Popsicle sticks are one of those simple craft materials that can be turned into almost anything, and this time we're making a miniature kitchen cabinet with a countertop, open shelving and a cupboard door.
The construction is quite simple once you break it down into separate sections, and you can easily customize the finished cabinet with paint, tiny accessories or whatever style suits your dollhouse.
List of Materials
For this miniature kitchen cabinet, you will need:
- Jumbo-sized wooden popsicle/craft sticks
- Craft knife or small cutting tool (learn how to cut them here)
- Cutting mat
- Ruler and pencil
- Wood glue or your preferred miniature craft glue
- White craft/acrylic paint
- Small paintbrush
- Thin black craft wire for the cupboard handle
- Scissors or small wire cutters
- A narrow strip of paper for the cupboard-door hinge
Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1: Build the Back Panel of the Miniature Kitchen
Start by laying 8 large popsicle sticks, approximately 15 cm long and 1.8 cm wide each, side by side, making sure they sit as closely together and as straight as possible. These will form the main back wall of the miniature kitchen.
Once you are happy with their position, take another popsicle stick and glue it horizontally across the sticks, close to one end. This will hold all eight sticks together.
Add a second horizontal popsicle stick across the opposite end. Press everything firmly into place and allow the glue to dry completely before moving the panel.
You should now have one solid wooden panel made from eight vertical popsicle sticks, reinforced by two horizontal sticks on the back. We'll trim and shape the panel in the next steps.
Step 2: Add the Top and the Shelf
Next, take two more jumbo craft sticks and glue them together side by side. Cut two small pieces from another craft stick and glue these across the back, one near each end, to hold the two sticks securely together.
