Making a Squirrel Cafe

After watching videos of Squirrel obstacle courses on YouTube, I’ve been wanting to make a squirrel-related project of my own. With winter on the horizon and all the squirrels soon preparing for hibernation, wouldn’t it be great if they could start their day with a nice cup of figurative Jo? Or end their day with some nuts in the company of friends? (Spoiler: They aren’t very keen on sharing meals with friends) But it was then that I thought a Squirrel cafe would be pretty cool!

For this project you will need:

• Styrofoam
• Yarn/string
• Fabric
• Peel and stick tiles
• Wallpaper
• Fake/real plants
• Stones

• Pencil
• Rule
• Foam cutter
• Hot glue
• Pins

• Access to 3D printer (optional)

While you might need similar supplies as mine to get the same look, many can be substituted with other tools/materials 

I had a certain style I was going for and used google to look for inspiration. From the images, I was able to make sketches, combining the ideas I liked. It's a little crude but it's helpful to visualize with a simple image sometimes

One of the ideas that had to go was the seating. I had pictured little round tables that the squirrels would sit around, but I opted to use a design from thingiverse so I could focus on the sculpting. The design is in the form of benches and is meant to be hung up in a tree or fence, but I think it will do nicely. I used different color PLA and infill of 20% when printing. I also modified the design so I could print a bench that could hold water.

In hindsight, I should have used a different color besides white for the seating as they can get messy especially after it rains

Assembling the pieces is pretty easy and though they don’t need glue to assemble, I’d recommend doing it as you might have some rowdy patrons

I also wanted 3d lettering for the sign, so I made a design in a photo editor and imported it into the 3D slicer software where you can set the height you want the letters to be printed.

If you don’t have access to a 3D printer, it is also possible to make the seating and lettering using Styrofoam/foam-board. You will probably need to attach a weight so it's not too light though.

I first sketched out the shape in the styrofoam. I wanted the storefront to sit on my window ledge since my apartment is sunken in the ground and the window is at ground level, so I was particular about the dimensions. You may not need to mind the dimensions as much if you plan to place it elsewhere.

I did a freehand sketch of the curved ledge and once the shape looked right, I used the foam cutter to cut it out. Make sure to have good ventilation when using one.

I removed the area underneath the curve to make a ledge. I thought it would look fancier and I also dug out some foam from the center for a flower pot/stand.

I cut out 4cm thick sections for the pillars. I wanted them to partially sit on the base as well as hold up the sign. This would also help with stability. 

I cut a section from the bottom such that the bottom of the pillars can sit on the base and cut on the opposite side at the top where the sign will rest. (see image for reference)

For the sign I cut out a piece as long as the base and as thick as half the thickness of the pillars. (so it can rest flush with the pillar)

Using some scrap pieces of Styrofoam, I made some small wedge shapes that will be used to support the awning.

For the awning, which is the little tent, I got two different color fabrics to make a striped pattern. The main piece was measured to roughly the same area of the base, but you can adjust to what suits your style, and the stripes were cut to be a little longer than the main piece’s width.

Unfortunately I’m not much of a sewer, so I used superglue to attach the pieces together. Superglue didn’t adhere very well however and it made those areas of the fabric pretty stiff. If you have a more appropriate glue, or can sew I would recommend doing that instead.

But with the awning ready to be mounted, I got the two wedge shapes from earlier and attached them to the top of the pillars using hot glue. Then using some yarn and more hot glue, I made taut bridges between them. This is to keep the awning from drooping in the center. I used yarn because I had it lying around but if you want to use something that isn’t very elastic but if you do use yarn as well just make sure it’s taut when gluing it to the wedge, otherwise it may droop. If this happens you can carefully remove and reapply, or just use more.

I then placed the fabric above the wedges and using pins and more hot glue for good measure, I mounted up awning.

I also glued the pillars to the base.

This step requires some patience but it is also strangely relaxing. Using peel and stick tiles I placed each tile covering the base. Adjacent rows were offset to give it a pattern. 

One of the challenges with using these tiles, however was on the curves. I tried using a glass cutter but it did not work very well since the the pieces are really thick. You'll notice that some areas are bare and the cut tiles don't follow the shape very well. For simplicity, you can also use a rectangular design.

If you’re unable to get these type of tiles, there are still many options, for example, you could paint, use wallpaper or even use stones to get an old-styled cafe!

For the sign, I wrapped the foam in some marble-styled wallpaper and glued it on the top of the pillars. Again for this stage, you can paint, or draw as an alternative.

Using the letters I printed out earlier, I used superglue to paste them onto the sign.

To spruce up the place, I cut up some fake flowers and plants and planted them in the flower tray I had dug up earlier. I then filled it up with some stones and planted a tree by the benches. All that’s left is to get some nuts and open up for business!

Business is booming and the cafe is getting a lot of happy customers! Hope you enjoyed this instructable and hope you have more fun building one.