DIY Recycled Cozy Cabin Craft Area

Since Christmas, I've had a large narrow box taking up space in the living room. It was the box from the bike I bought Gabby for Christmas and I knew I wanted to use the box for a DIY craft. For the last couple weeks, I've pondered what to do with the box as it got in the way while I walked through the living room.

Yesterday, school was out because of the storm and high winds. It wasn't a good day to go outside, so we needed something to do inside. I decided it was time to use the box, but was still unsure what to do with it. This project was slightly impromptu, and the ideas formed as I started creating it. I started with the idea of the table and fireplace, then the ideas began to flow. We ended up creating a cozy cabin space; one you might find in the forest. The bookshelf door also gives it a whimsical and curious quality that keeps Gabby entertained.

It's an interactive place for her to color and do crafts and I'm hoping to eventually add more elements to this project. Check out the materials and steps below:

Materials:

Large narrow bike box
Other flattened cardboard boxes (medium size)
4 Paper towel rolls
Glue gun
Scissors/Knife
Black permanent marker
Pencil
Colorful construction paper
Plaid tissue paper (table cloth)
1 page from a coloring book

The box

1.) I cut the two sides so the front would fold down.

Materials to make the table

2.) Table: I cut out a section of the medium cardboard box and glued the four paper towel rolls to the bottom. I used the natural flaps in the box as the folded down parts of the table.

3.) I made three cuts with the knife to create a flap for the cabinet door.

4.) I used used the knife to cut off the front side of this this smaller box that looked like it had natural "shelves" built into it.

5.) Fireplace: I used the natural folds in another section of the medium box to create a fireplace. I cut out a rectangle in the front for where the fire would be and glued the cardboard down so it pretruded out.

6.) I used pencil and then black marker to draw logs on cardboard and fire on orange construction paper. I glued them in the fireplace.

7.) Picture frame: I thought this cozy and crafty image from our Berenstain Bears coloring book matched the vibe we were trying to create, so I glued this to the wall. The edges were uneven, so I drew sticks on construction paper to frame it.

8.) I had some plaid tissue paper from a gift, so I glued it on the table for a tablecloth.

I drew books on the bookshelf, but didn't think they popped enough. So I decided to draw the books on different colors of construction paper.

9.) Garland: I drew acorns and hearts with pencil first and then traced them in marker. I punched two holes on each side to string through the twine.

10.) Candle: I traced a circle with the paper towel roll to create the top of the candle. Then I glued it onto the top and glued an orange flame to the top.