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 Villa Torre @2023 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 intermediate/advanced 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.
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Suggested Material List . . .
- Pre-cut kit has been cut from White Kraft Board. This is equivalent to 120 lb cover cardstock or cardboard. Some of the pieces with tight folds may be cut out of 100 lb cover cardstock when the Kraft Board is too thick to make sharp folds.
- Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. I put it in a bottle with a thin metal tip. If you are new to making kits, you may want to use Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue as this allows more time for you to reposition your pieces if you make a mistake.
- Bone Folder – A bone folder helps you make sharp folds when you are using cardstock or cardboard. While the kit comes pre-scored, I strongly suggest you make the scoring deeper with a bone folder.
- Multi-surface satin finish acrylic paints in your color choices. Two coats are usually required.
- To glitter the house: Extra fine glitter or extra fine iridescent glitter and Spectra Glitter Sparkling Crystals (mixed 50/50) and Modge Podge. 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. You may like your building glittered with only the extra fine glitter, but I liked adding a slightly chunkier glitter to it too.
- To make the snow: For a smooth coat on the roof, I use Woodland Flex Paste, Woodland Soft Flake Snow, and Hemway White Ultra Sparkle Glitter. Apply the flex paste and sprinkle a combination of the soft flake snow and Ultra sparkle glitter over it while it is wet. For rougher snow on the ground I like to use SnowTex, then sprinkle with the mixture of soft flake snow and glitter. If necessary, use a little Modge Podge on a brush to add more of the snow mixture once the flex paste is dry.
NOTES . . . (read before starting)
- This building needs to be glued together in a specific order. I suggest reading through all of the instructions once before you start gluing.
- Due to variations by each builder you may find a trim piece a tad longer than needed. If this happens, simply trim it down to fit.
- DO use the cutting guide below to identify all of the pieces! It’s always a good idea to lay out all of the pieces before you start so that you have everything in the correct place. I include a few extra window frames in the kit.
Cutting Guide for Villa Torre …
Your kit will include either the Regular Back and Regular Bottom Insert, and 6 windows, OR the Putz Back, Putz Bottom Insert, and a strengthening ring for the Putz hole, OR the Solid Back and Solid Bottom Insert, 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.
Constructing the Building
1. For the front and back doors, sandwich the paned vellum between the attached front door/ holes for light and the glue-on doors. Cut the diamond paned vellum in half for the front doors. Be careful not to smear glue into the window pane areas. You can color several of the panes with glitter gel pens to give them a stained glass look if you want to.
2. 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 while the walls are flat.
3. Glue the vellum in place if you are using it.
4. Fold the Tower piece and glue together the back seam.
5. Check the fit of both the tower bottom insert piece, and tower top piece, adjusting any of the fold lines as necessary. You may need to trim the corners. Glue the pieces into the top and bottom of the tower.
6. Glue the bottom part of the tower onto the Inside Bend piece.
7. Glue the small gem shaped Tower Roof Corner piece onto the top of the corner where the tower is glued onto the Inside Bend.
8. Fold and glue each Popout to a side, wrapping the tabs of the Popout to the back of the side.
9. Fold and glue the two backs together.
10. Glue the sides onto each side of the backs.
11. Glue the Inside Bend to the sides, completing gluing the building together.
12. Check the fit of the bottom insert piece, adjusting any of the fold lines as necessary. You may need to trim the corners. I like to lower it in from the top. Glue in the bottom insert piece now as it will help to help to stiffen and square the walls of the building. 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.
13. Glue down the right side of the Main Roof, fitting the notch around the tower. Depending on how thick your material is, you may need to trim the notch a little, but it is designed to fit snuggly. There is a small cut on the back that slides into the back of the building. Once dry, glue down the left side of the Main Roof. With this type of roof, the tabs of the building are bent in just slightly to hold the roof. You may need to turn over the building and insert something through the holes in the bottom insert to push the tabs against the roof. I use a long wooden knitting needle, but chopsticks would work too.
14. Attach the Smaller Roof, again fitting the notch around the Tower. The peak of the small roof should be near the peak of the main roof, and the two roofs should meet in the back.
15. Glue on the two Popout Roofs and the Tower Roof.
16. Glue on the Chimney and the Steps.
Use the included cardboard to make a base. I made my base 7 1/2″ x 7 1/2″.
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 Villa Torre!! I would love to see your finished buildings. Please share a photo with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com.
Examples for Inspiration
