DIY Elf on the Shelf House

I loved making this DIY Elf on the Shelf house with my daughter. I have to admit, I wasn’t thrilled to hop on the Elf on the Shelf bandwagon.

I saw all of the amazing and funny things that The Elf does on Pinterest and it seemed like a lot of work. But we do a lot of things that we never think we will do once we have kids. 🙂

I partnered with #AtHomeStores to share #MyReason for celebrating this holiday season.

I bought my daughter an elf last year and this will be our second Christmas with him in our home. My daughter is only two so he just moves from one spot to another, nothing too crazy. She doesn’t really grasp the concept yet, she just wants to play with him more than anything.

I thought it would be fun to do a little craft project together and make a little Elf on the Shelf house for him to sleep in. He will have his own little spot to sleep before he gets up to any shenanigans.

I went to my local At Home store to purchase some supplies. They have aisles and aisles of holiday decor and accessories that I was able to get everything I needed in one stop. Plus, the prices can’t be beat.

RELATED POSTS:

• 10 Adorable DIY Kid’s Christmas Ornaments
• How to Save Money for Christmas Right Now
• Non-Toy Gift Ideas for Kids that have Everything

DIY Elf on the Shelf House

I had an old boot shoe box that was large enough to be a house for our elf. You can also use an small cardboard box if you have one. Some of the items I bought from At Home were:

• peppermint candy wrapping paper to cover the box.
• small stocking to be his bed.
• Christmas tree candle, because he needs his own tree.
• little gift boxes to put under the tree.
• beaded garland for some flair.

I just wrapped the box with the wrapping paper and used some tape that I had on hand to attach the garland to the front of the house, you could always use craft glue if you have it.

I tried to hang a cute little jingle star ornament on the back wall but it kept falling off. I ended up just hanging that on our tree. No craft project I ever do turns out perfect. 🙂

My daughter loved helping me put the tree in the Elf on the Shelf house and give him some presents to open on Christmas morning. She thinks it is so fun to put him to bed at night in his little stocking.

It has become a part of our bedtime routine. We put The Elf to bed and then she gets ready for her own.

I think The Elf is a great part of our Christmas tradition. As long as you don’t stress about having a Pinterest perfect Elf, it can be a lot of fun. We wouldn’t have been able to do this little Elf on the Shelf house project together without him.

I love making these new memories and traditions with my little girl. To me that is the real gift of Christmas, getting to spend time together and see the magic of Christmas through her little eyes.

I will move The Elf a million times for that!