Savvy Mum Creates Incredible Superhero Toy House For Under £25 Thanks To Ebay
- Charlotte Hill, 31, wanted to gift her four-year-old a toy house on a budget
- She found an old dolls house on ebay for £5.50 and transformed it for £17
- Charlotte used tester paints and Modpodge to get the look
If your child is asking for something unaffordable for Christmas, don’t despair: you might be able to make it yourself on a budget.
Charlotte Hill, 31, a married mum of two and facilities and services manager from Yarnton, Oxfordshire, did just that as a gift for her son’s birthday, spending less than £25.
When Charlotte’s son asked for a toy house for his fourth birthday, she was determined to give him the toy house of his dreams, but didn’t want to spend a fortune for online options which can cost over £100.
Instead, Charlotte bought an old dolls house on ebay for just £5.50, and set about transforming it into an epic superhero house with tester paints, with a PJ Masks top floor, a Marvel middle floor and a Batman ground floor.
Charlotte told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I came up with the idea from posts I had seen on Facebook. When my son said he wanted a toy house, there were no houses in any stores that would have suited him and his toys.
"I found the dolls house on ebay with the furniture. I searched ‘dolls house’, looked through a few and saw this one was £5 so bid 50p on top and forgot about it. I received a message the next day to say I'd won!
“Once it arrived, I set about taking it apart to slide the backs out which meant we had more space to paint.
"The paints we used were normal wall paint tester pots we picked up from Homebase and we used paintbrushes from our kids' paint sets!
"The biggest expense was using ModPodge for the glue and as a sealant for the wrapping paper I used on the stairs and one wall.
"For the middle floor, my husband just copied Avengers pics off the Internet and then the ground floor was from memory!
"He's been the talent really - I did the outside, inner walls, stairs and flooring.
“The wrapping paper I already had, and the carpet on the ground floor was a leftover piece from my mum's house.
"The total cost of renovation for the dolls house was approximately £17 and the house itself was £5.50.
"I feel really proud of what we've managed to achieve, spending less than £25 in total.
"It made it feel more personal for our son, tailoring it to his likes and allowing him the space to play with his superheroes.
"It may not have been easier than buying an expensive one of course, but it felt good to be able to only have a small budget yet give him what he really wanted for his birthday!”
Charlotte was delighted with the final look of her toy house - and needless to say, so was her son.
"We feel so proud of what we created, and it took us two days to do!” she adds.
“We spread this time apart of course, only when my mum was able to have the boys so we could do it in peace and secret.
“When my son saw the house, he was absolutely over the moon. 'Best toy house ever!' were his words.
“The main tips I have for anyone doing this is that no matter how uncreative you feel, your kids will love it.
"This kind of project helps you bring your kids' dreams to life, and during lockdown, it helps give something for your mind to concentrate on.
"While we were able to go into Homebase to buy the paints, I'm sure you could also buy them online if the stores close!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “With Christmas coming up and coronavirus severely affecting gift budgets, this kind of project is heartwarming and helpful to see!
“Charlotte has given her son the toy house of his dreams - and not only has she saved herself a pretty penny, she’s also designed the toy house to suit the exact interest and whims of her son. Genius!”
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