Folded Paper Houses
Difficulty: Very Easy
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Folded paper houses are cute and easy decorations for on the mantelpiece or under the tree. They make a nice Christmas time diorama, but are also fun to make year 'round.
What you'll need:
- Printed paper patterns (below)
- Tape or glue - thick craft glue will work the best
- Crayons or markers to decorate the house
- Construction paper, pipe cleaners, cotton, anything to decorate house, optional
How to make it:
Before you start- Find a place to work.
- Gather all your materials.
- Read all the directions.
Read all the directions before starting. If you feel unsure about how this all goes together, print an extra one and just cut it out and put it together before working on the decorated house.
Step 1 - Print PatternsChoose the decoration you want to make. Download and print the pattern(s).
Mac Owners should download the PICT files, which they can print with "Simpletext" or "Teachtext" (or some graphic programs). When printing to a laserwriter, Mac owners will need to use Page Setup and hit Options and select Larger Print Area, and then print the pattern.
The patterns can be printed on thick paper or cardstock - or made with computer paper. You can also take your printouts to a copy shop to have them duplicated on heavy paper, if your printer cannot print on heavy paper. The roof patterns can simply be traced and cut out of construction paper. You can also print the houses scaled to slightly different sizes for even more variety.
Step 2 - Color/Decorate
Decorate your house. When coloring the back of the house, turn the paper around, so that you are drawing the back 'right side up'. The houses can have all sorts of details - different style windows, shutters, bushes, flowers, flower boxes, or holiday decorations. A green pipe cleaner will make a nice wreath. Faces can be drawn in the windows. If you're making a store, draw large display windows and be sure to put a sign on the store showing what it is selling. You can also use stickers, photographs, or magazine cutouts to decorate your house.
You should do most of the decorating at this point, but 3-D decorations that might get in the way of folding the house might be better glued on after the house is assembled.
Step 3 - Cut
Cut out the patterns along all the outside lines. The house pattern has one line marked (between the tabs on the side of house and inner roof) that will also need to be cut.
Step 4 - Crease and then Glue Fold the house on all the lines. Make the folds sharp. All the folds go in the same direction, and, in the end, all the folds are 90 degree angle folds. The house should begin to take shape as you do the folding. First glue the tabs that attach the inner roof and back of the hou
se to the sides. Then put glue on the roof tabs, and glue the roof to the house. Then glue the little tab on the chimney, making it shaped like a box. There should be two tabs on the slanted lines that fold under/inwards - those will attach the chimney to the roof, and will be hidden inside the chimney when it is attached to the roof. Just put glue on the underside of the tabs and gently press it on the roof.
If you put a chimney on your house, a cotton ball can make some nice smoke. A green pipecleaner will make a nice wreath. Rolled up paper can make logs and turn your house into a 'log cabin'. Your imagination is the limit.
You're Done!
Enjoy your new house or store. You may want to write your name and the date on the inside. You can make an entire village of the houses for play or decoration.
Tips:
As a Christmas village, you can even cut out windows or doors and put colored cellophane or tissue paper in the windows (attach from the back/inside). You can tape some small Christmas lights onto cardboard, covering with a blanket of fiberfill "snow" (available from sewing stores), and put a building or cone tree over the lights. Here is a simple cone ornament pattern you can try for making a tree.
