Items Needed:
- White Ikea "Billy" 41 ¾" tall bookcase
- 4 Foot Pine Board 1" thick by 12" wide (NOTE: This is "dimensional lumber," but the actual size of a 1-by-12 is ¾" x 11 ½". Go figure.)
- 4 Foot piece of Decorative Molding
- Picture frames for windows
- Screws
- Wood Glue
- Glue Gun
- Paint
- Wood Putty
Instructions:
- Measure and cut out holes for windows on sides of bookcase.
- Cut 1 x 12 in two pieces, one at 24" long, one at 23 ¼" long.
- Drill 3 holes along the short face side of the 24" board. Butt the shorter board up against the longer one at a perpendicular angle and screw the two boards together. Putty holes if desired.
- Prime and paint any surfaces to be painted. (Roof, bookcase, picture frames, decorative molding.)
- Attach picture frames to the outside of the bookcase, aligning with window cutouts.
- Paint or cover roof. If using roofing material, cut to size, glue with hot glue.
- Cut decorative fascia molding and attach to front of roof edge, using hot glue.
- Attach chimney to roof (see specific directions for each house design below.)
- Screw roof onto bookcase house at inside corners of bookcase.
- Glue fence pickets along the side of house.
For Beach House:
Items Needed:
- White Spray Primer
- Acrylic Paints – Turquoise, Spearmint, Apple
- 3" diameter black pipe
- 3" diameter pipe coupling piece
Instructions:
- To make chimney for beach house, measure pipe 4" to 6" long. Cut bottom of pipe at 45° angle. Spray paint pipe and coupler piece. Attach coupler. Attach chimney to roof.
For Brick Cottage:
Items Needed:
- Cellulose Sponge
- Gray Spray Primer
- Acrylic Paint – Brick Red, Chocolate Brown
- Roofing material
Instructions:
- Apply gray primer to exterior sides of bookcase. Let dry.
- To make brick detail, cut cellulose sponge with a serrated knife to 4 ¼" x 1 ½". On a ceramic or plastic plate, pour out Brick acrylic paint and spread out on plate. Add a few drops of chocolate brown to add dimension and variation in brick color. Dip sponge into paint to cover the stamp 'face.'
- Beginning at the bottom of side of bookcase, place sponge "stamp" to begin first row of bricks. About ¼" to ⅜" away, apply another sponge stamp of paint. Repeat, until first row is complete. Re-apply paint as needed. Tip: Flip sponge around to re-apply paint over brick image to add more dimension.
- To make next row, place sponge ¼" to ⅜" above the top of the first brick line and center the sponge above the 'grout line' of one of the first row bricks. This will give your wall a staggered brick look. Continue with the rest of the row. Repeat until the bottom half of the house is covered in bricks. Let dry.
Get more great crafts from DIY expert Tamara Berg at
TamaraCentral.com.
