milk carton village

milk carton village Watch how we turned this...

...into this!

First, a bit of whitewashing.

milk carton villagemilk carton villagepainted fingerspaintbrushes

After the paint dried completely, it was time to add all the fun details.  Focus...focus...please don't get Sharpie on your shirt...maybe I should change your shirt before it's too late...

You can never have too many colorful buttons around, in my opinion.  They make cute windows, doorknobs, flowers, stonework...and even balloons!  Grab your glue!

More details with cut cardstock.

Don't forget your cotton ball chimney smoke!

If you are Will, don't forget to draw Captain America in the window of your house.

Fancy crayon-drawn rooftop.

Would you just look at this cute garden?

"Honey, I hope we can qualify for a home loan for this neighborhood!  It's everything I've dreamed of!"

And that, my friends, is what you do when you have a child with a dairy allergy and you have half-gallon almond and coconut milk cartons bursting at the seams of your recycling container.  It was so much fun, and it filled two whole summer days!  The summertime equivalent of a gingerbread house.