bodner072

       Nothing says welcome to our home like a cheerful, festive wreath wired to the front door of your dollhouse! Wreaths are so simple to make, you'll want to make more than one.        Take time and care to attach a tiny hook permanently to your dollhouse door so that you can change out the decorations according to the season or holiday. Supply List: furry chenille stems in green or red Mardi-Gras beads or any beads ribbon  wire for a hook attachment hot glue gun and hot glue Step-by-Step Directions: Twist the chenille stem into a wreath shape. Hold the initial shape up to the door or wall that you would like to decorate it with. Then you can reshape the wreath larger or smaller if need be. Twist the Mardi-Gras beads around the wreaths and hot glue these to the chenille stems as needed. Shape the ribbons into bows and hot glue these onto the top of each wreath. Shape and hook a small wire to the back of the ribbon for hanging. ...

Left, shelves for books and a small vase and toy. Center, our babysitter doll is taking good care of Barbie's son. He loves  several bedtime stories before settling down for the night.   Right, included on our bookshelf is a flat screen T.V.        The simplest way to make a bookcase for a doll, is to upcycle a small box. If you choose to use a box without compartments, the work is a bit more detailed and I will include a project later with the instructions for that method.        However, if you are lucky enough to find just the right box to use for a bookcase, you may not need to add the shelves on your own. Below is a prime example of a project such as this one.  Adding cupboard doors to your bookcase is optional here. Simply cut rectangles from cardboard that  fit neatly over the shelf openings. Cover them with decorative paper and hot glue on two beads for handles.  Tape these in place with a durable duct tape and th...

        The television depicted on the left below, has a picture pasted directly to the monitor and is much easier to craft. The television shown on the right includes an additional cardboard covered frame so that you can replace the picture by sliding it between the layers of cardboard.         Both flat screen T. V.s are weighted down with washers, carefully glued into each television's base. Two versions of a foam covered flat screen T.V. One includes an optional dowel rod attached to the base, the other is attached with a small foam covered rectangle.  Supply List: thin cardboard (from cereal boxes) corrugated cardboard hot glue gun and hot glue washers masking tape sheets of craft foam (black) pictures cut from magazines  black acrylic paint ruler white school glue dowel rod for larger flat screen Step-by-Step Directions:        Cut three rectangles from cardboard, two from the corrugated...

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:   ...

       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...

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 ...

A tiny baby doll plays in his car shaped ball pit. Soon it will become a part of his bedroom in our dollhouse.        Ball pits don't need to be round, standard shaped enclosures. These playful additions may be shaped like almost anything when you use your imagination. Just think about what you would like in your own bedroom and turn it into a ball pit for fun! After all a doll's bedroom can become any kind of a fun space, if you are willing to craft it yourself. This ball pit, photo by Fredriksson, is life size and inside of a pretend ship in- stead of a car! Read more about ball  pits at Wikipedia. Supply List: a front end of a toy car Styrofoam balls papier mache pulp paper egg cartoon black tape black, white and orange acrylic paint red glitter glue masking tape cardboard white school glue two identical buttons for tail lights Step-by-Step Directions:         First you will need to acquire the front end of a toy car at resale f...

Left, Ashley doll is baby sitting. Center, someone small peeks through the sides of our playpen. Right, peek-a-boo is easy to play from inside a playpen.        You don't have to create a doll play pen with an ordinary round shaped bottle. Try something unique by recycling an eight sided hydrogen peroxide bottle. Below are the following supplies you will need for this baby doll furniture. Supply List: recycled hydrogen peroxide bottle sharp cutting tool like an X-ACTO knife masking tape hot glue gun and hot glue a recycled soft mesh liner or bag (potato bag) felt  or fleece and scrap fabric (your choice of color combinations) waxed dental floss white cotton long, large sewing needle cardboard  metal or quilter's thimble made from leather Step-by-Step Directions:        First, cut out the doll playpen from your choice of recycled plastic bottle using an X-ACTO knife. If you are younger than 13 or 14 years of age, you ...

Left, two finished tennis rackets for our fashion dolls. Center, one of our dolls (a curvy Fashionista)  is dressed and ready to play. I've included a pattern of her tank T-shirt below.  Right, tennis racket covers made from felt will protect the racket from wear and tear.        A tennis match between doll friends may be something you will need to craft on your own. So I have included here the first part of this DIY crafty sport, the rackets. Soon there will be an additional post showing how I made the tennis court and net. Supply List: black tape (color preference) wire masking tape green acrylic paint (or a different color of your own choosing) fine mesh netting (plastic, may be purchased from a hardware store) tacky craft glue white felt (a small amount) Step-by-Step Instructions: Download and print out the tennis racket pattern below. Shape wires into tennis rackets up against the pattern for twisting the wire.  Wrap the racket in masking tape unt...

Learn to craft colorful, fancy cone shaped hats for each of your fashion dolls. Trim them with silks, ribbons, embroidery etc... The conical hats are called hennin;   read more about them at Wikipedia . Above, Hans Memling's painting of a young woman with a black velvet lappets and a conical shaped hat.        The headdress in the shape of a cone or "steeple", or truncated cone were worn in the late Middle Ages by European princesses and women of the nobility. Various writers on costume history use hennin to cover a variety of different styles. Almost all agree that the steeple-cone style was the original hennin. You can make these theatrical looking princess hats for all of your Barbie dolls! Supply List: cardboard masking tape hot glue gun and hot glue needle and matching threads silk scraps, scarfs, transparent fabric scraps ribbons to match cotton balls tacky craft glue  one large paper clip decorative thin silk ribbons (8 inches per hat) ...

This sweet little summer top is finished off with tiny blue embroidered flowers. I cut and attached these  from a repurposed kerchief. This baby sock fits my curvy Barbie perfectly.        This summer top with spaghetti string shoulder straps was made from a recycled baby sock and a bit of embroidery transfer. The cuff of the sock is used here as the waist edging on the doll. The toe of the sock was cut away and the raw edges were finished with a tacky white glue. As soon as the edges were dry, I finished these with blanket stitching all along the top of the garment. Then I attached some yarn at either shoulder to act as my spaghetti string straps.

Each pair of sock slacks have cute little belts made from embroidery floss and beads.        Make cool weather slacks for your fashion dolls from recycled long ribbed socks. Our versions may be made either by hand or on a sewing machine if you prefer. Supply List: ribbed socks: grey or charcoal white embroidery thread regular thread tacky craft glue or no-fray  beads long paper tube Step-by-Step Instructions: Measure the length of your doll's legs and add two additional inches to approximate the length between it's belly button and it's crotch. Cut this measurement from the top of a ribbed sock down. Turn the sock clipping upside down so that the finished edge becomes the bottom edge of the slacks. Insert a long paper tube inside the cut sock so that you can apply tacky or no-fray along the clipped edge without the glue coming in contact with any other surface. Let it dry. Remove the tube. Now measure approximately two inches down from the waist edge a...

This little fashion doll is ready to go to a party. She  wears a green and yellow, rainbow colored hair ex- tension that took only minutes to snip, tie and clip into place.        Rainbow colored wigs are much easier to purchase during October and February because  these are the months that Christians celebrate All Hallows Eve and Mardi Gras in costume.        The wig you see pictured below was purchased for $1.00 in it's original package and has never been worn previously.         You will also need to buy some very tiny hair clips to attach your doll's hair extensions. These may be found in dollar stores and grocery stores in hair care supply. Supply List: colorful rainbow wig thread to match hair colors tacky craft glue sharp scissors mini hair clamps Step-by-Step Instructions: Cut a length of wig approximately 3 to 4 inches. Squeeze craft glue onto the tips of the fibers. Wrap the thread matching the natura...