# DIY Themed Room Boxes
> Build a miniature room from cereal-box cardboard and craft-stash odds and ends: a painted wood floor, cork rug, bed with felt pillows, wire nightstand, bottle-cap swivel chair, design board and wall art. It is a low-cost first step into miniature crafts.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/diy-room-boxes-kids-can-make/
- Ages: 7+ · Difficulty: involved · Mess: medium
- Time: prep none, activity varies
- Works for: one-on-one, small group · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: fine-motor, measuring, design, creativity, recycling

## Materials (one batch)
- 3 piece Cereal boxes or other dry food boxes (cardboard) (household)
- 1 piece Corrugated cardboard (for the floor) (household)
- Craft paint (a hardwood color plus colors of your choice)
- Paintbrushes
- 1 piece Ruler (household)
- 1 piece Graphite pencil (household)
- 1 piece Scissors (household)
- 1 piece Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Cork sheets
- Felt cloth
- Cotton balls (household)
- 1 piece Eyeglass cleaner cloth (the slightly fluffy kind)
- Craft wire
- 1 piece Bottle cap (household)
- Paper and card stock
- 1 piece Mini dowel rods
- String (household)
- Mini clothespins
- Drawings or printouts (household)
- Mini sticky notes (optional)
- 1 piece Store-bought mini table (optional)
- 1 piece Mini plastic shot glass (optional)
- Fake plants (optional)
- Needle and thread (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of hot glue: Needle and thread (for the pillows only) (The author says to glue or sew the pillow sides.)

## Safety
- Hot glue is used throughout. An adult runs the glue gun or closely supervises, and kids keep fingers away from fresh glue, including the hot-glue-coated wire cup.
- Craft wire ends can be sharp. Bend or tuck the cut ends.
- Cutting cardboard and shortening table legs may need an adult with sharp scissors or a craft knife.
- Bottle caps, mini clothespins, cotton balls and other tiny parts are choking hazards. Keep them away from young siblings.

## Before you start
- Collect cereal boxes or other dry food boxes, bottle caps and other recyclables.
- Print or draw small pictures for the design board, the picture hanger and the wall frames.

## Steps
1. Measure three cardboard pieces so they fit together as 1 base and 2 walls touching each other, then glue them together.
2. Paint a piece of corrugated cardboard a hardwood color for the floor. Once it's dry, draw staggered plank lines about 1 inch apart and lightly scribble with a pencil to mimic wood texture.
3. Cut a square of cork for the rug.
4. Make the bed: build a rectangular prism, add a cardboard headboard, make felt pillows stuffed with cotton balls, and use an eyeglass cloth as the sheet.
5. Make a nightstand from a painted cardboard circle with bent wire legs. Twist wire into a spiral and coat it with hot glue for a cup.
6. Make a swivel chair: cover a bottle cap with paper, wrap card stock around half of it, glue on a dowel and add a small paper circle at the bottom.
7. Attach drawings or printouts and mini sticky notes to a small piece of cork for a design board.
8. Glue a length of string from the corner to the wall and hang pictures on it with mini clothespins.
9. Frame printed pictures with cardboard, and bend craft wire into a simple shape like a cat for wall decor.
10. Cover a mini plastic shot glass with paper and insert fake plants for a potted plant.

## Tips
- If you or the littles are just starting out, this is a great low-cost first step to see if miniatures are something you enjoy.
- Raid the recyclables stash: we always have cereal boxes or other dry food boxes, bottle caps and paper clips.
- Add the cup's wire handle when the glue is partially dry.
- For wire wall decor, keep the shape simple, like a cat or dog outline. Don't add too many details.
- There are so many other ways to customize this project based on your interests.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2020)

Recycled Crafts: DIY Themed Room Boxes kids can make If you are a lover of recycled crafts, miniature crafts or anything miniature this is an activity for you. There are so many [**mini model houses,**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079HWXTV7/?tag=blmemo-20) rooms etc you can put together as a wonderful stress relieving hobby. However if you or the littles are just starting out, this activity will be a great low cost first step to see if this activity is something you enjoy. Besides, there is always a thrill of a good DIY of a store brought project that makes you start thinking of creative ways to get the same result. Here are some supplies we used from our recyclables stash. We always have cereal boxes or any dry food boxes, bottle caps, paper clips etc. We also have a basic craft stash that we have built over the years. Hot glue, paper clips, [**cork sheets**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004J2HR4M/?tag=blmemo-20), [**felt cloth**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IQMOO3M/?tag=blmemo-20), craft sticks, [**mini dowel rods**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00756K6N8/?tag=blmemo-20) are a part of it. Process Walls- Take three cardboard pieces and measure them so they fit together with 1 base and 2 walls touching each other.



Floor- Take a piece of corrugated cardboard and paint it the color of your choice. (Choose a hardwood color) Use a ruler and make lines about 1 inch apart. Draw a line across 1 section and skip the next. Draw it on the 3rd section and so on. Then, on the sections you skipped, draw another line, about 2 inches lower, now skipping the sections you first drew lines on. Continue this down all the way. Lightly scribble with a graphite pencil on the floor to mimic the wood texture.



Rug- Just a regular piece of cork cut into a square. Bed- Make a rectangular prism shape. Add a headboard made of cardboard. Pillows- Take felt and fold in half. Glue or sew 2 of the 3 sides shut. Fill the opening with cotton balls. Glue/sew the final side closed. Sheet- An eyeglass cleaner cloth- the slightly fluffy kind.



Night Stand- Cut out a circle from cardboard and paint it. Bend craft wires for the legs. Cup- Twist wire into a spiral and coat with hot glue to get the desired shape. Add a handle made of wire when the glue is partially dry.



Table- A store bought mini table, with the legs shortened. Swivel Chair- Cover a bottle cap with paper and cut out a rectangle of card stock. Wrap around half of the cap and hot glue into place. Take a dowel and glue to the bottom. Add a small paper circle to the bottom.



Design board/vision board- Cut out a small piece of cork and attach drawings/printouts of your choice. Add mini sticky notes!



Picture hanger- Glue a length of string into the corner and glue the end to the wall at a length you like. Attach mini clothespins and hang pictures on them.



Wall Pictures- Cut out a frame from cardboard and attach a printed picture to the back. Wire wall decor- Bend crafting wire into a simple shape, such as a cat or dog outline. Don't add too many details.



Potted Plant- Take a mini plastic shot glass and cover with paper. Insert fake plants. and then you are done. But there are so many other ways to customize this project based on your interests. Pin this



**Thanks for reading!**

**Want more art projects?**