Make a felt and cardboard gingerbread house

Today's craft was inspired by gingerbread houses.  It's a little cardboard and felt "gingerbread" house with felt "candy" decorations. Pretty neat, right? All the decorations can be easily placed on and taken of, so you can decorate and re-decorate to your heart's content.

DIY Felt and Cardboard Gingerbread House Toy

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If you'd like to make your own, keep on reading!

Materials to Make Your own Felt and Cardboard Gingerbread Houses

• Template (see below)
• Scissors (Fabric and normal)
• Exacto knife
• Cardboard
• Cutting Mat
• Pen
• Hot Glue Gun
• Felt(assorted colors)
• Duct Tape
• Optional:  Velcro Dots*

*Note about velcro:  The felt pieces will stick onto the house.  But, I noticed that the smaller gum drop pieces fall off easily.  If you want a sturdier hold, you could always add velcro bits to the house and to the backs of your decorative pieces.

Felt and Cardboard Gingerbread House Template

 

Let's make some Gingerbread Houses!

1.  Cut out the template pieces. Keep the house pieces out and save the decorative pieces for later.

2.  Trace the house template pieces onto cardboard.  Cut them out.

3.  Now let's wrap your pieces with brown felt!  Take one of your cardboard pieces and glue it onto the brown felt.  Then, trim the felt around your piece, leaving an outline of felt.  Then, fold the felt pieces over and hot glue them onto the back of your cardboard piece.  (Note:  I thought I was being clever by cutting out little tab shapes, but I found that my cardboard corners poked out in the finished product.  I didn't mind too much, but if you want your corners completely covered, don't do what I did!)

4.  Repeat the same process for all the pieces.  (Note:  The roof pieces hang over the edge of the house, so cover both sides with felt.  This way the cardboard underside won't show.)

5.  Now let's build the house!  Hot glue two side pieces to the back of a front piece.  Use duct tape to secure the pieces.  Then, glue your back piece to the two side pieces. 

Here's an upclose photo of what your house should look like now:

6.  Hot glue your two roof pieces on top.


7.  Pull out your decorative paper template pieces.  Trace them onto different colored felt.

Tada!  You're done.

Have fun decorating your house!  You can even add some fun pipe cleaner Christmas trees for more festive fun.

Happy crafting!