You can use thin wood such as 1/16" thick bass found here:http://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Wood-Crafting/Unfinished-Wood/1/1/16%22-x-4%22-x-24%22-4%22-Wide-Basswood-Sheets/p/29804 or you could use cardboard. You'll need paint and glue as well. I use Aleene's all purpose glue.
The front of the mailbox is a 1" square. The back of the mailbox is 1" wide x 1 3/5" tall.
The bottom of the mailbox is 5/8" x 1".
The top of the mailbox is 1/2" x 1"long.
The sides are 1 3/8" long x 3/8"wide. (If you want a slimmer mailbox make the sides 2/8" wide.)
To cut an angle easily for the sides I put the side between the front and back of the mailbox. Draw a line and you've got your perfect angle.
I also have a little strip of wood to add to the front of the mailbox purely for esthetics. This is just a 1/16" x 1".
Glue the sides to the back of the mailbox. Notice the side is glued on top of the back panel.
Glue the front of the mailbox on top of the side edges.
Glue the bottom of the mailbox . Notice the bottom sticks out a little with a lip on the front of the mailbox. Just to make a little more detail.
The top will be next. It will be glued on in an open position so you can have mail showing inside.
And finally, glue the little strip of wood near the top of the front.
Sand the mailbox edges with a fine grit sand paper. Paint the entire mailbox. I chose white latex paint.
I used a brown ink pad to age the mailbox.
You can add decorative touches. I put 4 petal shapes with a grey marker and outlined part of them with a black marker to look like a cutout. I also added a little sign which I printed out.
The last step is to put mail in your box. I made my mailbox a little larger so I could fit a little package in there. You can put mail, magazines, rolled up newspapers, old photos, recipes.
That's all there is to it! Give it a try. It's very easy to do and it adds so much cuteness to your dollhouse.
hugs♥,