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Mum makes incredible eco-friendly dolls’ house out of wasted cardboard boxes

  • Victoria Harris, 67, gave her old cardboard boxes a new lease of life
  • She created a dolls’ house based on her favourite house in Leamington Spa
  • Victoria also created accessories for the house from old bits of plastic and cardboard
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If you are a regular Amazon shopper and feel bad every time you throw away huge cardboard boxes, take inspiration from this incredible eco-friendly dolls’ house made out of used cardboard boxes.

Victoria Harris, 67, from Leamington Spa, decided to make a replica of a house she loves in her local area.

The dance teacher and mum-of-one told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “The little house is a copy of Oak House, Upper Holly Walk, in Leamington Spa, a very old and beautiful house.

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"I love this old house so much and I get to teach belly dance in the room that I call the ballroom every week. The steward and stewardess are the nicest people I have ever met.

"Oak House is basically falling to bits - it's a shame such a beautiful old place has lost its grandeur. Sarah and Geoff, who run the club, love the old house so much.

"About three months before Christmas, I decided to try to make a replica of the house for Sarah and Geoff so that if anything happened and the house was no more they would have the little house to remember it by.

“The house is a Grade 2 listed building built by local architect William Thomas circa 1838 - I would hope he would like my house as much as I like his!"

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Victoria used old bits of cardboard and also bought some Fablon to pep it up. She also made the accessories for inside the house using old pieces of plastic and cardboard from around Leamington Spa.

"The house probably cost about £12 to make,” she adds. “The only thing I bought was the cream Fablon to cover the front of the house.

"I love doing up old dolls’ houses which is why I had all the bits to furnish the house with like the chairs and tables.

"I made the bar using bits of plastic and cardboard which I collected from various shops in Leamington.

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"The pool table is made from a box of Swan Vesta matches with beads and green and black felt, with cocktail sticks used for the cues.”

Victoria says that despite the house being gorgeously intricate, it was surprisingly uncomplicated to make.

“It was easy enough to make - I used a picture of the actual house and just copied it,” she says. “It's a great way to recycle plastic and cardboard.

"I actually didn’t know how to do it - it all came from my head.

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"One good thing about making it was the fact if I made a mistake there was always plenty of cardboard for me to try again! My husband calls me the cardboard carpenter.

"The inspiration was the real house, it’s in such a sorry state it’s heartbreaking!

"I am thinking about making the city by night next.

"When I had finished it I couldn't believe I had done it - I loved every minute of it and actually felt quite sad when it was all over.

"The best bit was presenting it to Sarah and Geoff at Oak House - they absolutely loved it.

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"The house is now on display in the main bar!”

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “If you’re guilty of ordering loads online and then taking mounds of plastic and cardboard to the recycling bin, then this is a fantastic way to reuse waste.

“Victoria’s dolls’ house is absolutely amazing and what’s even better is that it is environmentally friendly. Indulging in arts and crafts is great for boosting mental wellbeing, so next time you get an Amazon delivery, try to make something beautiful out of the boxes instead of just throwing them away!"

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Thomas18

That looks amazing 😍 I think my daughter would love playing with it (and probably distroy it in less than 5 minutes 😅 ).

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