Cardboard Washer and Dryer

Last month I made a post about a cardboard washing machine. I went to check on Princess Little upstairs and discovered her using her training potty as a washing machine for her doll clothes. Gross! So I told her we could make her one from a cardboard box. I was feeling a little under the weather that day and I just used a sharpie to draw the buttons on the front. I wasn't sure I could paint it because of the tape holding the box closed and I was at a loss on what to do. Well, my friend, Queen Sallie (from a kingdom far, far away) suggested I cover it with contact paper. Her idea was nothing less than brilliant! Fast forward about two weeks...I should have seen it coming...Princess Big put water in the washing machine! Needless to say, it was ruined. Oh well, it gave me an excuse to make a matching washer and dryer.

I started by taping the box closed and then wrapped it in contact paper. I used a small mixing bowl to trace a circle on the front. Then I used an X-Acto knife to cut it out leaving about 1/3 of the circle so they would open like the doors of my machine. I have a front loading machine and Princess Little wanted it to look just like mine.

Next, I used a piece of cardstock and paint pens to make the different cycles and times. Using rubber cement I glued the labels onto the boxes. When the glue was dry I used my knife again to cut a small x in the center of each one.

At Hobby Lobby I found these wooden toy wheels that are about 2 inches in diameter. I used the paint pen to draw the black pointer on the smooth side. At the hardware store I got these #10 1inch nut and bolt. Then I stuck the bolt through the wheel and then through the small x in the box. After that I screwed the nut on with my hand. Not too tight so that the wheel would spin easily. For the door handle, I used another wheel but this time I flipped it over and attached it in the same way as the others. I did tighten the handle more so that it wouldn't spin.

Here you go! A matching washer/dryer. If only they could wash their own clothes...