in place.
  • cut yellow bands and sewed these on the arms.
  • used brown embroidery floss to sew the curl on the chest.
  • cut off all but the base of the tail.
  • sewed a yellow and red flame tail with a layer of batting in the center and attached it to the base of the tail.
Monferno Pokemon costume for Halloween. From Jewels at Home.

Details on a Monferno Pokemon costume for Halloween.

Since I was on a roll, I also made these pokeball bags out of felt and ribbon for the boys to go trick-or-treating.

Pokemon pokeball bags for treats. From Jewels at Home.

Pokemon pokeball bags for treats.

Steve and I dressed up as Ash and Misty, the Pokemon trainers.  I made this little Togepi Pokemon to carry around.

Togepi Pokemon doll. From Jewels at Home.

Togepi Pokemon doll.

I don’t have detailed instructions here, but if you have any questions, please let me know.  I’d love to help you make your little Pokemon fans as happy as these guys!

Pokemon Chimchar and Monferno Halloween Costumes. Jewels at Home.

Pokemon Chimchar and Monferno go trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Pokemon Chimchar and Monferno Halloween Costumes. Jewels at Home.

Hope your October is full of treats!

“Jewels”

Folding Cardboard Play House

Posted on by

4

The kids love a playhouse, and so do I! I don’t like to perpetuate gender stereotypes, but there are some of the boys’ games that I simply can’t get excited about, so I’m glad we can all agree that play houses and play kitchens are great fun.

When I saw this collapsible playhouse by Jennifer Kirk at She Knows Parenting I was in love with the idea and just waiting for a way to use it. With baby J’s birthday coming up, I decided to make him a play fire station. The folding house was a perfect foundation for a fire station. I used the concept from She Knows Parenting but built my house differently, so here’s the tutorial.

I started with two big and sturdy boxes I had saved from some living room chairs I bought. I had deemed them TGTR (Too Good To Recycle) and they were taking up a lot of space, so this was a perfect use. They are very similar to the “dish pack” boxes used for moving, if you want to try to recreate this project more exactly.

Materials
Besides the boxes, you’ll also need

  • duct tape. I used two complete rolls.
  • box cutter or craft knife
  • long straight edge ruler or other tool
  • glue. I used tacky glue.
  • scissors are also handy for cleaning up the edges

Building Tutorial
Here’s a sketch of the basic design. You can assemble it in more than one way, depending on what pieces you have. As a general tip, I think the house will fold more smoothly of you leave a gap between the panels you tape together, so the joints have more flexibility.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. From Jewels at Home.

“Plans” for a DIY folding cardboard house.

Since I had already broken down my boxes, I started with two pieces with two panels each. You could use a single whole box, opened flat. The two center panels will be the front of the house, and the side panels will form the side walls of the house. (shown below, top left)

Since the floor only connects to the sides of the house, I cut the bottom panels off the center panels. (shown below, top right)

I then taped together the center seam. This isn’t necessary if you are using a single piece, though you might still want to reinforce the seam. (shown below, bottom left)

For the front of the house, I cut a peaked roof and an opening for the door. My door is wide, because I am going to make it a fire station, but you could do a smaller and maybe add some small windows for a regular house. (shown below, bottom right)

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. From Jewels at Home.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. Forming the walls.

Next, I made jointed panels for the floor and roof. I spread glue on the bottom flaps of the house and attached the floor. I put some heavy objects on the floor of the house to make sure it was glued securely. After the glue dried, I reinforced the joints with tape. (shown below, left)

I attached the roof by spreading glue on the top flaps of the sides of the house and clamping the roof in place with binder clips, while the glue dried. (shown below, right)

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. From Jewels at Home.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. Adding the floor and roof.

I finished the house by gluing some cardboard to reinforce the front of the house above the door and then taping all the joints and raw edges.

Here are some pictures of the finished house. My floor doesn’t fold upwards very smoothly, and I didn’t want to force it, so it’s quite large when folded, but it is completely flat. I think it would fold more compactly if I had left bigger gaps between the pieces of cardboard, but then again, that could make the house less stable. Overall, it works well.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. From Jewels at Home.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. Front view.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. From Jewels at Home.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. Inside view.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. From Jewels at Home.

DIY folding cardboard house tutorial. Tada!

The next step is decorating the house to look like a fire station. I hope I can pull it off this week!

“Jewels”