Make Your Own Auntie B's House - A Cottage in the Forest

I actually have an Auntie B, though this house instead reminds me of the house of my grand-aunts, who were elderly even when I visited them as a child. Two spinsters, there were doilies on every piece of furniture in that house, but they made the most divine homemade ravioli. My mother was smart enough to wait until I grew up to tell me they were filled with calf brains, as was the tradition in Genova, where the family originated.

When I started this house I thought to use two of the Tim Holtz village dies I had bought but almost never used – the bay windows of the Village Fixer Upper, and the side addition of the Village Addition. I didn’t get very far before I decided that I wanted taller walls and front stairs, which made the side additions too short, so they had to be replaced. And then I wanted a different window frame style, so decided to replace the bay windows too. Best laid plans and all that. Some day I will use those dies. If you own the Village Fixer Upper and want to use the die, I left the window cutout the size to fit the die, though then the window frames will not match the rest of the house. You could cut off the crossbars of my windows and use the original Tim Holtz window frames if you would prefer. My door, however, I believe is bigger than the one on the Tim Holtz die.

So my simple house became more complex, which is one of the problems I have found with my creations now that I have learned how to design. I may need someone to tap me on the shoulder now and then and rein me back in.

This Is How You Make Auntie B’s House

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Auntie B’s House Pattern Materials

My free pattern for Auntie B’s House from the A Cottage in the Forest Library – get the password for free by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
Decorative Cardstock, Cardboard or Aluminum Cans – your choice! For the first time recently I made two houses out of cardboard, one as the model for the first Putz House Monthly pattern, and one as a custom house for a client as she wanted it larger than I could make with aluminum cans. Teri Hanson of The Covered Chipboard (and my partner in Putz House Monthly), who makes her houses out of cardboard, told me to use Cricut Kraftboard as she has found it is the only one she has found that acts consistently – it folds very well, doesn’t split apart when folded, and you can paint on it. Of course I had to experiment on my own. I found other cardboards the same weight, but none of them folded or painted as well, and I was constantly having to glue back where they had split. We have decided to only use Cricut Kraftboard for our Putz House Monthly kits.
Translucent Vellum
Double sided adhesive tape – 1/8″
Glue – If using cardstock, I suggest Art Glitter Glue. For aluminum cans, I use Aleene’s The Ultimate Glue. For cardboard houses, I like Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue, though I thin it enough to put it in a bottle with a thin metal tip.
A Cutting Machine like a Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore or, if you are going to make the pattern from the PDF an X-Acto knife or Cricut TrueControl Knife. I know the Cricut TrueControl knife looks expensive next to an X-Acto knife. I have both on my work desk, the X-Acto for aluminum cans and the TrueControl Knife for cardstock and cardboard. I really like the TrueControl knife because the blade doesn’t twist loose while you are working. I am constantly having to tighten my X-Acto knife.
An Embossing Machine and folders. I used the Sizzix Notebook embossing folder for the board stripes on the walls, the Sizzix Collage embossing folder for texture on the window frames, the Sizzix Pinwheel embossing folder for the texture of the shingles on the roof, the Old Fashioned Bricks embossing folder for the chimney and the Crackle folder by Darice to texture the snow and base. The Old Fashioned Bricks embossing folder and the Crackle folder are two of my favorite folders and I tend to use them on almost every house.
Bone folder (optional – for cardstock and cardboard) A bone folder helps you make sharp folds when you are using cardstock or cardboard. When I made my two cardboard houses I used them all the time
Decorative Christmas papers (optional – for cardboard)
Multi-surface satin finish acrylic paints or Ranger distress inks (optional – for cardboard or cardstock.) Having finally used both on a cardboard house, these work very well. I had trouble finding some of the colors I needed in the FolkArt paints and used the Craftsmart brand instead. They went on just as smoothly. With the distress inks, make sure they dry thoroughly before handling the pieces or you will have stained fingers. I speak from experience.
Iridescent extra-fine glitter and Spectra Sparkling Crystals Glitter, clear (mixed 50/50) and Modge Podge (optional – for cardboard to make a glitter house.) I like to apply the Modge Podge with a foam brush to one side of the building at a time, glitter, then move on to the next side.

Steps to Make Auntie B’s House

Download Auntie B’s House pattern from A Cottage in the Forest library
Import the Auntie B’s House pattern into your design software
Cut out the pattern – I use my Cricut Maker
Texture the pieces (necessary if using aluminum cans.) I use my Sizzix Bigkick
Glue on window frames, then attach vellum windows
Assemble the house structure, including the additions and the roofs
Add the bottom Insert
Assemble the porch with stairs, railing & chimney
Make base and decorate as desired

How To Make Auntie B’s House

Download Auntie B’s House Pattern

Download Auntie B’s House pattern from A Cottage in the Forest Library. Don’t forget to unzip it. The pattern is available in multiple formats – as a SVG (scalable vector graphics), DXF (drawing eXchange format) or PDF file. Currently, I do not have a Silhouette or Brother Machine to test the corresponding files. If you have problems using those files please let me know so I can troubleshoot what might be going wrong.

Import the Auntie B’s House Pattern Into Design Software

You no longer need to worry about changing and attaching the score lines if you use Cricut Design Space!

Cut out all of your cardstock, cardboard or aluminum can pieces using my pattern. If you are using cardboard and don’t intend to glue glitter or decorative papers onto your house, I suggest visiting Lucy Foxworth’s blog at Paper Glitter Glue where Lucy explores multiple ways to paint and texture your cardboard house.

Refer to the PDF I included with the svg pattern for the name of each of the pieces you need to cut out.

I have had people tell me that they found the folds of the bay windows too hard to make out of Kraftboard. Try cutting them out of cardstock instead. You will also want to cut the stairs out of the cardstock instead of Kraftboard.

Texture The Pieces

If desired, texture each of the house shapes using your embossing machine and texture folders. I used the Sizzix Notebook embossing folder for the board stripes on the walls, the Sizzix Collage embossing folder for texture on the window frames, the Sizzix Pinwheel embossing folder for the texture of the shingles on the roof, the Old Fashioned Bricks embossing folder for the chimney and the Crackle folder by Darice to texture the snow and base. The Old Fashioned Bricks embossing folder and the Crackle folder are two of my favorite folders and I tend to use them on almost every house.

Glue On Door And Window Trim

For the front door sandwich a piece of vellum between the attached front door and the separate door. Be careful not to smear glue into the window pane areas.

Glue on all of the rest of the window trim. You can add them after you put the building together, but it is much easier to add before the building is constructed. The bay windows need to be added before you glue the building together.

Glue the bay windows into their openings. I slid the top of the bay window in, and then the bottom. Glue the Bay Window Supports over the bay window tabs on the inside. This helps lock them in place.

Attach The Vellum

Use the 1/8″ double sided adhesive tape to attach vellum to the inside of the building pieces. Again, this is much easier while the walls are flat. You could use glue to attach the vellum instead, but if you use too much it can bleed into your window space and ruin the look. The vellum pieces for the bay windows are meant to fit into the outer edges of the windows.

Assemble The House Structure, Including The Additions And The Roofs

Sign and date the inside of your work now. When I use a bottom insert, I sign the insert.

Fold along the score lines. Glue the back onto the sides. I use plastic binder clips to hold the pieces together while the glue dries. Glue on each of the additions. Then glue on each of the roofs. Add shingles if desired.

Add the Bottom Insert

Check the fit of the bottom insert piece, adjusting any of the fold lines as necessary. The bottom insert piece helps to stiffen and square up the walls of the building.

Assemble The Porch With Stairs, Railing & Chimney

The stairs are small and I suggest you make the porch out of cardstock instead of cardboard, though I managed to make it out of a fairly thick aluminum can. Fold the porch piece, accordioning the stairs.

Glue each of the stairs to the sides. I found it easiest to glue one stair at a time.

Once the stairs are glued, glue in the bottom of the porch piece. Attach the railing and glue to the front of the house.

If you are going to add snow, glue onto the roof before attaching the chimney.

For the chimney, I made a separate fold piece to go over the top of the chimney. This adds a little more dimension to the chimney and when you glance inside it looks more finished. Glue it on before you glue the chimney together. When dry, attach the chimney. If desired, attach snow to the other roofs, railing and chimney.

Make Base and Decorate As Desired

For Auntie B’s House I started with a rectangle of aluminum 5 1/4 inches wide by 4 3/4 inches deep. I cut a small circle under where the building will sit, then textured the base and turned under 1/4 inch on each side. This allows me to string fairy lights under the bases of the different buildings in my village. In this case I have ironed white glitter HTV (heat transfer vinyl) onto my base, and textured it with the Crackle folder by Darice. I love the texture the Crackle folder provides to make the white glitter HTV look like snow.

I include a fence file with arbor arch.

Enjoy making Auntie B’s House! I would love to see your finished design. Please share a photo of it with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com.