Mum transforms home into giant CHOCOLATE HOUSE
- last year
A mum has transformed her home into a giant chocolate house – and spent five weeks making her creation.
Carmen Croxall, 35, decided to make her rented home look like it was made of chocolate and spent five weeks making ‘chocolate bricks’, 12 huge daffodils, a picket fence and an Easter bunny.
The mum-of-two is known for transforming her property into a gingerbread house for Christmas 2022, creating a Valentine’s Day love heart display in February but said this creation will likely be her last.
Exhausted from her projects Carmen said she is worried about the “pressure” of creating something better and wants a “rest”.
Carmen used MDF to create the 200 chocolate squares which now cover her home, surplus foil purchased from a food factory for the fake foil and made the daffodils using a plastic water jug, electric wire, yellow duct tape and yellow nylon and fabric.
The project, made from mostly recycled materials or purchases from local businesses, cost her £898.50.
Carmen, owner of the Prop Factory, from Exeter, Devon, said: “I love the daffodils so much.
“When I told my partner I was making 12 he asked why don’t I just make two or three, but I think what makes them exciting to look at is the volume of them and my front garden is tiny - it’s bordering on ridiculous which I love.
“I do it all for me and I think that is what makes my content authentic.”
Carmen started to plan her Easter house three months ago, but spent five weeks making and installing the chocolate house.
She printed 200 chocolate squares, easter eggs and the 5ft chocolate bunny on MDF costing £320, and bought £5 scrap foil packaging to decorate the roof of her house.
Her giant daffodils cost £212.50 in total and are made from a plastic jug, electrical wire, yellow polyester lining fabric and nylon, duct tape, reused cushion stuffing, pipe cleaner and garden wire for the leaves.
She created a picket fence around her garden using old bed slats and pallet wood for £120.
Carmen tries to use recycled materials where she can – using off-cuts from previous projects to save on the cost.
She said: “This time round I knew technically three months in advance I was going to do it so I had more time to think about ideas.
“It took five weeks solid to make everything. However I spent more time on the things I plan to keep as a permanent fixture like the picket fence, and I made sure the daffodils were made really well too.
“Sewing the roof took five hours and making the daffodils took over a week.
“I repurpose as much as it again as possible.
“Also a lot of my materials are bought second-hand or salvaged in the first place.
“My gingerbread house is going to a local shopping centre to be made into a carnival float, my loveheart display is being made into a loveheart wall in my office.”
Carmen says her neighbours have been welcoming of her crazy designs.
She said: “The community as a whole are totally amazing, I often post in a community forum with updates and everyone comments the most amazing things, it makes me so happy.
“My 13-year-old doesn’t like what I do to the house. He tends to stay in his room out the way, his windows are covered now by a huge sheet of tin foil so he is well hidden.
“My three-year-old probably thinks everything I do is normal as it is all he has ever known, just me constantly decorating, painting and crafting. He loves helping me and is starting to pick up on things like the names of things I use like ‘cable ties’ and ‘pompoms’.
“He is very hands on and sits on my lap while I’m sewing, helping me guide the fabric and also loves painting.”
Despite the success of her projects, Carmen thinks this new design will be her last.
She said: “I feel maybe this might be the last extreme house transformation I’ll do.
“Firstly because I’ve started to worry that whatever I do next might not be as good, and I think I will put so much pressure on myself to make it even better.
“I actually felt stressed for a few weeks creating the Easter house because of the pressure I created for myself.
“Making three themed house displays consecutively has meant there is a lot of tidying to be done.
"It's nice to go out with a bang."
Carmen Croxall, 35, decided to make her rented home look like it was made of chocolate and spent five weeks making ‘chocolate bricks’, 12 huge daffodils, a picket fence and an Easter bunny.
The mum-of-two is known for transforming her property into a gingerbread house for Christmas 2022, creating a Valentine’s Day love heart display in February but said this creation will likely be her last.
Exhausted from her projects Carmen said she is worried about the “pressure” of creating something better and wants a “rest”.
Carmen used MDF to create the 200 chocolate squares which now cover her home, surplus foil purchased from a food factory for the fake foil and made the daffodils using a plastic water jug, electric wire, yellow duct tape and yellow nylon and fabric.
The project, made from mostly recycled materials or purchases from local businesses, cost her £898.50.
Carmen, owner of the Prop Factory, from Exeter, Devon, said: “I love the daffodils so much.
“When I told my partner I was making 12 he asked why don’t I just make two or three, but I think what makes them exciting to look at is the volume of them and my front garden is tiny - it’s bordering on ridiculous which I love.
“I do it all for me and I think that is what makes my content authentic.”
Carmen started to plan her Easter house three months ago, but spent five weeks making and installing the chocolate house.
She printed 200 chocolate squares, easter eggs and the 5ft chocolate bunny on MDF costing £320, and bought £5 scrap foil packaging to decorate the roof of her house.
Her giant daffodils cost £212.50 in total and are made from a plastic jug, electrical wire, yellow polyester lining fabric and nylon, duct tape, reused cushion stuffing, pipe cleaner and garden wire for the leaves.
She created a picket fence around her garden using old bed slats and pallet wood for £120.
Carmen tries to use recycled materials where she can – using off-cuts from previous projects to save on the cost.
She said: “This time round I knew technically three months in advance I was going to do it so I had more time to think about ideas.
“It took five weeks solid to make everything. However I spent more time on the things I plan to keep as a permanent fixture like the picket fence, and I made sure the daffodils were made really well too.
“Sewing the roof took five hours and making the daffodils took over a week.
“I repurpose as much as it again as possible.
“Also a lot of my materials are bought second-hand or salvaged in the first place.
“My gingerbread house is going to a local shopping centre to be made into a carnival float, my loveheart display is being made into a loveheart wall in my office.”
Carmen says her neighbours have been welcoming of her crazy designs.
She said: “The community as a whole are totally amazing, I often post in a community forum with updates and everyone comments the most amazing things, it makes me so happy.
“My 13-year-old doesn’t like what I do to the house. He tends to stay in his room out the way, his windows are covered now by a huge sheet of tin foil so he is well hidden.
“My three-year-old probably thinks everything I do is normal as it is all he has ever known, just me constantly decorating, painting and crafting. He loves helping me and is starting to pick up on things like the names of things I use like ‘cable ties’ and ‘pompoms’.
“He is very hands on and sits on my lap while I’m sewing, helping me guide the fabric and also loves painting.”
Despite the success of her projects, Carmen thinks this new design will be her last.
She said: “I feel maybe this might be the last extreme house transformation I’ll do.
“Firstly because I’ve started to worry that whatever I do next might not be as good, and I think I will put so much pressure on myself to make it even better.
“I actually felt stressed for a few weeks creating the Easter house because of the pressure I created for myself.
“Making three themed house displays consecutively has meant there is a lot of tidying to be done.
"It's nice to go out with a bang."