My Mom likes to find Barbie houses for bargain prices at thrift stores and yard sales around her town. She had a room that had become the Barbie City that the girls play with in their previous home. But she doesn't just keep them as they came. Especially when they come with plenty of wear. She gives them a makeover to make my little sisters' and nieces play time more fun. She sent me some photos and her tips to help you get some ideas in your own renovating projects!
Here is the house she decided to change up. This is a 3 story one. With 5 areas, or rooms, included.
The first thing she did was to pick up these bamboo placemats at the thrift store. She found these for .50 each!
Using a combination of hot glue and E6000 glue, she began to attach them to the floor of the room she was working on after cutting them down to the right size.Starting in the middle
She chose to start in the middle room. Don't think you have to work top to bottom or bottom up. Start in the room that speaks to you first! Her ideas for this one were already set, especially with the materials she had on hand.
Now for the kitchen...
This is what it looked like originally.
She chose to use the other placemat in the kitchen. I really think this look works well there. I almost think of a Japanese-styled kitchen. Not even sure why.Gave it a great gold and ivory theme! For the floor, she found this wood grain pattern paper to use. Then using leftover pieces from the bamboo placemats, she created baseboard trim around the edges of the walls. Add in this tiny toilet, a tub and a sink. Maybe later, there will be artwork on the walls. Or even a vanity mirror. Then relaxing will be amazing!
She found these at Hobby Lobby to add in later. As she was working on this project, they were also in the middle of moving. So I may come back later with additional photos.
The very top floor
We have this top most floor that is meant to be a bedroom. She grabbed another sticker page to create floor look she wanted. I really liked this pattern. I've even used it for my own diorama room.
This cute dresser can be found here. It adds an elegant touch! And you can choose from that sofa I showed you above as well as find the round chair from the photo above too. She re-papered the walls to give it neutral cream tones.
The walls look a little loose here. When it comes to attaching paper to the dollhouse walls and ceilings, sometimes you have to test what works best. A glue stick seals it on smoother, but takes SO long. Spray glue tends to leave splotches that are darker. Elmer's glue, the bottle kind, makes for bubbles in the papering. E6000 on the ceiling just came loose. So she ended up have to peel the paper off and then peel off the dried glued bits too. Just some insight into the various kinds that were tried in this project. Now, to check out the room in a more finished look!This is the master bedroom. Other dollhouses have bunkbeds and baby beds. It was time to have a room for the parents. And this one really looks the part. Like the little negligee on the dresser! The bed was made from wood pieces found at the Dollar Tree. It is only missing a paint job and some proper bedding. But temporarily, it looks pretty good. And it is a queen size one so that the couple can both fit.Next to the bedroom...
She has this little balcony where they can chill and see the stars. The pattern for the flooring is already good. Adding a wicker chair completes the look. I feel like her Ken just needs a guitar to serenade her Barbie under the moonlight.
Looking closer to a finished home!
At this point, it is coming along nicely. So many beautiful elements. She was still planning to glue the white shelf to the wall in living room. That was two shelves glued together to make a cabinet. It really does look classy, but cozy. And way more cleaned up! I love the use of things you can find at the Dollar Tree or even thrift stores.
Other wall and floor options to consider
She found these cardstock pages in the craft aisle at the Dollar Tree. They have a textured look that works really well for wallpaper or even for the ceilings. They come in a pack of 3 sheets. I totally plan to go look for similar ones. When I glanced at my store last time, I had only seen the sparkling themed colors.
Scrapbook pages make projects like these amazing. You can really get a look you love with them. Hobby Lobby and thrift stores make finding things like this much easier and often affordable.
Pages like this are actually stickers. So much easier to use when all you have to do is peel and stick!Let me know your thoughts below! Have you renovated a dollhouse before? What elements did you find to use and where did you find them? I'm looking into doing rooms or houses of my own in the future and I'd love some ideas!
Looks good I think everyone should do a remake to their likes!!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I'm looking forward to seeing what else she comes up with.
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