I’m fond of handmade presents. Every year I think of creative gift ideas for our boys and then attempt to persuade my husband to make them happen. DIY projects have appealed to him only during the past few years, and at times I still struggle to convince him to take on one of these projects.
At the same time, I feel that Christmas and birthdays do not provide enough occasions for all the ideas I have in mind. I like working on DIY projects with my hubby, although we invariably complete them at the very last minute.
The looks on the children’s faces when they receive these presents are priceless. They make us feel joyful and proud, even though we sometimes need to let Santa and his elves take the credit. That happened with the DIY superhero house we built last Christmas.
DIY Superhero house
Someone once asked me what a superhero house actually was. To be honest, it is simply a dollhouse designed for boys.
It follows the same construction principles and is furnished with charming little pieces and accessories. The sole distinction is that superheroes, rather than dolls, are the ones who live there.
If your child loves dinosaurs, you could turn it into a dinosaur house or create any other kind of home you can imagine. Paw Patrol house, Ninja house…The options are limitless.
I came up with the idea for a DIY superhero house after discovering this charming dollhouse. I enjoyed it so much that I sent the link to my husband, who followed the tutorial to build ours. The one modification was splitting the main floor into two sections, with a wall dividing the kitchen and dining space.
As my husband constructed the house, I worked on making the superheroes. I bought a bag of wooden peg dolls and painted them by hand. If I had realized how time-consuming it would be, I may have purchased the superheroes from Etsy instead.
I enjoy painting, but having the right supplies is essential when handling such tiny details. For example, fine-tipped paint brushes. I did not own any, so I managed with ordinary paint brushes.
After finishing the superheroes, I began decorating the house. I purchased kitchen and dining room furnishingsalong with family room furnishings. My hubby built the two beds, while I stitched two small pillows and blankets.
I created wall art as decoration for the space above both beds as well. Since one of my boys loves Batman and the other prefers Spider-Man, one bed was decorated for Batman and the other for his companion.
Each child has a separate superhero set so there are no arguments about who is playing with which character, but I created only one Batman and one Spider-Man. I also remembered to put each boy’s initial on the underside of his superheroes.
This was our first attempt at making a handmade present for them to share. Even though each child received another gift too, we were somewhat anxious about how sharing it would work. Thankfully, it has gone smoothly throughout all these months since last Christmas, and they continue to play with their superhero house.