We already know that there's something universally appealing about miniatures. There's also something deeply satisfying about creating something with your own hands, and twice as satisfying if you're making it out of something that would have otherwise gone in the trash.
And if you like all those things, you're in luck: This adorable project embraces all three!
An artist, mom, and Facebook personality who goes by Creative Mom recently turned some old plastic bottles into a cute little decorative item that looks like a miniature manor house.
While it's not a dollhouse in that it doesn't have interior access, it's just as cute… and it's made with surprisingly simple materials. Just like the dollhouse created using nothing but an old cardboard box, it's also a great way to turn recyclables into something unexpected.
To create her fairy house, as she calls it, Creative Mom used plastic bottles in varying sizes, craft foam, sand, and a lot of glue. And while it looks like something you might find at a gardening supply store or a craft fair, it's actually quite effortless to make!
And luckily for you, Creative Mom was also kind enough to show us how she did it.
[H/T: BoredPanda, Instructables]
First, she gathered up some old plastic bottles. The shapes and sizes varied, which would give the house a unique, old-fashioned look later on. She also made sure the bottles were clean and dry.
The bottles were joined together by slicing off portions to make them fit snugly, then hot-glued together.
At this point, she also sketched on the placement of windows and doors with a marker for reference.
Once the unit was dry, a layer of wood glue and paper towel was applied. This would smooth out the jointed areas, as well as the plastic texture of the bottles and make it look more like a house and less like a pile of bottles!
To create architectural features, she cut out and glued on craft foam. This gave the house windows, doors, and moldings.
It's starting to come together!
To create more texture on the surface, the whole thing was coated with a mixture of wood glue and sand. This would make it look even more realistic, and also provide some sturdiness.
With the glue-and-sand coating, it looks like real stone or cement. At this point, the screw-tops were also cut off to make room for more fitting roofs.
To make the roofs, more craft foam was used. It was simply cut into a circle, slit, and folded into a cone shape. These were then glued to the bottle tops.
More layers of craft foam were applied to the rooftops to create shingles.
Okay, so the color scheme is a bit strange, but it's nothing a good coat of paint (or several) can't fix.
And that's exactly what happened. The multicolored foam and sand was all covered over with a sophisticated color palette.
And the result is pretty adorable.
You can see more of Creative Mom's crafts on her Facebook, and see them in action on her YouTube channel, too.
SHARE this creative idea with someone who loves turning something old into something new!
