What You Need to Build Glitterhouses - Howard's How-To's, from littleglitterhouses.com

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Written by Howard Lamey (with a little help from Paul Race)
for Big Indoor Trains™ and LittleGlitterhouses.com.

Glitterhouses: What You Need to Build Vintage-Style Glittered Pasteboard Houses

This is a comprehensive list of what you have to have and what would be nice to have. If you are considering building more than one or two glitterhouses, you may want to pick up some of the "extras."

Also, If you are going to build cardboard houses, stop throwing away used, clean cardboard yesterday. Save cereal boxes, the backs of writing tablets, anything flat, firm and clean, that you can save. More details are below, but I wanted you to see this part up front. In addition, for this project you'll need:

Basic Tools

These are the core tools that every glitterhouse builder should keep on hand:

Mat knife (Change blades often)
X-acto knife (With # 11 blades)
Pencil (Get a 0.5mm lead mechanical pencil)
Eraser
Ruler (Try the “C Through” brand)
Steel ruler
Small steel square
Scissors
Elmer’s Glue-All
Glue stick
Cutting mat
1/4-inch hole punch

“Nice to Have” Tools:

These are tools that you should consider adding to your tool box if you are going to build more than one or two glitterhouses.

Magnifying visor
Speciality scissors
- Decorative cut scrapbook type
- Small cuticle type
Large round hole punches - Sometimes referred to as “gasket punches“. Tandy Leather also sells punches. I made my own by sharpening the edge of short pieces of pipe. Grommet hole punches also work well.

Building Materials

As I mentioned before, you should collect these on a continuing basis - otherwise you could wind up making a trip to the store for posterboard when that Cheerios box you threw away last week would have worked just as well:

Cereal box cardboard
White poster board
Chipboard (Writing tablet backs)
Corrugated cardboard (Also try the thinner pizza box cardboard)
Ordinary copy paper
Colored velum (For window and door openings)
Colored “cellophane type” material (For window and door openings. I use bags from the craft store. They are sold as "treat bags")

Finishing Material:

Assorted paint brushes
Acrylic paints (I get mine at Wal-Mart)
White flat interior wall paint (Use as a primer)
Glitter (I use the “Sulyn” brand clear glitter)

Conclusion

A Note from the Designer: Now that I'm in "retirement," this hobby has become a sort of avocation for me. Several folks have commissioned me to build specific houses for them. So if you'd like me to "bid" on a cardboard house for you, or if you have any questions at all, please visit our Orders page. - Howard

Also, if you have a similar project you'd like to share with your fellow readers and hobbyists, we'd love to add it to our site, and we'll be sure to give you full credit for your contribution.

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