Does Your Tired Dolly Need A Bed???

This Christmas, Emma asked for a doll bed.  No, not just any old doll bed, she was quite specific.  It had to be big enough to fit her biggest baby -- a big girl we call "Bubba".  She wanted it to be purple, with a purple pillow and blanket, with necklaces hanging from it.  What???  How the hell am I gonna find something like that at Target.  Good thing Santa's star elf of the year (i.e. Melody) has the skills and workmanship to whip up such a creation.  

Remember the dollhouse made out of drawers?  Well, I had another drawer of that size left, and that became the bulk of my doll bed.  

So, how did I go from this.....

to THIS??????

1. First, I needed two garden stakes (see bed posts), I attached them to the front of the drawer with a screwgun.  I first sawed off the point part that you put in the ground so that it was square.  
2. I took the old knob from two of the drawers, and attached it on top of each bedpost with wood glue. 

3. I took an old cupboard door, and upholstered it with some foam lining to create a cushion, and covered it with one of Emma's old baby blankets to make the mattress.

4. I attached the mattress with a hinge so that it could open and close for extra storage (i.e. doll clothes and accessories).  

5. Then, I painted the doll bed purple (as requested).

6. Once dry, I attached some cheap necklaces that I bought from WalMart (as requested), and I sewed a purple pillow (beginner sewers can definitely do this), and blanket to match.  All found from old scraps of fabric I had laying around.  

In the end, we had a nice bed for Emma's dollies to sleep.  Emma finds it so comfortable that, even she, can be found perched on top of the doll bed!  Here's a picture of Baby Snow getting ready for her nap.  And, just so you know, Baby Bubba fits this bed perfectly, too, and now sleeps very comfortably.

Old Drawers to Dream Dollhouse

After a recent remodel in our house, we had no use for some drawers that once were inset into the wall.  So, they've been sitting out in our pole shed for some time just waiting for me to think up something interesting to do with them.  This past Christmas my daughter was asking for a Lalaloopsy House (the recent little girl craze).  Instead of spending the money at the retail store, I decided to pick up just a few items from the Menard's store and put the old drawers to use!  I used a smaller sized drawer about 2.5'x1' in size.  I used two drawers of this size.

First, I scoured the internet for inspiration to construct the "Lalaloopsy House", and here is where I found it: http://modpodgerocksblog.com/2011/04/make-drawer-dollhouse.html.  Here is a picture of this blogger's creation -- so super cute!  

I was super excited to get started, and here's the steps I took to make my own variation of the drawer dollhouse...

1. Remove the track from each side of the drawer.
2. Remove the knob.  
3. With a jigsaw (see hubby's tool shed), I removed one inch from the top face board of the drawer so that it was flush with the drawer.  Unlike the inspiring picture, I wanted my dollhouse to open up (like a book), so I needed to make the two drawers flush when lined up together. 
4. With a power sander, I sanded and then wiped clean each drawer to prep for painting.
5. I painted one drawer pink, and the other purple.  The face of the drawers I painted blue.  
6. Once dry, I placed two hinges on the back of the house so that it would open and close.
7. On the front I placed a clasp to hold the house closed for ease in moving and keeping everything stored.  
8. Then, the fun began...I used my handy dandy cricut to cut out windows, doors and picket fence to decorate the outside of the "Lalaloopsy House".  I attached them using modge podge, and then a clear spray paint over top of everything when the modge podge had dried.
9. On the inside, I used scrapbook paper to make wallpaper and carpet and rugs.  I also used modge podge, and then once dry, I sprayed everything with a clear spraypaint.
10. Then, I had to go to the store and purchase some of the MANY Laloopsy mini dolls for the dollhouse, and it was perfect because each doll came with her own little accessories that would help in furnishing the house.  I bought about five of the dolls which equaled less than it would have cost me to buy one big doll.  
11. On Christmas morning, Emma LOVED it.  At her age she couldn't even tell that it was homemade, and she loved all the special touches (including her name on the inside of the house along the top of the roof.