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–+ servings
4 milk carton gingerbread houses
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How to Make a Milk Carton Gingerbread House

Paint and decorate a milk carton to make this sweet gingerbread house. Both kids and adults will love making this craft for Christmas!
Active Time1 hour
Drying Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours
Yield: 1 milk carton gingerbread house
Author: Debbie Chapman
Cost: $5

Equipment

Materials

Instructions

Step 1: Find what you need

  • Gather your supplies and materials.
    Supplies needed to make a milk carton gingerbread house

Step 2: Clean an empty milk carton

  • Wash the inside of an empty milk carton well, and let it dry upside-down overnight with the cap off.
    Milk carton being held

Step 3: Cut a door and windows in the milk carton

  • Use a permanent marker to draw a door and windows onto the milk carton.
    Drawing windows on a milk carton with a black permanent marker
  • Use a craft knife to cut these pieces out of the carton.
    Then at the back of the house cut an opening at the bottom, about 3 by 3 inches in size, for the candle to fit in.
    Cutting windows in a milk carton using a craft knife

Step 4: Cut foam pieces

  • Cut window and door frames from white craft foam using a craft knife.
    These should fit around the openings on the carton.
    Craft foam window held in front of sheet of craft foam
  • Measure and cut 2 pieces of white craft foam. They should be the width of the milk carton and about 1 inch longer than the top section.
    Rectangular piece of white craft foam being held
  • Draw some wavy, drippy lines across one edge of both pieces of foam.
    Drippy lines drawn on white craft foam
  • Cut both pieces of foam along the wavy lines.
    This will be the snow coming off the roof.
    Cutting craft foam with scissors along wavy drawn line

Step 5: Paint the milk carton

  • Paint the outside of the milk carton brown and allow to dry.
    Add another 2 to 3 coats of paint, if necessary, drying in-between coats.
    Brown painted milk carton being held

Step 6: Add the door and window details

  • Cut parchment paper into smaller pieces, slightly larger than the milk carton's door and windows.
    Small rectangle of parchment paper
  • Add tape to at least 2 edges of the parchment paper and insert it into the milk carton through one of the larger openings.
    Tape added to small rectangle of parchment paper
  • Place the parchment paper so it covers the inside of the windows, pressing on the tape to secure it in place.
    You can also use 1 larger piece of parchment paper to cover more than 1 window.
    Pressing taped parchment paper over inside of window of brown milk carton gingerbread house
  • Repeat until all the openings (except the one at the back bottom) are covered.
    Brown milk carton gingerbread house
  • Add the foam frames around each of the door and windows.
    Use hot glue or tacky glue. Or, if your craft foam is adhesive, simply remove the backing and press it into place.
    Adding white frames to door of milk carton gingerbread house

Step 7: Add the foam roof

  • Remove the cap and set the wavy edged foam piece on top of the carton, straight side up.
    Line up the flat piece with the top of the carton and figure out where the spout sits. Use a craft knife to cut slits into the foam here.
    Cutting slits in white craft foam roof of milk carton gingerbread house
  • Press the foam flat onto the carton, pushing the spout through the slits in the foam.
    Craft foam roof added to milk carton gingerbread house
  • Cut the foam around the base of the spout, removing the foam flaps created by the slits.
    Cutting craft foam around carton spout with craft knife
  • Glue the foam into place, pressing it down so the edges line up nicely with the top and sides of the carton.
    Hot glue added to top of craft foam roof of milk carton gingerbread house
  • Add the cap back onto the carton.
    Putting cap back on milk carton gingerbread house spout
  • Then glue the second wavy piece of foam to the other top side of the carton.
    View of top half of milk carton gingerbread house showing roof

Step 8: Add details and decorations

  • Cut and glue any other foam details you want onto your gingerbread house. We added 2 small trees to ours.
    (Use one of our Christmas tree templates or gingerbread man templates.)
    Milk carton gingerbread house with white craft foam trees on it
  • Decorate the sides with a white acrylic paint pen and rhinestone stickers.
    Adding decorative marks to milk carton gingerbread house using paint pen
  • Mimic gumdrops and other candy decorations by adding button stickers to the roof of the gingerbread house.
    Adding button stickers to roof of milk carton gingerbread house
  • Your milk carton gingerbread house is complete!
    Fully decorated milk carton gingerbread house
  • Have fun making a whole gingerbread village from different sizes of milk cartons. Then place battery operated tealight candles inside and watch the houses glow!
    Milk-Carton-Gingerbread-Houses-32

Video

Notes

Looking for more fun Christmas crafts? Here's a few of our favourites:
DIY String Christmas Tree
Wine Cork Reindeer
Clothespin Elf Craft