MINIATURE BEDROOM

Materials Needed

Large shoebox or gift box Small boxes Paper cups Plastic bottle caps Craft foam Gift wrap paper or textured paper Construction paper Self-hardening clay Pipe cleaner Sequins Acrylic paint Poster paint Paint brushes Palette White glue Craft punches (optional)

Safety Guidelines

• Always let your child use child-safe scissors.
• Small decorative objects like beads and sequins may pose as choking hazard. Not recommeded for children below the age of three.

Steps

	1.	Look for a large shoe box or gift box to turn into your miniature bedroom. Scout around for smaller boxes for the furniture as well. You may need to trim off parts of these small boxes to obtain the desired size (Check out the toothpaste box that I cut to make a bedside table). Glue any open flaps on these small boxes.
	2.	You have the option of creating specialized box furniture by cutting and gluing box parts together such as this book shelf.
	3.	Prime the walls of the big box with white acrylic paint. Parts of the box that are white and unprinted need not be primed (like the interior walls of this shoe box). Prime the smaller boxes too, with the bed as an exception. Let the paint dry completely.
	4.	Think of a color scheme for your bedroom. Once the primer is dry, paint the interior walls, as well as the exterior walls of the box with your desired color of poster paint.
	5.	Cut craft foam or gift wrap paper to cover the bottom of the box. Glue the edges in place.
	6.	Paint the smaller boxes that you primed to make them look more like bedroom furniture. Paint on doors for the closet and drawers for the bedside table.
	7.	To make the bed, cut the head board and foot board from construction paper. Glue them on either side of the box bed.
	8.	Cut a piece of textured paper or gift wrap paper to cover the bed. Apply glue on the entire surface of the paper.
	9.	Glue the paper onto the box.
	10.	Cut another piece of colored paper and glue this as the blanket or comforter.
	11.	If you have craft punches, punch out some designs on the bed's head board and foot board.
	12.	Make a pillow by cutting a rectangular piece of craft foam. Apply glue on its surface and roll into a pillow shape.
	13.	Glue the pillow on the bed.
	14.	Glue the furniture in place inside the box bedroom.
	15.	Create small details using materials like self-hardening clay, paper, pipe cleaner, or sequins. Self-hardening clay is a very versatile material and can be used to mold an infinite number of decor. I've made a teddy bear, a basketball, and a pair of slippers. The potted plant was made using a soda bottle cap for the pot, clay for the soil, and green construction paper for the leaves.
	16.	Construction paper was used to make a mini picture frame as well as these tiny books. The flower vase consists of a large bead for the vase, green pipe cleaner for the stems, and sequins for the flowers.
	17.	Be creative and decorate your bedroom with miniature objects. When you're finished, arrange and glue the objects in place around the bedroom.