by Lokemun Magar

Created on: September 30, 2007   Last Updated: August 08, 2011

Are you making doll house miniatures out of household objects? It is not just a way of saving money during hard times. It also teaches your children the values of saving Earth through reducing waste, reusing items, as well as recycling Earth's precious resources.

There are as many ways as your imagination can birth forth. Take a while to think of doll houses and stare at the objects around you. You will see the ideas below come into reality. A doll house is simply a replica of a real house, with its furniture all scaled to fit into the doll house.

By using unwanted household objects, you are also driving home the important messages of a green environment, frugality, and creativity. You are also bringing up a new generation who will love and care for Earth dearly.

Furniture:

Tables: Cut off the top of an old shampoo bottle so that the base is of the ideal height for the leg of your table. Glue the flat cap of your palm sized empty hair cream container onto the base. Alternatively, use three or four identical pen caps for the legs by cutting off the part that juts out. Glue them onto one side of a tea coaster.

Stools: Cut out mini cushions from the spongy wrap that comes with new electronic goods and glue them onto one end of thread spools. Paint them the desired color.

Dressing table: Use two similar empty boxes which once contained adhesive dressing box or face masks. Cut a similar box into halves. Glue the halves face to face, the openings facing you. Glue the cut edge of these halves to the lower end of the face of the uncut box. Paint the boxes with your desired brown. Attach a hand mirror to the top of the same surface, just above the halves. Spray paint them to obtain the desired color.

Cupboards, cabinets and shelves: Open up milk cartons with shiny insides. Draw the nets of cubes and cuboids on the outer surfaces of the milk cartons and cut them out. Fold them such that the shiny inside is now the outside for a glossy look. Instead of shiny shelves, use any other cartons with white insides. Assemble the cubes and cuboids into cupboards and cabinets. Use beads or protruding buttons for the door knobs. Use the nets of open cubes and cuboids for shelves.

For idiot proof nets, just go online to http://mathematics.hellam.net/nets.html. Remember to add in the flaps to stick edges together.

Bed: Checkered handkerchiefs make nice surreal bed sheets. Line the inside of a box cover with a mattress sewn from an old handkerchief and stuffed with sponge

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