A Real House Of Cards

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The kids have spent the better part of the last few days whispering about a surprise.  My son was especially excited,  "WAIT until you see it Mom!  It's amazing!!" I begged for more information, but both kids ignored my pleas and told me that I'd have to wait. The plan hatched a couple of days ago under their oh-so-cool fort that our summer sitter, Bonnie, helped them make with her mad construction skills.  Apparently, the original plan was to hang out and play cards in their fort.  However our "puppy" decided he'd prefer the eat some of the cards and they were left with an incomplete deck.  Now what to do?

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Fortunately, Bonnie is a quick thinker and decided it would be fun to use what was left of the deck to build something useful; a real house of cards!  This is incredibly easy to replicate, so I've summarized the details below.  Aside from the playing cards, all you need are scissors, a glue gun, and an active imagination. (You don't need a yellow puppy to chew up some of the cards to get you started, FYI)

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There's not much to the building process, really.  First decide what you want to make.  (In the pictures below, my daughter was working on a bed). Then, glue the pieces together in the appropriate spots using a glue gun.  Be sure to glue both sides of the card to hold it in place well.

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Don't worry about making it pretty and perfect.  Dolls and Squinkies aren't demanding.

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DO think about the details.  For instance, this Squinkie needs a pillow and a privacy screen!

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This construction continued for hours as Bonnie and the kids built a three story house complete with stairways and furniture.

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The top floor has a very comfortable media room with a TV that, if scaled, would be about the size of an IMAX theater.  The crowd is apparently hooked on Game of Thrones.

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Meanwhile, on the first floor, Buzz Lightyear has been monopolizing the loo.  With the crowd of staring Squinkies, I'm guessing there's more than a little performance anxiety.

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Every home needs a garage, right?  For the squinkies, they've got one shaped like a pyramid.

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Of course, since it's been such a hot summer, you must have a pool with a slide!

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With all of the construction, the kids thought it was important to give their creation a name.  And finally, it was time for the big reveal!  The kids gave complete tours of Squinkyvile and we all decided that it was a fine, fine place to live. The next time we're trapped inside by oppressive heat or rainy days, the building will most assuredly continue.  As long as we've got a puppy to make packs of playing cards incomplete, enough glue, and plenty of imagination, we'll be good to go.  What materials do you use when you build villages?