1Prepare the box.

I used a shoebox with an attached lid and kept the lid open for additional space. To keep the lid permanently open, use a glue gun to attach craft sticks or any rigid material along the box's hinge.

2Paint the outside of the box.

Position the box so that it stands on its lid. The lid will be your diorama's front yard and the box will be the house's front porch.

Using acrylic paint, paint the outside of the box with whatever color you want your house to be. Set the box aside to dry.

3Make some paper animals.

Keeping the size of your box house in mind, draw and color your favorite pets on cardstock. You can also search for online images and print them out on cardstock.

Before cutting out the animals, draw bottom tabs on each one. This will allow you to position and attach the animals to the box. Cut out the animals.

4Cover the walls with paper.

Cut paper to cover the inside walls of your box. I made two layers of paper on mine. The first layer is for the interior of the house. You can draw furniture, pets and people on it. The second layer is the house's outside walls. You can cut out a door and some windows on it so that one can take a peek inside the house.

5Draw a pair of porch railings.

If you want to create railings for the front porch, measure the box height and draw a rectangular porch frame on construction paper or cardstock. Draw top, bottom, and side tabs.

Make an identical second porch railing, this time the side tabs should be on the opposite side. This way you come up with a pair of porch railings that can be glued onto the right and left side of your box house.

6Cut out the porch railings.

Cut out the pair of paper porch railings. Fold the tabs.

7Glue the porch railings.

Position the pair of paper railings on the front section of your box—one on the right side and the other on the left side.

Glue the top tab on the box ceiling, the bottom tab onto the bottom of the box, and the side tabs onto the side walls of the box.

8Cover the ground.

Cut paper to glue onto the bottom of the box. I cut green paper to create a grassy ground on the front yard and brown paper for the flooring on the front porch. To add texture, I glued some fine aquarium pebbles to create a path on the lawn.

9Create a paper roof.

Draw a large triangle roof on construction paper. The base should be as wide as your box width. Draw a tab at the bottom so that you can glue the roof on top of the box. Cut out the triangle, including the bottom tab.

Position the paper roof on top of your box. Glue the bottom tab onto the box. For extra support, prop it up with a Z-shaped paper tab.

To make a Z-shaped tab, cut out a rectangular strip of cardboard or cardstock. Fold an inch on one end and fold the other end the opposite way. Glue one folded end onto the back of the paper roof and the other end onto the top of the box.

10Decorate the roof.

Glue a pair of paper strips onto the sloped edges of the roof. You can also create an attic window or a chimney by cutting basic paper shapes and gluing them onto the roof.

11Add details.

Add other objects to your diorama using paper and some recycled items. Check out these ideas:

a.)  Bushes - make some green colored cotton to create fluffy bushes. You can also scrunch up some green crepe paper strips into a loose ball and glue it onto the ground as a bush.

Find more ideas for making plants and trees for your diorama.

b.)  Bird bath - glue a plastic bottle cap on one end of a wine cork. Glue the other end of the cork onto your diorama.

c.)  Door mat - cut out an easy door mat out of paper or fabric. Glue it close to your diorama's door.

d.)  Bench - cut the bottom of a small flat box as shown in the photo. Paint it with acrylic paint. Glue some craft sticks on top of the bench. Place the bench on your diorama's front porch.