bodner072

This rug craft is so simple, even a very young child can produce marvelous results. However, an adult should do the spray painting.          Above you can see that I have produced two examples. One of them has brown lace and the other white. You can make so many color combinations depending upon the paint you have on hand. These examples have floral motifs at the center of each but you can use plaids, paisleys, stripes etc... to create an infinite variety of combinations! Supply List: paper doilies decorative scrap papers spray paint (optional) Mod Podge or white school glue Step-by-Step Directions: If you desire color on the lacy edge of these doily rugs, you can spray paint them in a outdoor work area. Use a cardboard box or newspapers to cover an area large enough to keep the paint from spreading on to other surfaces. Let the doilies dry. Find an object with the same or close to the circumference of your doily's center part. You can leave howev...

Our dolls need a toy chest to help keep the nursery free of clutter! But a toy trunk doesn't need to be just an  ordinary box shape; you can use your imagination to come up with something different. Our family dolls fill  this truck chest with all kinds of plastic toys that have been collected over the past twenty years.        Barbie's little boy loves cars and trucks, so I decided to replace a missing trailer from a small replica of a John Deere big rig with a toy chest. Now our doll can pretend to haul the toys away after an exhausting fun filled day! Supply List: front end of a toy truck (big rig) foam sheet (any color) recycled plastic container  stiff wire masking tape hot glue gun and hot glue white school glue scrap fabric for lining interior snaps, button, small parts (for wheels) toothpick or wooden skewer (wheel axle) black tape (optional) light weight cardboard (to hold the wheel axle) Step-by-Step Instructions:   ...

A spiral patterned rug made with rainbow colored variegated yarn, close-ups of color and finished edge. The clean side of the finished rug that was protected by the sticky side of the masking tape.         Here is a simple way to make a rug for a doll house. It requires no weaving or braiding. The design made from this process reminds me of natural patterns found in agate stones. Supply List: masking tape cardboard variegated yarn white school glue embroidery floss and needle felt for backing Step-by-Step Instructions: First you will need to decide how big you want your doll's rug to be. Then make a cardboard template in the shape of the rug to use as a guide. I traced around a large circular plate on top of my cardboard to make my own template. Next, you will need to cover the top surface of the cardboard with masking tape, sticky side up. This can be a little tricky at first. Lay the tacky part of the masking tape face up and wrap it around the edges...

       Child's play is a kind of creation of a make-believe but half-real world. As such, it has its primal source in the impulse to act out and embody in sensible form some interesting idea; in which respect, as we shall see by-and-by, it has a close kinship to what we call art. The image, say of the wood, of the chivalrous highwayman, or what not, holds the child's brain, and everything has to accommodate itself to the mastering force.        Now since play is the acting out of some interesting and exciting fancy, it comes at once into collision with the child's actual surroundings. Here, however, he finds his opportunity. The floor of the room is magically transformed into a prairie, a sea, or other locality, the hidden space under the table becomes a robber's cave, a chair serves as horse, ship, or other vehicle, to suit the exigencies of the particular play.         The passion for play is essentia...

       I discovered a doll sized bookcase at resale. It was a bit too wide and heavy for a fashion doll bookcase and too small for an American Girl Doll's bookcase. So, I decided to convert it into a changing table for our Barbie's nursery. A bookcase for a doll may be transformed into a very nice diaper changing table. Supply List: corrugated cardboard toothpicks acrylic paints clear acrylic varnish Mod Podge tacky white glue felt square  printed fabric sandpaper (light weight) typing paper hot glue gun and hot glue masking tape Step-by-Step Directions: Clean your resale item with soap and water and set it in the sunshine to dry thoroughly. Lightly sand the surfaces so that the paint will adhere to the item.  I choose to paint my changing table with four colors: black, yellow, blue and green. These colors match flowers in the fabric print I selected for decoupage portion of the project. I first painted the top shelf yellow, then the middle shelf...

How to make this doll's costume from recycled plush and plastic.        This is a good idea for reusing some of your old holiday plush. Why not unstuff it and make quick doll costumes for a doll's party? It takes so little effort and the results are inspirational. Before you know it, you can create an entire cast of characters for a doll play, parade, or trick-or-treat adventure. Above is the skeleton novelty plush and skull with plastic arms that I used to make a quick, simple doll costume for Barbie and Ken's son. Supply List: small sharp scissors snap or Velcro black ribbon or seam binding tape stuffed novelty plush plastic skeleton parts threads to match No-Fray (optional) Step-by-Step Instructions: First measure the length and width of a doll that you wish to make this costume for. Compare these measurements to the length and the width of the stuffed novelty plush. Are the two similar? If so, you will be able to un-stuff the plush and use it for your ...

Every little girl should own a doll trunk and at the very least, a few nice dolls with clothing to dress and redress their dolls with. These kinds of toys promote opportunity for both dramatic play and creative sewing/craft projects. Doll trunks may cost as much as 100 dollars or as little as 5 dollars.        Two 11 1/2 inch dolls will fit comfortably inside this little wooden doll trunk. Soon I will fill it with handmade doll clothes and accessories. The drawer is for shoes, the rack for clothing and I will add a shelf for hats later. Supply List: a doll trunk to decoupage Mod Podge soft brush decorative, acid free paper wooden dowel hot glue gun and hot glue ruler or tape measure sharp scissors Step-by-Step Instructions: Acquire a Doll trunk for this project. I picked this one up at resale for five dollars. It was in excellent condition but cried out for an update.  Make sure the surfaces of your doll trunk are clean and free of dust and dirt befor...

Left, Cut and trim the pattern for a doll laptop below. Draw around it on top of scrap pieces of cardboard  or cardstock. (laptop is 2 1/2" x 1 3/4") Center, the laptops shut. Right, the laptops open with monitors on display.        The "clamshell" shape of this pretend, laptop computer is made by layering and pressing corrugated cardboard pieces together. Don't let the finished product intimidate you! The process is a simple one and a child as young as 10 can do it.        It is also important to use wood putty and a light weight sandpaper for the process, so make sure that you have all of the supplies on hand before beginning. I have linked to similar crafts below for those of you who are looking to craft something a bit simpler; all of these options are very good as well. Supply List: scrap corrugated cardboard masking tape scissors  wood putty  sandpaper Mod Podge (optional) white school glue spray paint or ...

Left, the tissue box cover made from stamped metal (fretwork). Center, Sew a simple mattress and  pillow to match the tissue box cover. Right, Now your doll has a lovely place to sleep at night.        I found a tissue box cover at resale that I thought would make a very nice doll bed. I chose to leave it white so that someone small could use multiple color combinations to blend in with this item in the future. Supply List: one tissue box cover of any style of color cardboard fabric to cover the cardboard simple cotton fabric for the doll's mattress and pillow needle and thread to match fiber filler or a foam mattress pad hot glue gun and hot glue Step-by-Step Directions: Depending upon the weight of the doll you wish to use this tissue box cover with, you may need to cut a piece of cardboard out to fit on the under side of the cover to support the doll and her mattress. If you do this, paint the cardboard support a color that blends in with the fretwork of the ...