Milk carton gingerbread house decorated with paint and buttons

Milk Carton Gingerbread House

This milk carton gingerbread house is such an ADORABLE Christmas craft, and it’s so much fun to make! It’s the perfect way to get the whole family involved in a sweet holiday tradition, minus the worry of little hands sneaking bites when you turn your back!

If one house is this cute, imagine how festive a whole village of milk carton gingerbread houses will be! Use simple dollar store supplies to make a tiny town and display it on your mantel, coffee table, or as a charming winter centerpiece!

Milk carton gingerbread house decorated with paint and buttons

 

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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!

Check Out The Video Tutorial:

Looking for more fun Christmas crafts? Here’s a few of our favourites:DIY String Christmas TreeWine Cork ReindeerClothespin Elf Craft

Instructions:

Step 1: Find what you need

  • Gather your supplies and materials.
    Supplies needed to make a milk carton gingerbread houseSupplies 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 heldMilk 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 markerDrawing 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 knifeCutting 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 foamCraft 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 heldRectangular 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 foamDrippy 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 lineCutting 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 heldBrown 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 paperSmall 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 paperTape 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 housePressing 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 houseBrown 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 houseAdding 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 houseCutting 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 houseCraft 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 knifeCutting 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 houseHot 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 spoutPutting 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 roofView 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 itMilk 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 penAdding 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 houseAdding button stickers to roof of milk carton gingerbread house
  • Your milk carton gingerbread house is complete!
    Fully decorated milk carton gingerbread houseFully 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-32Milk-Carton-Gingerbread-Houses-32

Helpful Tips:

  1. Your local dollar store will carry lots of great supplies for decorating your milk carton gingerbread houses. You can also decorate it as a regular house dressed up for Christmas by adding miniature ornaments, stocking stickers, or even stringing some fairy lights along the edge of the roof!
  2. If your craft foam doesn’t have an adhesive backing and you don’t want the mess of hot glue, you can use glue tape or sticky dots to attach the window frames, door frame, and decorations to your gingerbread house milk carton.
  3. You can also use a milk carton to create a strong base for a classic gingerbread house. Glue graham crackers around the carton and use traditional decorations like icing and candy.

4 milk carton gingerbread houses shown unlit in top photo and lit from within in bottom photo4 milk carton gingerbread houses shown unlit in top photo and lit from within in bottom photo

What if I don’t have parchment paper for the windows of my milk carton gingerbread house?

Tissue paper, wax paper, thin crepe paper, and rice paper are all great alternatives to parchment paper. They’ll cover the windows while still letting the light shine through!

Gingerbread house made from milk carton being placed on tableGingerbread house made from milk carton being placed on table

 

Do I need craft foam to make milk carton gingerbread houses?

Craft foam gives a great frosting look, but there are definitely other materials you can use! Cardstock and construction paper are both excellent options. You can also try puffy paint to get that 3D look!

 

3 milk carton gingerbread houses3 milk carton gingerbread houses

Can I make a gingerbread house out of something other than a milk carton?

Of course! Any small box will do! Try to use boxes made of thinner cardboard, like tissue boxes, so it’s easier to cut the windows. Boxes made of thicker cardboard, like shipping boxes, will also work. They’ll just be a little harder to cut.

DIY milk carton gingerbread houseDIY milk carton gingerbread house

This milk carton gingerbread house is the perfect way to bring some extra holiday cheer to your home! Plus, it’s built to last for years to come, so no more worrying about your gingerbread house crumb-ling under the pressure of hungry kids.

Fun and easy milk carton gingerbread housesFun and easy milk carton gingerbread houses

Here’s even more light-up house craft ideas:

Haunted House Craft

Four lit-up haunted house crafts made from milk cartonsFour lit-up haunted house crafts made from milk cartons

DIY Clay House

Clay house lit up from insideClay house lit up from inside

Twinkling Paper Roll Christmas Village

Lit-up paper roll houses beside a battery-operated tealight candleLit-up paper roll houses beside a battery-operated tealight candle

Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!

Low Mess Crafts for Kids BookLow Mess Crafts for Kids Book

Where to buy:

You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:

Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Indiebound  |  Amazon Canada