DIY Scrapbook Paper Doll House

INSIDE : Learn how to make a beautiful DIY scrapbook paper doll house using paper mache chipboard! This step-by-step tutorial includes clever template tips and two different design styles perfect for all kid’s styles.

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This post has been updated since it’s original publish date of January 2014.

There is something about creating doll houses that is the very most fun. There is a huge trend now of taking thrifted or old wooden doll houses and updating them to have more current, but miniature furniture, cool looking rugs and modern day MCM stylings.

I just love it, but I’m honestly not that dedicated to doll houses because what do you do with them when you are done “decorating” it? It just sits in a corner… a very large corner of your actual home.

So, I decided that crafting an adorable paper mache chipboard house would be much more up my alley and space wise very doable!

Since I have a boy and a girl, I decided to make one for each and they loved them. Let’s get into the supplies needed to make these customized miniature chipboard houses.

Chipboard paper house craft supply list

• Paper Mache Chipboard House (these are also cute)
• Scrapbook paper (this, this, this)
• Mod Podge glue + brush
• Scissors
• Xacto Knife
• Pencil
• White plain paper

Covering a craft house with scrapbook paper

Step 1 Make a paper template

The first step is a bit tedious, but is a great tip for not wasting scrapbook paper and getting that perfect look.  

All areas of the doll house that will be covered with scrapbook paper, should be slowly measured and then replicated in regular plain white paper.  

I started with the roofline, as it is the most difficult part of this project.  I used a plain sheet of paper to trace and cut as a template.  This helps make sure your scrapbook paper is saved and any slight adjustments can be made on the plain paper.

Plus, instead of trying to do one solid piece of paper for all the bends and curves of the roofline for example, you can break each of those shapes into separate pieces of paper. Treat all flat surfaces this way also.

Step 2 Trace white paper onto scrapbook paper

After you have all the white paper cut out, you then can trace the white paper onto your fun scrapbook paper.  

I used an Xacto knife and sharp scissors to get all the little windows and doors cut perfectly.

Step 3 Apply glue and adhere

Then, I applied one thin layer of Mod Podge on the doll house and then a thin layer on the backside of my scrapbook paper.  This makes the paper adhere perfectly to the house.

Phew.  That roofline was a challenging one, but look how great it turned out on both sets of houses I was working on.

My son’s house…

My daughter’s house…

Whimsical Craft Dollhouse

Once you get the hang of the process, you simply keep repeating the same steps. Trace out the shape of each wall on a piece of plain paper, cut out all windows or doors and then trace that onto your scrapbook paper.

Piece by piece, mod podge the walls onto the chipboard paper mache house and all it to fully dry.

The end result is this adorable whimsical little doll house for my daughter! I was so pleasantly surprised with how well this turned out.

I don’t think I could love the mismatched scrapbook paper walls any more. You could always do a more cohesive look with the same papers, but I found doing a different color/style to be fun and unexpected.

Neutral Scrapbook Paper house

Here is how my son’s cool dude paper house turned out! I still used fun colors, but leaned a bit more towards a boy’s color palette.

And for both of these crafted homes, the roof comes right off – so they can fill the house with stuffies, little action figures or even craft their own furniture to put inside!

And when they aren’t playing with their crafted houses, they look cute enough to sit out on a shelf!

I have a feeling these budget friendly projects will becoming keepsake items that we can hold onto for childhood memories for years to come!

Looking for more creative craft project ideas? Check out these below…