Gingerbread Milk Carton Houses

I love Christmas villages, don't you? They can be so expensive to collect, though. Gingerbread houses are really cute too, but I don't like all of the mess that it makes, not to mention the hours of work! Well, here's a fun way to make them out of paper. Similar to my very popular Village Shops, these gingerbread houses are made in the shape of half pint milk cartons. Just print, cut, fold, glue & fill them with candies, treats or small gifts. Perfect as stocking stuffers or to decorate your holiday table. (assembly instructions at the end of this post)

front

right side and back

left side and front

The download includes 6 printable houses: 3 with labels (as shown above) and 3 without labels (not shown). I also include a sheet of blank labels so you can write anything you want on them (shop name, holiday greeting, person's name, etc.)

You can purchase them here.

How to Assemble Gingerbread Houses

Printing Instructions:

Right click on the ZIP file and choose where you want to have the files unzipped.

Right click on the file that you want to print. This will open your computer's printer options window. Select the appropriate settings and print. I recommend printing on cardstock if you have it. I use lightweight cardstock (office card) that is 160 gsm (approximately 60 lbs).

Let ink dry completely before cutting & assembly.

Assembly Instructions:

Cut out each box on the outside lines. They should look like the photo above.

If you have a scoring board & scoring tool, score on all vertical, horizontal & diagonal lines and fold. If you don't have these tools just carefully fold on the lines.

Flatten the vertical and horizontal folds with the flat side of your scoring tool (or other flat instrument such as the flat part of a pencil or pen). DO NOT flatten the diagonal lines. It is sufficient to score them or fold them gently by hand because they will automatically fold inward as you assemble the box.

Apply white glue (or double-sided tape) to the vertical flap (the narrowest vertical section). Adhere it to the opposite side matching up the folds and the horizontal lines of the design.

Next, gently fold the bottom sections so that they begin to overlap with each other. One side will fit almost naturally into (under) the other side. Try both ways to see which one seems to fit best and sit the flattest.

Put a few drops of glue on the tip of the flap that will go underneath. Stick the two flaps together so the bottom of the box looks like the photo below:

It is helpful to put your hand inside the box and hold the bottom flat against a hard surface for 20 to 30 seconds, so the bottom of the box sits nice and flat.

If there is a gap at the sides (on the bottom), add a few drops of glue into the gap and smooth it into a line with your fingernail or a toothpick. Put your hand inside the box again and hold it down against a hard surface for 20 or 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Fold the top parts together so that they form the "roof". The diagonal folds go inwards almost automatically, as you pull the top pieces together to form the roof-line (the top "tab" part of the milk carton). If you want to punch a hole in the top so that you can add ribbon or lace it is helpful to hold the two pieces together with binder clips so the parts don't move while you are punching the hole.

Alternatively, you can glue the two pieces together, if you want to use the boxes for display instead of filling them. In that case, don't punch a hole.

If you have questions please comment below and I will try to help you as best I can!