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How to Build a Life-Sized Gingerbread Playhouse
The only thing better than crafting a gingerbread house with your kids is building a gingerbread house for your kids.
Give your little ones the perfect holiday getaway with a life-sized cardboard gingerbread house. This easy DIY is the perfect afternoon activity to keep them occupied when it’s too cold to go outside and play. Best of all, cleanup is easy, and you won’t end up with icing all over your hands (or your house).
Materials Needed
- (2) large cardboard boxes
- pencil
- scissors
- straight edge
- box tape
- festive duct tape
- hot glue gun + sticks
- felt icicles
- craft snow blanket
- paper plates
- red acrylic paint
- paint brush
- glitter card stock
- red pool noodle
- green pool noodle
Create the Gingery Frame
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Start by finding two large boxes of the same size. Break one box down and use scissors to cut off one of the sides. You should now have a three-sided box. Use a straight edge and a pencil to trace a triangle on the top flap of the center section of the box. Cut it out with scissors and set the piece aside for later use. Next, tape the bottom flaps together to create one solid piece. Repeat these steps on the second box. Once the second box has been modified, use a straight edge to trace a door on one of the flaps and cut it out with scissors. Use the same procedure on the other box to cut out a window.
Assemble the House
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
To form the house, attach the two boxes together by taping at the edge of the door. We used red duct tape and continued the tape all the way around the door as well as the window for a finished look. Add extra reinforcement by taping the inside of the seam as well. Follow the same steps to attach the seam on the backside of the house. Fold the upper flaps in and tape the seams where they meet the triangles.
Fashion the Festive Roof
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
To create a roof, tape together the excess box pieces that you cut off and lay the joined piece on top of the house. Use hot glue to attach felt icicles along the front and back of the roof and cover the remainder of the roof with a craft snow blanket. Cut a green pool noodle to the length of the roof and accent with a swirly candy cane stripe made with red duct tape. Secure the pool noodle to the peak of the roof using hot glue.
Add Delicious Decor
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Jalynn Baker
Now it’s time to decorate! To create the look of peppermints, paint white paper plates with red swirls and attach to the house using hot glue. Get the sugary gumdrop look by cutting shapes out of glittery card stock and attaching to the house with hot glue. Use the remaining felt icicles to accent the bottom of the window and finish off the house by attaching candy cane pool noodle posts on each of the front corners. Now, it’s time to let your little one turn this gingerbread house into a gingerbread home.
Jalynn Baker
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