Pots and pans - shoebox kitchen

This is probably the last kitchen project before we move onto another room (though there might be a bit of an animal interlude before we get going again.. ) So these are just a few accessories - plates, saucepans and a bowl of salad. 
Bottle top lids are really useful for kitchen extras! 

Plates

We cut these out of some spare cereal box card. You will need something small and circular to draw around like a bottle top lid or a coin. We used a smaller coin for the centre of the plate (5p). 

Before cutting them out, have fun with felt-tips! If you want to space your pattern evenly around the plate, start by drawing marks opposite each other, then keep making marks halfway between the previous ones until you’re happy (see pics below)

When you’re cutting out the plates, cut them out roughly first, then cut as carefully as you can around the circle, turning the card towards you, rather than trying to turn the scissors.

We then glued our favourite plates to the shelves on the wall in our kitchen.

Draw food on some plain plates to put on the table.

Saucepan

Choose a bottle top lid for the base of your pan and draw around it on some spare card (for the lid). Cut a strip of card for the handle too. 

Use a strong glue, like UHU to stick the cardboard lid onto the plastic bottle top and the handle on the side (let the glue dry before you bend the handle down, into place).

We glued a small bead on top of the lid and when the glue had set, sprayed the whole thing silver (best done by an adult or under supervision). It’s tempting, but don’t over-spray! Best to do one quick coat, let it dry, then apply another one.

Salad bowl 

Another bottle top lid, brush glue inside - cut a piece of green tissue paper and lightly scrunch it up before putting it into the lid. When you’re happy with your lettuce, use a hole puncher to punch a few small round tomatoes out of some red paper (or plain paper coloured in) and glue them on. 

Add more if you want, or put something else in the bowl. You could make some fruit out of modelling clay and have a fruit bowl. 

And if you have any little stickers why not use them to decorate a bowl.

Mini flowers in a vase - Shoebox kitchen

We’ve had a bit of a break from our homemade dolls house kitchen, but I keep thinking of little things to add to it, that could work in the rest of the house too… when we eventually get round to making the other rooms!

These little vases of flowers are tiny and sweet, and not difficult to do.

You will need:

Egg carton

Scissors

Green paper (or plain paper painted)

Coloured tissue paper (for the flowers)

Craft glue

Paint (if you want to paint the vase)

1. Roughly cut out the middle cone from an egg carton - you need the top 3cm (1in.), so either measure from the top, mark the sides and join the marks, or draw a rough line by sight (halfway down the cone should be about right). Cut up from the open end and along the line.

2. Cut the tip of the cone off - easiest way is to squeeze the cone flat and snip across the very top of the cone. You will have to trim the corners so it sits on a flat surface.

3. For the base of the vase, cut out a small square or circle from the egg carton lid, dab some glue on the narrower edge of the cone, and stick in place.

4. While that’s drying, make the flowers. Cut a strip of green paper about 6cm long and 3cm wide. Snip all the way along the strip, just over halfway down. Keep your snips close together.

5. Hopefully the glue on the vase will be set enough now to paint. Paint any colour you like - or you could just leave it plain.

6. For the flowers, cut little square shapes from some tissue paper (about 1cmx1cm/1/2in.) A good tip is to fold your tissue paper a few times so you have several layers, cut a strip and then cut squares from the strip. (They really don't have to be perfect!) 

7. Scrunch up your little squares into your buds and blooms!

8. Brush glue inside the vase, roll the bottom part of your green strip, and put it into the vase. Let it unfurl a bit and push out and arrange your stems and leaves.

Dab glue on some of the green stems and stick on your flowers.

9. Optional - snip some of the green leaves into a more pointy shape if you want.

Egg carton sheep

These sheep are the first project in 'Make Your Own Farm Animals' and they're really quick to do - a few egg boxes, cotton wool and a black felt tip, and you'll have your own flock before you know it!

You will need:
Egg carton
Pencil
Scissors
Cotton wool
Glue
Black felt tip pen (or a Sharpie if you're happy to use a permanent pen)

1. Cut out an egg cup, roughly first, then neaten up the edge. Turn it upside down and draw a cross on top with a pencil (see below), and continue the lines down the sides of your egg cup.
This should give you four well spaces legs.

2. Use a black felt tip pen or a Sharpie to colour in the bottom part of the legs, so they are more chunky.

3. With your scissors, snip up the sides of each leg (8 snips) - don't worry if you snip too far, you'll soon be covering the top part with cotton wool.

4. Snip the card HALFWAY BETWEEN each leg too (4 snips)

5. Push all the flaps of card, between the legs, under your sheep, leaving the four legs down.

6. Cover the top of the egg cup with a thin layer of glue. Tease out a small piece of cotton wool with your fingers and stick it on top of your sheep. A small amount of cotton wool looks best.

7. Draw a head on either the egg carton lid or some spare cereal box card. Keep the shape simple so it's easier to cut out.

8. Use the black pen to draw two circles where you would like the eyes to go and colour-in around the circles. Add a black dot in the eye if you want. Glue in place.

9. For a lying down sheep, cut a shallower egg cup from your carton and cover the whole thing with cotton wool. Glue on the head.

TIP: A white correction pen (like Tipp-Ex) is handy for eyes if you want to add them after colouring-in the head, or you want to make a sleeping sheep with closed eyes.

Many more animal projects like this in my book, 'Make Your Own Farm Animals'