Giving Barbie a Cozy Christmas

I've been slowly making things for the eventual doll house I want to put together for my own doll scenes. One thing I have always wanted was a fireplace. I love fireplaces! That is one of the downsides to the house we bought. It has no fireplace!! So, the dolls will have one instead. I pulled out various wood pieces that I had stocked in my crafting bin. My husband engineered them together to give me a gorgeous fireplace. 

I knew I wanted a ledge to serve as a seat. The closest we got to making it work was this. I covered this with printed out brick patterned paper. It reminded me of a fireplace we had at one of the homes my parents had bought.

After we had this built as the base, I used some Dollar Tree wood cubes on the sides to make depth. I had originally thought this would be painted to look sorta like bricks, but it came out a bit messier than I planned. These blocks are not even close to all being the same size.

So I ended up covering it with the brick paper as well. It worked out so much better this way! There also had to be a mantel on this creation. After all, where would I hang those stockings and set up decorations?

Pillars on either side were a beautiful bonus. My husband even made it realistic with a chimney piece on top. It has depth so that I can add some faux wood and maybe even an electric tealight candle. Underneath, I can store more wood pieces. 

Lastly, I painted the front piece a lighter color for contrast, the inner part is a darker color that resembles soot.

I love the end product! Now, I have the perfect place to hang stockings and decorate for the winter time. 

From Discarded Tray to Doll Display

This old wooden tray was given to me by a friend. It has clearly had quite the life. But that life isn't over yet. So... I got to thinking. What about making it a shelf that will hang and be used as a display that I might even be able to use as a doll backdrop?? My Froggy Stuff creates these small displays quite often. Mostly from foam board. And they are so cute! This one is of equal size, but already built! So win-win for me. It will also be one less thing to end up in a landfill. 

First things first

I had to get it cleaned up and re-glue one of the notched corners. This old tray has been through a lot.

It measures about 10 1/4" wide and about 15" long. After the glue dried, I painted on a base coat so that I can paint it when I design the 'room' look later.

I had tried to make orange paint for a shadow box that I was putting together for my dad. But no matter how I tried, the paint color wouldn't come out right. I ended up with this taupe-like color. Farthest thing from orange! My husband said I defied logic with that one. I decided to make this the coat for the building front I planned to make in this display. But after painting, I had a sudden idea. Instead of making an apartment building front, I wanted to make a closet wall scene. My husband recently bought me these Mini Brands Fashion packs from Ross. And I realized that I need a closet! To show them off. It would make an elegant back drop too. Later, I even want my husband to hang it on the wall for me. 

So, that is when I switched to gluing in some card stock pages to look like a fancy maroon wallpaper. I used a white marble printed page to make the floor look better. Still thinking about my ceiling options. But I'm liking where this is going. 

Or at least I was...

Then disaster struck. I attempted to use doll packaging to make shelves. You know how Rainbow High dolls come with each accessory in those built-in boxes? I thought I could use that to hold the purses at the top of this display. But it was too warped and the purses kept falling out. So... I ripped it out. Which ripped out the paper it was glued to. I decided to give this closet a two-toned wall look instead. I glued in a white card stock, painted cut craft sticks and glued them in to give a border, and now we have a more refined look! 

The clothing rod is made from bits of wood that came in a craft kit my kids didn't want from Home Depot. I just gave them a dark wood paint job and glued them in. I was pretty impressed with how they came out. 

Next, we need shelving. After all, I have purses and hats to show off. I used balsa wood from kits. I 3D printed the cube shelf. I think it works well for shoes.

The silver rack was one from a Dollar Tree set I picked up. I just gave it a paint job. It holds the many necklaces I have right now.

I'm pretty happy with the effect! I think it came out great for a spur-of-the-moment build. What do you think? What would you have done differently? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Doll-Sized Christmas Celebrations!

Christmas is one holiday I don't mind celebrating. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite, but Christmas comes in second. Of course, that means that I want to create doll-sized fun as well.

Creating the tree

My daughters have wanted a Christmas tree. Especially since my husband bought me the Legend of Zelda one that I use for my doll room. But those doll-sized trees can be SO pricey! Thankfully, we found one at Hobby Lobby that was only $3.50 during a half off sale. My first thought was that it was very much a Charlie Brown Christmas tree! But my oldest daughter fell in love with it. 

We had been given these decorations, mostly for Valentine's Day, but there was one with clear stars hanging from it. I pulled one of the stars off and attached it to the top of the tree. My husband fixed it when he saw that it was "crooked" and nearly "upside down".

Included in those decorations were these little foam balls, covered in red glitter. I was able to add little twine hooks so they could hang them, but my daughter also wanted to just shove some in between the branches. Turns out, they only work with the hooks, when they hang from the bottom. 

 

Next, we grabbed this mini string of bulbs from Michaels. Normally priced at $3.99, they had an online coupon for 25% off that brought them to $1.79. It is a yard long and we managed to wrap it around the tree pretty nicely. 

And finally, my daughter created this 'skirt' to go around her tree with a scrap of shiny red material.

Tiny lanterns for the dark winter

I picked up these tiny lanterns that were also half off. They are ornaments, but if you tighten the string, it is the perfect size for the dolls! And to make things better, my engineer husband wants to attempt to make them actually light up. I told him I would be so excited if he can manage that! So we will see. But the pack had 4 lanterns for $4.99 (but they were half off when I bought them). I laughed when I read the warning at the bottom: Decorative use only - Not a toy.

They haven't met Barbie collectors and photographers! These are perfect "toys" for us.

                  What goes under the tree? 

I can't afford to buy a bunch of those Mini Brands Toys capsules. So the idea came to me... why not make some? I had been looking at toy packaging that the kids were ripping open. There was a tiny LEGO logo. So I printed out a box outline that I folded into shape. I painted it blue and cut out LEGO themed things from a magazine that came in the mail. Voila! We have a LEGO set for Christmas. 

But you don't typically put unwrapped gifts under the tree anyhow. So I printed multiple box templates out that were of a variety of sizes. I printed them on recycled paper, but then I cut cardboard from packaging to make it more solid. Then, after they are put together in the box shape, I decorate them. Scraps of wrapping paper can be glued on. 

I found this cute bag template I could print out too. I had some tissue paper that came from the Shadow/Rainbow High Fashion packs that can be stuffed into the top to look like a wrapped gift. Or even wrapped around a tiny jewelry box.

My daughters thought that wreaths were a great thing to have around Christmas. So they made some! You can use pipe cleaners and beads or I found these gift tags that came as miniature wreaths and added some beads with hot glue. I think they came out really well.

I have a few other ideas percolating. Stockings to hang. Maybe a fireplace with a mantle to hang them? And if I'm really adventurous, I might attempt to make them some Christmas hats! But for now, I leave you with some ideas to try on your own. Enjoy!

My World in Miniature - Gamer Room!

While the kids were away, Mom will play! Okay, not really. But I had some fun moments while the kids were gone. And I have been trying to complete some of the started projects since then. Finding the will to want to has been hit or miss, but I like to think I've made great progress. 

What I started with

I started with creating a Barbie room. This is a space that I can rearrange and take photos in. I wanted to make it more gamer themed. But I had to do some repairs. Starting with the back wall. This was an old entertainment center my husband had before we got married. We didn't need it for that purpose anymore, so I decided to make it for the dolls. I glued paper to two of the walls that made it look like it was covered in bricks. This was a free printable from My Froggy Stuff. The Backgrounds, Nature, Windows, Room Stuff is the link you want to click for the walls. The flooring is contact paper from Dollar Tree. I repaired the back wall by inserting a foamboard piece from Walmart. I found they are only .98 in their craft section while Dollar Tree is, of course, $1.25 now. I also cut strips of the foamboard to create baseboards. This gives it cleaner seams. 

Finding supplies: Dollar Tree has great supplies. But don't despair if you don't find what you are looking for there. Check out the craft stores, especially in the scrap booking section for stickers and paper to do walls, floors or ceilings with.

Contact paper makes for amazing walls and floors! As do things like place mats. Which can be found at thrift stores and yard sales. 

Cleaner seams

But there are cracks that you can see between the sides and back. So I decided that since this is going to be a gamer room, I'd create some shelves to put in the corners that would cover up the seams. The red one is for my DC figures that are so tiny, they are perfect for Barbie to have her own nerdy dolls or figures.

I used triangles cut from left over foamboard to make the shelves. And yes, I went ahead and glued the figures to the shelves to keep them solidly in place. 

One wasn't enough to cover just one corner, so I made a yellow one too with Mario themed decorations from cardboard packaging. This one has more of a variety of figures on it. Including a handmade Demogorgon my daughter made me from Stranger Things. Another dragon guards the corner under the shelves. I'm still trying to decide how to do something like this for the opposite wall corner. 

Now for the walls! 

Walls aren't meant to be blank. I really believe that. So I made this tiny framed poster. I usually find these little frames at thrift stores or yard sales, but I know the Dollar Tree typically has some too. The quote comes from the Portal game. The second one, I think. And I hung an X-wing as though it is flying from the wall. 

At first, I thought I would leave the back wall white and not glued in. I had the thought that I might want to change things up from time to time. However, I started to change my view after arranging things. So, I painted. But when I painted the wall red, I found that it bowed inward. So then I had to try to attach it and keep it upright in the back. I also learned that this is not simple when the wall was kept in place by the bordering pieces that I forgot were attached at the baseboard level. So... yeah.  

As you can see, I had these shelf-like pieces that had come as supports to a 3D print job I did. I didn't want to throw them out. And now I'm glad I saved them! They were the perfect additions to the main wall. Now, I can start adding more fun finds there. 

And a Harley Quinn poster.... I have some ideas to even make a smaller sized shadow box next. Yes, another Froggy idea! This time on a much smaller scale to fit inside the doll room. But to hold the Doorables figure still. I'll post about it next if it works out.

Furniture

Every room has furniture, yes? Mine is no different. The DVD shelf was made by my husband. He even designed the file so I could 3D print it, using dimensions from the DVD's I made!  

But you know what I'm most proud of?? The gamer chair! I have these capsules from Mini Brands. And I hate to just toss them out. After seeing a video by My Froggy Stuff on making chairs with them, I was inspired. But my husband really made it better for me. He designed the file so I could 3D print the base. You have to prime the the capsule before painting, tilt and attach to the base. Inside is where you can cover a piece of cardboard with material to make the seat.  

Using pieces from a wood kit that I got from Dollar Tree, I have made an entertainment center too. I took pieces from headphones that didn't work to make the built-in speakers. As for the game consoles, they were tiny boxes. I either painted them or covered them with black construction paper. Then added details. I have been thinking to 3D print some in the future so I can have better shapes and more of a variety. But these work well for now.

You know those little boxes with a slide-on glass lid? Well, I turned that into a shelf. I meant to make it a curio cabinet, but one of the shelves was a little too wide. The wood for the shelves came from those Dollar Tree kits too.

But it's all good. Because! I'm adding nerdy things little by little as I find them. Or make them. Curious about my knickknacks? The horse was a chess piece. Next to that is a triangular dice I found. The head? A Transformer pencil topper. I had 3D printed a weird shaped thing that didn't work out well, so I added a dice bead to make a sculpture. On the next shelf we have another thing I attempted to 3D print and then added a clear marble to. Just looked cool. The Minecraft pickaxe came from a toy set my kids had. The little jar with a pink ball inside is Navi, the fairy I made, for you lovers of Legend of Zelda. The R2-D2 came from a board game. The other bottle has a tiny treasure map. It is a charm from the craft store. And finally, the lamp. This was 3D printed! I can't wait to find other things to add. 

Time to add some windows!

A room with no door or windows comes off strange. Now, while I haven't decided about the door, I knew I needed some windows. I chose a beautiful fall scene and printed some window frames.  You can get the file HERE. I resized to 134.8% of the original file.

I printed out a lovely fall scene, added some clear plastic from toy packaging, and you have the finished look of beautiful windows! 

Not finished! 

This is where I end the posting on the blog. But it is not where I end the room. Little by little, I'll add more things as they are found. And maybe I'll let you know about it. I just hope you got some ideas for your own creations. Which - I would love to see if you ever want to share!