In this video I’m building the exterior for Charlotte’s little fold-up cottage using a tiny 4x6 cardboard shipping box that came in the mail—because honestly, my favorite craft supply is “free.” I walk you through how I turned plain cardboard into a cottage front with windows, a roof, chimneys, and lots of texture, but with two big rules: no hot glue, and no egg carton stones. I’m still learning as I go, so you’ll see my real-time decisions, the little “oops” moments, and the fixes that actually worked. For the stonework, I used found bark instead of the usual egg carton method, and it gave me that chunky, natural cottage look without a ton of fuss. I also show how I made simple window frames from coffee stir sticks, added window “glass” from scrap plastic, and used Mod Podge as my main glue. For the roof details, I mixed synthetic turf with real sage flowers, then added extra mossy texture to the back using a homemade blend (dried moss, floral foam, synthetic turf, and dried lavender). If you’re building along with me, the big takeaway is: upcycled materials can look surprisingly “finished” when you layer texture and keep everything lightweight for a fold-up house.