Outhouse Mini Album Holder & Home Decor

Hi there, and welcome to my very first Instructable!

Why I chose to make an Outhouse? I was trying to think of something completely different from what others have been making to hold a mini photo album. I also love to challenge myself. If you think it can't be done, I think it can! Suddenly my creative voice inside my head said "outhouse"! Brilliant!

So I set off to figure out how I was going to make this epic creation. I like to draw what the completed project should look like at the end. Then my mathmatical mind starts to figure out measurements, and how to piece everything together.

I was so pleased how this turned out! I'm not saying I didn't have a few mistakes along the way, but I did it!

Hope you enjoy making this as much as I did.

Happy creating!

Step 1: Supplies Needed

• Chipboard 12 x 12 inch -- 3 sheets
• Kraft cardstock 12 x 12 inch -- 7 sheets
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fades Woodgrain Embossing Folder
• 2 small metal hinges
• 8 small brads
• 2 small long-stem brads (if your metal handle needs them)
• metal handle
• 6 inch piece of wire

You could also use a Cuttlebug machine (or Big Shot, etc. embossing machine) to use with the embossing folder, but it is not needed. You can use a rolling pin on the embossing folder to make the texture.

Step 2: Cuts to Make

Chipboard – sheet #1

· 5 ½” x 5 ½”

· 6” x 6”

· 7” x 4 ½”

Chipboard – sheet #2

· Two--8” x 4 ½”

· 7 ¼” x 3 ½”

Chipboard – sheet #3

· 8” x 4 ½”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #1

· Two—8” x 4 ¼”

· Two—8” x 1 ½”

· Two—7” x 1 ½”

· Two—4” x 1 ½”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #2

· Two—8” x 4 ¼”

· Two—2” x 1”

· Two—2 ¼” x 1”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #3

· Two--8” x 4 ¼”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #4

· Two—8” x 4 ¼”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #5

· Two—8” x 4 ¼”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #6

· 8” x 4 ¼”

· Two—6” x 4 ¼”

Kraft cardstock – sheet #7

· Three—6” x 4 ¼”

Step 3: Embossing Kraft Cardstock

• Take a piece of 6” x 4 ¼”kraft paper. To emboss line up the top of the paper where the woodgrain pattern starts.
• Now run through your Big Shot (or cuttlebug, etc).
• To emboss the rest of the paper just line up where the embossing on the folder ends, and run your Big Shot again to get the rest of that piece of paper. Now do this for the rest of the 6” x 4 ¼” kraft pieces, and the 8” x 4 ¼” kraft pieces.

Step 4: Ink and Cut

• Ink all these kraft paper pieces on the raised side of the paper with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Then go over again with Weathered Wood Distress Ink.
• Cut all the kraft paper pieces into ½” strips.

Step 5: Cutting the Roof Angle

• On two of the 8” x 4 ½” pieces of chipboard, measure down 1” on one side. Draw a line to connect the 7” side to the 8” side. Then cut—this will give you your angled roof.

Step 6: Gluing Strips to Base and Roof

• Using the 6” long ½” strips, glue to one side of the 6” x 6” chipboard (base). Leave about a 1/8” space between each strip. You don’t have to measure, just eye it. Glue them all the way across.
• Now take the 5 ½” x 5 ½” piece of chipboard (roof) and glue 6” long ½” strips to both sides all the way across. Make sure you center the 6” strips when you glue them so they overhang on both ends. Remember to leave spaces between the strips.

Step 7: Making and Attaching the Hinges

• Take all the hinge pieces and score them in half. 2—1 ½” x 8” hinges, score at ¾”; 2—1 ½” x 7” hinges, score at ¾”; 2—1” x 4 ½” hinges, score at ½”; 2—1” x 2” hinges, score at ½”. Now fold all the hinges in half. (I know all the hinges aren’t here in the picture, but just imagine they are.)
• Glue one of the 1 ½” x 7” hinges to one side of the 7” x 4 ½” back piece of chipboard. Then glue one of the angled side pieces of chipboard, the 7” side to the hinge. Then glue a 1 ½” x 8” hinge to 8” side of side piece of chipboard. Glue 8” x 4 ½” chipboard to hinge. Then glue ½” x 8” hinge to the other side of front piece. Glue 8” side of the other angled side chipboard piece to hinge.
• Now your connected pieces of outhouse walls should look like this. You see one side angled piece on the left, then the centre 8” x 4 ½” piece, then the other angled side piece, then the shorter 7” x 4 ½” back piece on the right.

Step 8: Gluing the Strips Onto the Inside and Outside

• Starting with the back piece of chipboard and starting at the hinge seam that is connected to the side piece, glue your ½” x 8” strips of “wood” on, but as you go across leave about an inch at the end. You will need this to attached the last hinge that we will do later in the tutorial. Line the strips up with the bottom as you go along. You can trim them later.
• Now from the hinge seam on the back piece again, work from the seam to the other end leaving an inch at the end again.
• Now trim off the excess overhang of strips.
• Turn over and glue strips all the way across. Then trim off excess.

Step 9: Cutting Out Doorway and Making the Door

• On the 8” x 4 ½” piece of chipboard, cut a doorway measuring 7” x 3”. You can measure and mark with a pencil first. Keep the piece that you cut out—you will use it later.
• Now take the doorway (the 7 ¼” x 3 ½” piece of chipboard) and glue 8” x ½” strips on both front and back. Then trim the excess but leave a 1/8” bit of overhang on top of the door.
• Now freehand a crescent moon shape on the door with a pencil. Cut it out with a craft knife.

Step 10: Attach Door Hardware

• Now you need to mark where you want to put your handle. Punch the holes with a paper piercer, then attach the handle. I wasn’t able to get the pewter handle, so if you want to grunge up your handle, you can always sand it and ink it up. Or you can use some alcohol inks on it.
• Now take the door and place the metal hinges where you want them and mark the holes with a pencil. Then using your paper piercer, make the holes in the door. Attach the metal hinges with the short brads to the door.
• Once the metal hinges are attached to the door, place the door where you want it so you can mark the holes for the other half of the hinges (to attach the door to the outhouse). Use your paper piercer again to make the holes, and use the longer brads to attach the door to the wall of the outhouse.

Step 11: Forming the Outhouse Box

• Once you have attached the door, you will want to finish off making your outhouse box. Take the last 7” paper hinge and glue the last side(s) together. Cover with 8” strips of “wood”. Now it should be looking like more of an outhouse!

Step 12: Making the Toilet

• For the toilet, take the piece you cut out for the doorway and cut it down to 4 ½” x 2 ½”. Keep the excess pieces. Then take a 2” x 4 ½” piece of chipboard and cover one side with ½” x 6” strips. Trim off excess. Draw a circle on blank side of chipboard and cut out with a craft knife.
• Then glue on hinges—the two 1” x 4 ½”, and the two 1” x 2”. If the hinge covers part of the circle cutout, just trim it.
• Now glue the 2 ½” x 4 ½” piece of chipboard you cut down (from the doorway) onto what will be the front of your toilet—on one of the 4 ½” hinges.
• Take two 2” hinges and glue them on to each end of the front part of your toilet (on the backside of the front piece).
• Now glue the corners (one of each side of the top of the toilet) to the front hinges. This will keep the toilet more sturdy when you are trying to fit and glue it inside the outhouse.
• Make sure you let the glue dry so it doesn’t come apart while you are trying to fit it inside the outhouse.

Step 13: Attaching the Toilet to Inside of Outhouse

• Make a mark on the back/inside of the outhouse about 2” up from the bottom of the outhouse. This is so you can line up the toilet properly with the bottom of the outhouse.
• Now put glue on the toilet hinges, and fit into the outhouse lining up the bottom of the front of the toilet with the bottom of the outhouse.
• With the left over wood covered piece you have from the toilet, you should be able to cut 2 strips off of it.

Step 14: Attach Braces to Door

• Now glue the strips onto your door. If you have the crescent moon cut out already, then just make sure not to cover that. (I did mine ass-backwards. I put the strips on the door before I cut out the crescent--note to self: makes it harder to cut out).

Step 15: Attaching the Roof and Base

• Now to attach the roof. Put glue around the edges of the roof of the outhouse, and place the roof on.
• Finally to put the bottom on just put glue around the bottom of the outhouse and place the bottom piece on.

Step 16: Making the Toilet Paper Roll

• To make the toilet paper roll, unfold a 10” strip of seam binding and cut along one fold. One of those folded strips will be your toilet paper.
• Ink both sides of the strips with some distress ink like vintage photo, or tattered rose.
• You can now make your toilet paper roll to fit inside the outhouse. Just take it in between your fingers and start rolling it up.
• Roll up, but leave about an inch or two hanging down. Glue to keep from unrolling.
• Take a 6” piece of wire and create a small loop. This will be to stop the miniature toilet paper roll from sliding off the wire.
• Slip the miniature toilet paper roll onto the wire til it stops at the loop.
• Twist the wire around to form a kind of backwards “S”. Then trim off excess wire and glue the wire onto the inside of your outhouse.

You are now finished your outhouse!