Smudge Sagrada Familia
A giant cardboard cathedral for collaborative mosaic play.
The Set Up
The Sagrada Familia is still being built, more than a century after construction began, which feels like the ultimate reminder that big creative visions can take time.
This art experience is about scale, collaboration, and letting children contribute in a way that feels immediate and satisfying. Paint swatches are perfect for this because they are already gorgeous, already curated, and kids can focus on choice and placement rather than mixing colour from scratch.
Build your cardboard “cathedral” first. We were lucky to score a huge box from the mechanic behind Smudge, and giant cardboard pieces make it so fun to create a big structure. We used Make Do screws to join pieces so it was strong and reusable, but tape or hot glue works too.
Cut out arched windows so you can bring the stained glass feeling in.
The Making
You can offer PVA glue in small pots for kids to brush and place swatches carefully. But we also love using sticky contact taped to the cardboard with the sticky side facing out. It means even the tiniest artists can pick up a swatch and slap it on, and they feel like they’re truly part of building the installation.
Sometimes we use our old projector to shine coloured light through the window shapes, or project colour onto the wall behind, as a nod to stained glass.
I love observing the choices here and supporting kids to trust their instincts and not overthink. Any colour can go anywhere! Overlapping like real tiles. Leaving gaps. Building density in one area and calm in another. It becomes this big, beautiful patchwork of personality. I think Gaudi would be very proud.
And a little Smudge secret, our cathedral was a rocket the week before for Outer Space. Using installations in multiple ways only supports imagination and problem solving. Double the love!
Variations
Make it a cubby kids can crawl into and “decorate” from inside and out.
Add a tray of mirror pieces or cellophane shapes for extra stained glass sparkle.
Limit swatches to one colour family and see what happens when the palette is constrained.
Materials
• Large cardboard pieces
• Tape, hot glue, or Make Do connectors
• Paint swatches (cut into smaller squares and rectangles)
• Contact paper (optional but amazing)
• PVA glue and brushes (optional alternative)
• Scissors or box cutter for windows
• Projector (optional)
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Smudge Sagrada Familia
A giant cardboard cathedral for collaborative mosaic play.
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Installations
The Set Up
The Sagrada Familia is still being built, more than a century after construction began, which feels like the ultimate reminder that big creative visions can take time.
This art experience is about scale, collaboration, and letting children contribute in a way that feels immediate and satisfying. Paint swatches are perfect for this because they are already gorgeous, already curated, and kids can focus on choice and placement rather than mixing colour from scratch.
Build your cardboard “cathedral” first. We were lucky to score a huge box from the mechanic behind Smudge, and giant cardboard pieces make it so fun to create a big structure. We used Make Do screws to join pieces so it was strong and reusable, but tape or hot glue works too.
Cut out arched windows so you can bring the stained glass feeling in.
The Making
You can offer PVA glue in small pots for kids to brush and place swatches carefully. But we also love using sticky contact taped to the cardboard with the sticky side facing out. It means even the tiniest artists can pick up a swatch and slap it on, and they feel like they’re truly part of building the installation.
Sometimes we use our old projector to shine coloured light through the window shapes, or project colour onto the wall behind, as a nod to stained glass.
I love observing the choices here and supporting kids to trust their instincts and not overthink. Any colour can go anywhere! Overlapping like real tiles. Leaving gaps. Building density in one area and calm in another. It becomes this big, beautiful patchwork of personality. I think Gaudi would be very proud.
And a little Smudge secret, our cathedral was a rocket the week before for Outer Space. Using installations in multiple ways only supports imagination and problem solving. Double the love!
Variations
Make it a cubby kids can crawl into and “decorate” from inside and out.
Add a tray of mirror pieces or cellophane shapes for extra stained glass sparkle.
Limit swatches to one colour family and see what happens when the palette is constrained.
Materials
• Large cardboard pieces
• Tape, hot glue, or Make Do connectors
• Paint swatches (cut into smaller squares and rectangles)
• Contact paper (optional but amazing)
• PVA glue and brushes (optional alternative)
• Scissors or box cutter for windows
• Projector (optional)
Back to Top
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Thoughts?
Would love to hear if youv'e tried this or have any ideas on how to make it even better!
