This was the discovery that launched Right Now Crafts! It’s an easy way to turn an empty Annie’s-type mac and cheese box into an awesome little house. For years I had been tossing these boxes into the recycle bin, always thinking there must be some fun use for them. So I started playing around, and the Mac & Cheese House was born. My favorite little trick in this design is the built-in tape flaps that make the house so easy to put together. And really, these boxes do make just the best little houses!
They go together inside-out so there’s a beautiful plain brown surface you can decorate or leave natural. And there are so many different things you can do with your house! See my post on coloring brown paper.
make a nifty house in minutes out of an Annie’s or Kraft-type box
use materials you already have
low mess
creative - make your house into anything you can imagine
super simple to do, and no skill needed
Fair warning, dried cheese packet - Mac&Cheese House may be the new best part of macaroni & cheese from a box.
Steps At a Glance:
Ready? Here’s how:
1
You’ll need:
an empty mac&cheese box
regular or double-sided tape
scissors
pencil
this pattern, printed and cut out
I tested this pattern on all the brands of mac&cheese I could find, and it worked on all of them. If your box doesn’t quite fit the pattern it will still work! See the fix at the end of the post.
2
Open the bottom flaps and the side seam by gently separating them. You need all the flaps. It’s OK if the box peels a bit. If the glue is stubborn try starting from the other end.
Set your flat box so the narrow side flap is to the left, as shown here. Put the pattern on the box so the pattern lines up with the box folds.
Trace all around with pencil.
Be sure to include the little top flap on the far right! (I tend to forget it myself.)
3
Cut the house out with scissors.
Decorate now, while the house is flat, or after it’s put together. Up to you.
See some house ideas at the bottom of the post, and here are a few more:
a store
an apartment building
NASA headquarters
4
Bend all of the factory-made folds backwards.
(The house goes back together inside-out, so bending the folds in their new direction now makes it much easier to put together.)
Fold the three roof sections straight down like this to make creases. This gives the roof a crisp edge.
5
Tape the entire side seam closed including the roof section. I like to tape this seam with the narrow side flap underneath.
If you’re using double-sided tape, put it on the narrow side flap, then lay the other flap on top and press to seal.
Or tape with regular tape.
6
Find the side of the roof that has three flaps and put double-sided tape on those. Tuck the two big ones inside and seal. Put tape on the two flaps on the other roof side. Tuck the little top flap in first, then tuck the other half of the roof in.
Put your hand inside the house and press the seams together for a strong seal.
If using regular tape, assemble the roof flaps in the same order and tape closed.
Tape the bottom of the house closed, or just push the flaps inside.
Congratulations on your new house!
And Try This:
Easy Shutters
Take a scrap of paperboard, cut a rectangle, and fold a little of each outer edge in to form the shutters. Decorate with marker, and attach with double-sided tape or regular tape wrapped around itself sticky side out.
Questions
Will this work with boxes from other brands of macaroni & cheese?
Yes! Most all brands will work. But if your box is a little bigger than the pattern, no worries! Center the house shape on one side of the box, trace, then shift the pattern so it’s centered on the other side, and trace. When you cut the house out, be sure to snip the roof line to where it touches the box fold.
By the way, you can use this trick to make the pattern work for one-pound sugar boxes too.
Can I make my house shorter?
Yes. Just cut an inch or two off the bottom of the box (not counting the flaps) when you cut out the house.
What can I use to decorate my house?
See this post on decorating brown paper for some suggestions! The houses at the top of the post are colored with markers, with white colored pencil for the windows.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions please drop me a line.