In DIY

DIY Summer Camp Cabin for Kids

Turn ‘cabin fever’ into cabin fun with this DIY cardboard summer camp cabin perfect for keeping little ones busy when cooped up inside over Winter!

cardboard summer camp style play house, white walls, blankets on floor, wood floors, mom in overalls painting play house

Freezing winter temps and cold + flu season have indoor playtime for little ones at an all-time high right now, and I definitely struggle to find things to keep Sylvie busy without resorting to hours of screen time.

When my sister and I were little, my dad would bring home big boxes for us play in, and we thought it was the greatest thing on Earth, keeping us busy for hours and saving my parents’ sanity.

cardboard play house, mess hall sign, bird next, pitched roof, white painted trim, white walls, red flag above door

cardboard play house, summer camp make believe with mom and 3 year old daughter, mom wearing overalls and grey tee, white walls, wood floors, blankets on floor, white trim on play house, white window boxes with pine cones and moss, rattan picnic basket, play lantern, wool plaid blankets, handy craft cup

Taking a cue from my dad to help stave off cabin fever, I decided to stop over at an appliance store loading dock to ask if, by chance, they had an extra big box they’d let me take off their hands. My thought was to make a vintage-summer-camp-inspired play cabin for Sylvia. I have the most wonderful memories at camp as a kid, and it’s an experience I want for Sylvia as she gets a little older. So why not start now, right?

Summer camp conjures up warm feelings of summer fun which is something we could all use a bit of as winter drags on.

cardboard cabin play house with white trim, mom wearing overalls painting house with handy craft cup, white walls, drop cloth

diy wool camp blanket, 3 year old girl wearing blanket playing summer camp in cardboard play house with white trim, wood floors, white walls, camp stool, black and white diamond blanket on floor

folded camp blanket with red, yellow and blue stripes, vintage picnic basket, old retrospective camera,

Sure enough, the appliance store was more than willing to spare a free box, so I raced it home and started scheming. I was especially inspired by camp architecture from the 20’s, 30’s & 40’s: paneled doors, casement windows with mullions, hand-lettered signs above doors, old shingled roofs, etc. As well as cardboard houses like this one from @brookandpeony and this one from @haleyfischer.

large appliance box, natural oak floors, white walls

Sourcing Materials & Tools

From cardboard + paper grocery bags, it was my goal to use as much recycled material as possible in tandem with non-toxic paint to define the cabin’s charming details. To round things out, I’d pair natural (read: biodegradable) elements such as moss and pinecones with thrifted toys.

person cutting cardboard with utility knife and cork back ruler

Since I was painting most of the details onto the cabin, it was important I had tools that would make the painting process easy and efficient. If I’m completely honest, I’m embarrassed to tell you that even as a seasoned crafter, I’ve often used scraps of cardboard as my paint palette or vessel. My painting tools were always an afterthought, and needless to say, it never quite worked out. I’d end up dropping the cardboard palette or setting it down on the floor and stepping in it. It was a pain in the buns, and this time I had a better plan in mind!

red handy craft cup, red 2" sash paint brush, denim overalls grey tee shirt

Ken and I have used Handy Products for all our home renovation paint jobs, and they have a product called the Handy Craft Cup which is perfect for this project. The Handy Craft Cup has an ergonomic thumbhole that allows you to comfortably carry the cup around with you as you paint, and the cup is so lightweight it becomes a convenient extension of your hand as you navigate your project. It also has a built-in scraper lip, is easy to clean, and the cup itself is made with bio-degradable additives. Woo! The craft cup was clutch with both the DIY cabin and camp blanket projects in this post!

red handy roller cup, cardboard door, white drop cloth, white walls, person painting wearing jeans and tennis shoes

person painting with red paint brush and handy roller cup, white drop cloth, white walls

I also used the Handy Roller Cup for painting bigger areas of the cabin like the door and window boxes. The roller cup has a low, wide base to prevent tipping, as well as an ergonomic handle which makes it easy to move around the room with you. It’s also conveniently vibrant red so I never accidentally step in it like my make-shift cardboard paint palette. LOL.

So without further ado, let’s dive into our summer camp projects!

kraft tape being applied to white painted cardboard door, white drop cloth below

diy summer camp cabin made of appliance cardboard box, white painted trim, 3 panel door, blue lantern, black and white diamond blanket, camp blanket with blue, yellow and red stripes, white walls behind play house, rolled up plaid wool blanket, cabin sign above door reads'mess hall'

DIY Play Summer Camp Cabin

Materials:

Large appliance box
Heavy duty 3” kraft paper tape
Metal ruler with cork back
Utility knife with replacement blades
Paper grocery bags for roof shingles
Scissors
Non-toxic glue or glue stick
White non-toxic acrylic paint
Handy Craft Cup
Handy Roller Cup
2″ Sash brush for larger areas such as door and window boxes
Smaller paint brush for trim, cabin sign, and grass details

graphic detailing how to build a summer camp cabin for kids using cardboard and kraft paper, black drawing with black font

With a utility knife, cut off the top portion of the box to create your desired wall height. (I chose 40” tall.) Then open up the side seam to turn the box inside out. The printed side of the box should face inward and the plain kraft should face the outside.
Tape together box scraps to form the pitched roof, and attach with tape along top edge of the box walls.
Optional: Create eaves by adding cardboard rectangles on the front pitch and along the bottom of the roof line.
Cut 4” x 3” rectangles out of paper grocery bags and glue onto roof in staggered pattern.
Draw and cut out windows and door with a utility knife and cork-back ruler. I found it easiest to cut the door off completely to add details and tape it back on in a later step.
Cut a window opening on the top half of the door. Paint the entire door white. When door is dry, add 3 horizontal strips of kraft tape on the bottom half of the door to create the paneled door effect. Then attach the door to one side of the door opening with kraft tape.
Add window and door trim by painting a 1-2” thick border around all openings.

cardboard play house, white windows with white painted mullions, white window box with pine cones, moss, and bunny tail grass, paper bag shingle roof

white window box attached to cardboard play house, paper stuffed inside window box and topped with moss

Optional Details:

Add window mullions by cutting ½” wide strips a few inches longer than the length and width of your windows. Paint white and tape onto the inside of the cabin windows.
Use two small boxes for window boxes. Paint white and attach below casement windows with kraft tape. Fill with crumpled paper and top with moss and pinecones.
Add grass along the bottom perimeter by painting 2-3” tall wavy lines with white paint.
Add a small cardboard triangle at the apex of the roof. Tape into place with kraft tape on backside of triangle/underside of roof. Poke a small flag into center of cardboard triangle.
Give your cabin a name! Hand paint the name onto a strip of cardboard and attach above door with glue.

diy camp blanket, 3 year old wrapped in wool play blanket with red, green, yellow and blue stripes, cardboard summer camp cabin in background with navy and white diamond blanket on floor, white walls, camp stool and lantern in background

DIY Play Camp Blanket

Paint an inexpensive camp-style wool blanket for pretend picnics and sleepouts at summer camp!

Materials:

¾ Yard cream wool felt, (45” wide fabric)
4 Non-toxic acrylic paint colors
Fabric paint additive (optional)
Painter’s tape
Handy Craft Cups
Paint brush

wool white felt fabric taped with painters tape stripes, hands painting yellow stripe with paint brush and craft cup, blue stripe already painted

1. Use painter’s tape to mark out 8 stripes (2” wide each) across the 27” width of the fabric. Begin taping stripes 3” from one of the short edges, and space the first four stripes 1-3/4” apart. Then leave a space of 5” before beginning the next 4 stripes, 1-3/4” apart.

1a. (Optional) Mix paint with the fabric additive according to manufacturer instructions to help with softness and blanket wash-ability.

2. On one end of the fabric, paint each of the 4 stripes a different color. On the opposite end of the fabric, paint the four stripes in the same color order as the other end of the blanket.

Crafter’s Tip: Use the Handy Craft Cup as a convenient way to carry your paint along with you as you paint your way across the blanket.

3. Allow to dry and remove painters tape.

diy kids camp blanket with blue, yellow, red, and green stripes, folded up on camp stool, white wall, oak wood floor, dark blue old lantern, rolled up plaid camp blanket

cardboard summer camp cabin, appliance box painted with white paint, white windows with mullions, white window box, rattan picnic basket, white 3 panel door, mess hall, white walls, natural oak floors, dark wood door in home, black and white diamond blanket, rolled up plaid camp blanket, blue, yellow and red stripe blanket

From cabin fever to cabin fun!

This play cabin was so much fun to make and even more fun to watch Sylvie enjoy it. She’s already spent hours at ‘summer camp’ this week–having sleepovers with her stuffed animals, watering the window boxes, and heading up KP duty (kitchen patrol). Let’s hear it for thoughtful tools like Handy Products that make doing-it-ourselves more fun and efficient.

This post is sponsored by Handy Products. Thank you for supporting brands I truly love and personally use.