You don’t need to go and spend a small fortune to make arts and crafts. Recycle a used milk carton into a doll’s house using these few simple steps.

What you need

  • A large milk carton
  • Paper straws
  • Pretty paper/old wallpaper scraps
  • Glue
  • Paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Scraps of cardboard
  • Felt
  • Scissors

    • How to make it

    1. Rinse your empty milk carton with warm water and washing-up liquid to remove any milk residue. Leave to dry.

    2. Turn the milk carton to the side so the opening of the carton resembles a chimney on a house.

    3. With an adult’s helping hand, cut out the front panel of the carton and cut this panel into two pieces.

    4. Paint your milk carton/house in the colour of your choice. Leave to dry.

    5. Glue pretty paper onto the inside walls of the house.

    6. Apply glue to the inside walls halfway through the house and insert one piece of the front panel to divide it into two storeys. Allow to dry.

    7. Use some paper straws to make furniture for the house – a bed, table or chair. To do this, cut out small pieces of leftover card to resemble a table or a bed and cover these with coloured felt. Then cut the straws to make the legs and glue them directly onto the card. You can get as creative as you like with the outside of the house also, adding windows if you like.

    8. That’s it, your doll’s house is finished.

    Get Crafty by Ali Coghlan is published Mercier Press, RRP €14.99.