Miniature Wooden Houses for Home Decor

9 Materials
$5
4 Hours
Easy

I fell in love with the idea of using scrap wood to make tiny house replicas in all colors, designs, shapes and sizes. I was going to go with so many different designs over the months that I finally decided on good old black and white, classic look right?

Finished Project

My husband has done many construction projects and a lot of the scraps just got burned as fire starter but now I had a purpose for them. I assigned him the job of cutting different heights to the 2x 4 scraps and different roof angles with his mitre saw, if not I would be without fingers by now!

Source of Scrap Wood

I had put it off for so long that my scraps had dried out to the point of splitting apart. Enough was enough, time to get cracking or in this case get sanding to smooth out the surfaces on the blocks. Outdoors is where I like to do my sanding, oh yes partner in crime there assisting as you can see! Hardly supervising, sleeping on the job if you ask me!

Sanding to Begin Outside

I started off with a low grit sandpaper to remove most of the roughness and worked up to a 120 grit. The higher the number the smoother the finish you'll achieve. I want aiming for a porcelain finish but just smooth to the touch. Once the sanding was complete I moved in out of the heat to finish them inside. I used black chalkboard paint and linen white chalk paint for the finishes.

Sanding Completed

But first there was extra prep work needed on the cracks and dents in my scrap pieces. Some spackling did the trick to fill the cracks, just fill in and let it dry and adding another layer after that if needed to level in the gaps flush with the board surface.

Prep to Paint

Do a light sanding after the spackling has dried then move on to painting. Once my white paint had good coverage and it was dry it got a light sanding too in order to create a smooth finish.

Sanding Paint Finish

Onward and upward, the roofs were next and they were going black. I use chalkboard paint for a lot of projects because it's easy to use and fast to dry.

Painting the Roof

Things were starting to take shape now and I liked how it tied in with my other black and white decor.

Black and White Contrast

Looking a little more defined in the contrasting colors I now wanted to tie the two together. How about some buffalo check ribbon? Yeah that would work!

Buffalo Check Ribbon

This was a brushed ribbon measuring almost 5" wide so of course I cheated and used the lines on it to cut it to the 2" width that I'd need.

Cut to Fit

Nothing to it and if it frayed along the cut edge I just pulled the loose string off and it was then good to glue in place with Mod Podge. A little tip about the tip...apply a little Mod Podge to that starter edge and end to prevent any fraying. Apply mod podge liberally to the sides and bottom edge of the wood and press the ribbon in place.

Gluing Ribbon

Now aren't they looking spiffy? The ribbon really set them off and with it on the bottom it also serves as a surface protector when they are displayed.

Surfaces Covered

Ok houses need windows and doors too, yes I have that covered here too with my paint markers. I did them as neatly as I could free hand but I felt the colors were too bright and the lines too intense. I decided to mute them by distressing them with a fine sandpaper.

Night View of Mini Houses

I liked it but I didn't love it so now what? What else did I have in my craft supplies to dress up the other blank side! I think I'll try these temporary body tattoos as a rub on transfer.

Temporary Body Tattoos

Yes, it's a thing that I saw from another crafter so I ordered some different styles from Amazon to try out. They are colorful, detailed and so simple to apply. Simply cut out the design you want to use, peel off the protective film and place the design face down onto the surface it will be sticking to.

Applying the Tattoos

Next give the paper backing a spritz of water to release the tattoo from the paper.

Water Spritzing

Press the surface before wiggling and peeling off the paper to ensure it's adhered. Ta-dah, just like that I have pretty feathers on my house!

Design Revealed

I did ruin a couple I'm not going to lie because they lifted off with the paper backing and got distorted. Maybe I had them a little too wet And slippery?? In any case I was short so I went with feathers and flowers, two of my favorite things to cover all five houses! Now I have a Spring-Summer side and a Fall-Winter side showing how the lights go on inside our houses more here in the Northern hemisphere.

New, Easy Decor Complete

I think they're great to use on a mantle or in a tiered tray or just as shelf sitters, bonus of two for one and all you need to make them are wood scraps and paint! An easy project for any crafter especially if you want to create the windows and doors with markers! Go for it, if you're like me and you'll be happier afterwards, I promise!

Suggested materials:
  • White linen Chalk paint   (Hardware Store)
  • Black chalkboard paint   (Dollar Store)
  • 4 3/4" Brushed Buffalo check ribbon   (Dollar Store)
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4 of 16 comments
  • Kris Kowalski Kris Kowalski on Sep 17, 2021

    Your houses are very cute! I'm going to try some. That was a very creative and clever idea you had.


    P.S. I'd have my husband do the cutting as well. Leave it to the professional as they say. 😁

    • Exactly right you are Kris, gotta make them feel needed! Hahahah, he's the carpenter and I've kinda grown attached to all 10 of my fingers, pardon the pun! Thanks so much for your thoughtful and uplifting comment! Good luck!

  • Gab Gab on Jul 29, 2022

    These are adorable and very European looking but your puppy in the third picture is even more adorable!

    • Thank you so very much, I love the simplicity of the European styles, Scandinavian in particular! My pups is an old guy living out his retirement dreams I think...sleep more, eat more hahaha.

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