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HOEHN: One idea was to recreate the cardboard playhouses that I had made for my kids years ago from furniture boxes. Kids obviously love playing in cardboard boxes, but I didn’t want the big, plain boxes in our main living space for any length of time. Instead, I painted one with colors I loved, glued on shingles, trim, and a roof and turned it into a cute little house. The kids were obsessed with it and it was so fun to watch their imaginations go wild in their tiny house (plus, I liked the look of it!). Once the three of us agreed on this idea, we didn’t look back and it became so much more than I could have ever imagined. It took us two years to design and produce the perfect playhouse and it was all worth it because we think what we’ve created is pretty special.

SEYFRIED: Our commitment and dedication to sustainability, style, and ease of use [is what sets Make It Cute apart]. We are uncompromising when it comes to these three pillars of our brand. The three of us have been best friends for over 30 years and we all have kids around the same age. Our shared values as mothers and founders are really the driving force in making responsible choices as a business. It was a long road to get here, but I believe that the love and passion that we put into building these playhouses is evident as soon as they emerge from their box. I’m so happy to have the opportunity to further give back to the planet through our partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Project. This relationship has been really important to me and they’re an incredible organization. Not only are our playhouses made from recycled materials, but they’re also recyclable and a tree is planted for every playhouse purchased through our partnership with EDO.

SEYFRIED: “We are fans of neutrals and subtle pops of color, so we really wanted the playhouses to feel neutral enough to fit into anybody’s home but also feel beautifully elevated. Our playhouse designs are based on architectural styles that we love. The Cottage was inspired by the beautiful architecture and greenery in New England, and the Modern Farmhouse was inspired by the popular white siding and black window look that we also love. We pulled together endless inspiration images and worked with the very talented Sophia Vincent Guy to bring our designs to life detail by detail through her hand-illustrations. The playhouses are wonderful vehicles from which kids can explore and create their own Make It Cute worlds.

NORTH: “I’m constantly teaching my kids that the earth is a living system and I work to involve them into many of the choices I make at home. A big thing for me is buying toys and children’s products second-hand as often as possible. My friends all know that I love online second-hand marketplaces. It is more time-consuming to shop this way than to buy new, but it is worth it for our planet. All three of us (Amanda, Anne, and I) try to live by the motto of less is more especially as it comes to toys. Creating the Make It Cute playhouse has helped us live by this motto because when you have a toy as entertaining as our playhouse, it really minimizes the need for many other toys. As soon as you bring your Make It Cute playhouse home, you’ll see how the toys you already have become ‘new’ again as kids turn the playhouse into grocery stores, car garages, and sleepover parties. Some of the other seemingly small but impactful things that my family and I do at home are to choose non-toxic products, run a cold wash cycle instead of warm or hot to decrease the amount of energy utilized by the washer, pick up trash and avoid single use plastic. My family, friends, and I LOVE arranging local beach clean-ups as it’s another great way to get the whole family involved. More to come from Make It Cute on beach clean-ups and how you can join in!

HOEHN: Like Amanda said before, the three pillars of our brand are sustainability, style, and ease of use. We feel that parents and caregivers of little kids already have enough on their plate, and we are committed to providing products that make it easy to make responsible choices for our homes and planet (and that look pretty cute too!). Follow Make It Cute for new playhouse styles, accessories, and exciting collabs coming out very soon!