Most years we’re racing the clock finishing Clara’s homemade Christmas present—sometimes literally with things drying in the garage on Christmas Eve—and this year was no different. The best part, though, is seeing her enjoy it afterward, so we love sharing photos of her with the finished gift. Meet Clara’s new figurine cubby.
She absolutely loves it.
We brainstormed a few ideas this year—a tool workshop, a fruit stand, a cardboard playhouse—but realized Clara still gets lots of use from the larger handmade pieces we’ve made before, like her play kitchen, refrigerator, dollhouse, and train board, which stay out around the house. So we wanted something smaller that wouldn’t take up floor space.
Clara has a big interest in small figures—animals, tiny fairies, Lego people, even plastic ninjas and dragons—so we decided to make a wall-hanging box with cubbies to store and display her collection. We also personalized it with fabric from her photo project that she had picked out earlier (without knowing what it would be used for), so she had a hand in customizing the surprise.
We chose a spot on her wall beneath her blue clock since she already likes placing figures on the small clock ledge. A 13″ x 17″ box seemed to fit nicely there, so we sketched a few shelf layouts. Initially we considered uniform cubbies, but wanted to accommodate different toy sizes, so we designed a mix of cubby sizes to let Clara group some toys while keeping others separate.
After settling on a plan, we bought 1/2″ craft boards from Home Depot—about $20 including extras for mistakes—and cut the top, bottom, sides, and various divider pieces.
We partially assembled the outer frame first using wood glue and 1/2″ brad nails. To keep corners square while nailing, John held the pieces against a box corner to brace them together during nailing.
Before finishing the interior, we tested the cubby sizes with Clara’s toys and adjusted the layout where needed. That meant cutting a few extra pieces to make everything fit right.
We built from the bottom up, setting vertical dividers with a spacer, glue, and nails, then adding the first horizontal shelf and securing it from the top. After letting that dry overnight we added the next row the same way.
With the interior in place we attached the final outer frame piece and added a thin scrap of plywood as the back, cut to size on our table saw and secured with glue and nails—much like the back panels on ready-to-assemble bookcases.
We primed once and painted two coats of Simply White in semi-gloss. In hindsight it would’ve been easier to paint some pieces before attaching the back, but the finished white looked clean and fresh.
Next came the fun part: letting Clara pick the fabrics. She immediately chose the flamingo fabric and quickly dismissed many others with a decisive “nope” or “next!” We decided to add fabric to about half the cubbies so the design wouldn’t feel too busy.
On Christmas Eve I made paper templates for the cubby backs to cut the fabric accurately. Instead of starch, I used Mod Podge to adhere the fabric: painting the Mod Podge on the cubby back, placing the fabric, smoothing out wrinkles, and letting it dry. It set quickly and held securely—fast and fuss-free.
On Christmas morning Clara was thrilled. She loved that her small toys had a special place and recognized the fabric she’d picked the night before. It’s always great to involve kids in the process—the little details matter to them, and she beamed saying, “You remembered my flamingos!”
She uses the cubbies both as a home base for her figures and as part of play. Sometimes she stages “apartments” inside the cubbies and other times she pulls the toys out to play, then returns them when she’s done.
The project cost about $20 for the wood; if you don’t already have glue, paint, or Mod Podge it could add another $5–$20. To hang the cubby we attached two D-rings to the back and hung them on screws anchored in the wall for a secure mount.
Have you made any homemade gifts for kids recently? A few readers shared amazing play kitchens this season—hard to believe it’s been two years since we made Clara’s. Time really flies.
