Sweetbriar Sisters

Adorable Sewing Patterns

How to Make a Christmas Tree Elf House

As soon as I decided to make a family of Christmas elves, I started imagining where they would live and what their house would look like. Because every doll needs a little house full of tiny furniture and tiny things. (well, at least to me they do!) I can’t even tell you how excited I was to find this Christmas Tree Shelf. It was as if it was just waiting to be made into a magical Christmas elf home.

I made these miniature elves to use as our version of Elf on the Shelf. And I know that the traditional Elf on the Shelf is not to be touched during the day. But the elves in our house work a little differently. I have such fond memories of getting lost in the imaginary world that I shared with my dolls. I want these elves to share that same magic. (Nothing against the traditional Elf on the Shelf set up- that certainly holds its own amazing magic on its own!) I want to create memories sitting in front of the tree, getting lost in the imaginary world of a family of Christmas elves. And for that, I really wanted to make a little house and fill it with magical things.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a master wood worker

I’m no master wood worker. I’m lucky to be married to a project guy, so we have a lot of tools readily available, which is nice. But when it comes to actually using power tools, I don’t trust myself much. I really loved that this unfinished shelf came preassembled and I could basically just glue and paint. Unfortunately, the shelf I found is no longer available for sale. (I got it from an Etsy seller in the UK.) But there are plenty of wooden Christmas Tree shelves available that could easily be transformed into an elf house. And if you ARE a master wood worker, I’ve even come across some plans you could purchase to make your own. (I haven’t tried these and am not an affiliate or anything. I’m just sharing in case it helps get your started.)

After I found my shelf, I spent a few evenings gluing and painting to make it look like a home. I love the texture created by gluing popsicle stick ‘shiplap’ walls and siding. Most of the cuts were done with scissors (I did use a hand saw to cut the square wood dowels for the windows and door.) and simply glued onto the shelf with wood glue. Not a lot of hammering. No power tools necessary. My kind of wood project.

How to Make Your Own Christmas Tree Dollhouse

If you’d like to try one yourself, here’s what you’ll need (these links are affiliate links)

I made a video of myself making the house so you could see how I did it. Obviously, using a different shelf will make the process a little different, but the basic concepts should carry over from one style to another. My hope is that it helps you create a little bit of Holiday Magic for yourself.