This kit is for personal use ONLY. Please do not copy, distribute, or sell any part of this design or the instructions without my permission. Pre-Cut Cheryl’s Place @2022 Jacqueline Smith
Please read all instructions prior to beginning the project. If you are new to making houses, make sure you read and understand each step before placing your glue.
I consider this an easy intermediate kit.
Before you start your new kit, think about how you will want to decorate it. You can paint the house, paint the house and glitter it, glitter just parts of the house like the roof, use the kit pieces as a guide to cut out decorative paper that you can glue onto the house, or just leave the building white for a modern look. If you leave any portion of the house as unpainted cardboard, I suggest spraying with a matte acrylic sealer like Krylon or Modge Podge Sealer.
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
Suggested Material List . . .
NOTES . . . (read before starting)
Cutting Guide for Cheryl’s Place …
Your kit will include either the Regular Back and Regular Bottom Insert, and 3 windows, a door and back step, OR the Putz Back, Putz Bottom Insert, and a strengthening ring for the Putz hole, depending on which option you chose when you purchased the kit.
Let’s get started . . .
The following instructions are to show you how the building should be constructed. I show the order of construction without any paint or glitter. Think about how you will finish the building and if any parts will need to be painted or finished before being glued in place.
There is no wrong way to paint, glitter and glue. Personally, I like to paint the trim and walls when flat, then glue the trim onto the building, add the vellum, and then glue the building together. I then glitter the completed building. However, I know people who glitter the building while flat before gluing it together. I suggest you try different methods until you find out what works best for you. Tutorials for various ways to decorate your house can be found on this website.
1. Fold each of the body pieces towards the back or inside (mountain folds), except the left tab of the side piece, which you will fold towards you (valley fold.)
2. Glue all window frames and the doors in place. There is a score line on the back to aid in placing the back door.
If you are going to add shutters you can glue them on now. I left them off so that I could show an example of the building with and without shutters. For an example of the building without shutters, look at the last picture at the bottom of this tutorial.
3. Glue the vellum in place if you are using it.
4. Glue the body together. Glue the sides together first, then the roof flaps.
5. Check the fit of the bottom insert piece, adjusting any of the fold lines as necessary. You may need to trim the corners. Glue in the bottom insert piece now as it will help to help to stiffen and square the walls of the building. I like to start at the inside corner. Once I know the fit is right, I run the needle tip of my glue bottle between the bottom insert and the sides, making sure each side is glued securely before moving on to the next.
6. Glue on the main roof, aligning the cutout for the wing roof.
7. Glue on the wing roof. Then glue on the porch roof, attaching its tab to the underside of the wing roof. Do not glue the side of the porch roof to the house.
8. Fold the porch. Glue to the front of the building.
9. Start gluing on your columns. The column against the building at the back of the porch should be full height. You can cut the other three front columns shorter depending on how much you want the porch roof to angle down. I cut them to be 1 3/4″ tall. Place the columns where you think they look the best. I placed them in from the edge of the porch.
10. Once you have glued on your columns, cut the porch railings to fit and glue between the columns. If you want the railing to be above the floor of the porch, use a coffee stir stick or several pieces of cardboard glued together to hold the railing at the correct height as the glue dries.
11. Glue the front and back steps in place.
12. Place a bead of glue along the edges of each peak. Hold the peak trim in place until the glue dries. If you have difficulty with this, glue the trim onto one side of the peak, dry, then glue the trim to the other side of the peak.
13. Lastly, glue on the chimney if you want one. Below is the finished building without shutters or chimney. The picture at the top of the page shows the building with both.
Use the included cardstock to make a base. The kit also includes pieces for a fence.
This building can be finished with any method you are used to. Don’t worry about it being perfect. Just have fun and enjoy the process!
Enjoy making your Cheryl’s Place!! I would love to see your finished building. Please share a photo with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com.