dollhouse diy: stack of letters

For Marlow Autumn's Christmas gift this year we bought a dollhouse. I never outgrew my own longing to one day own one myself, and this was the year we decided she would enjoy one. In an effort to live vicariously through her, I am trying my hand at some miniature items which can be easily made at home to kit it out for an added personal touch from her mama. I will endeavour to share a tutorial for each as I create them.

What you need

white or ivory card

small scissors or a scalpel type blade for cutting paper (i use the ‘excel’ k1 kraft and hobby knife; the ‘excel’ brand is available in the uk via etsy)

if you use a scalpel you may want a board to cut on and protect your table (i use this one)

wax and a match for the seal at the back (optional)

glue

fine twine to bind your letters in a stack (and scissors to cut)

red paint

a wooden skewer

a fine ballpoint pen (i use the 0.1mm ‘uni pin’ fine liner; available here)

paper template

What to do

1. Cut your template either using scissors or the hobby knife.

2. I gently pressed along the lines (prior to creasing) where I wanted the card to bend (so as to prevent it creasing in the wrong direction as you fold). Be careful not to press too hard as you don't want to cut through the card completely, just weaken it slightly.

3. Glue down the sides first and then the bottom and top flaps. I found it easier to glue the entire back of the template cut out first, rather than glueing each flap individually.

4. Using the end of a wooden skewer, dip into the top of the red paint and carefully paint a small circular dot in what will be the top right corner of the front of your envelope (to create a miniature stamp).

5. On the front of your envelope using a fine liner and a steady hand, pen on some wiggles for the address and postage stamp.

6. If you want, you can melt a single drop of wax onto the back of your card. Bear in mind though that the wax blob will prevent them from stacking tidily.

7. Then simply stack a few letters together and bind them up as you would a real parcel with a small length of twine.