The Homemade Dollhouse

Glad Greetings Cottage

2010-12-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you the latest little house that's going to market.

Isn't it amazing, and fun, to see what can be made from old boxes and things that would otherwise go in the trash?

The cottage is called Glad-Greetings because of the little girl on the support column and her Glad Greetings.

Made from a cardboard box, this little cottage has wood floors, fabric walls and a beautiful lace "wall paper border." It comes with handmade furniture.

There's a fireplace in the corner, with a hearth and a little pot made from Sculpey and wire.

Cork and wire make for good curtain rods, and lace always makes pretty curtains.

The sleigh style bed boasts storage drawers underneath, of course covered in sparkles and with dainty wire-and-bead drawer pulls.

The little window sill is big enough for sitting things on, perfect for a little fairy who lives in the woods and collects things.

A chinese take-out container was cut in half and then covered in fabric to make two beautiful wingback chairs.

The containers were unused and probably would have ended up in the trash were it not for The Scrap Exchange.

I put in a little Kelly doll to illustrate the size of the furnishings.

A clock and little dishes made from Sculpey have started filling in the cupboard, made from a little gift box.

I hope you enjoyed your tour!

Enjoy this day.

Shoebox Dollhouse

2010-08-04T17:32:00.001-07:00

This week I've worked on a really fun project as a gift for my mom. She makes the cutest little clothespin dolls ever, and I wanted to give her a place for them to "live" while we are selling at the farmer's market. Here are some of my mom's clothespin dolls. These are actually made from handmade "clothespins" that she carves from wood, so these are bigger than standard size, but she makes standard size too, just as cute!

Not long ago I purchased a pair of shoes for one of my sons. They came in a great shoebox! Sturdy! And the top was attached to the bottom so that it would open and close like a chest. I opened the box as far as it would go, so that the lid was sitting back on the bottom (still attached--I did not separate the top from the bottom) and it made a two-story doll house.

I hot-glued the top to the bottom so that I could then cover it with paper and decorate it!

I used color coordinated papers from my scrapbook supplies and glued on "wallpaper" and "carpet." To get the wallpaper just right, since the top had a curved edge (as you can see), I stood the box on end and traced around it to get the paper cut just right!

One of my favorite things about this is the Victorian feel and the very Victorian dresser! It has a mirror held up by two little cherubs and three little silk roses glued in front of the mirror.

Ahhh, the little fireplace. Michaela and I made a recent trip to The Scrap Exchange, and one of the items in the bins were a ton of these "leather" coasters. I cut some up in the shape of a fire place and hearth and hot-glued them on. The hearth portion of the fireplace is three layers deep to give it the appearance of a real hearth. The basket is made from Sculpey and filed with real wood. The fire is from a picture, Mod-Podged into place of course!

What an opulent little bed! I found that an herbal tea box is the PERFECT size to make a bed for a clothespin doll. The bed is actually made from two boxes, cut down and glued back to back so that it's open on the top and open on the bottom. The top got filled with old powder puff material from the scrap exchange. The headboard is made with heavy wire covered in bed and poked on each side through the box before hot-gluing on a pad, fabric, and a pillow.

There's even a seahorse watching over the little bed.

One of the finishing touches is a little key on the pretty Victorian dresser.

I had been turning over in my mind how to make a chair for a clothespin doll. Their legs don't bend, after all. I finally hit on an idea with something we found -- again -- at The Scrap Exchange.

You know the containers that things come in from gumball machines? The large containers? Well, I molded Sculpey around on to make a chair and then baked ONLY THE SCULPEY. Once the chair was baked, I pushed the little container down into the chair and hot glued into place. I trimmed the edges, one with ribbon and one with heavy cord.

So the dolls can truly sit IN their chairs! :)

The back of the box is Mod-Podged with pages from an old (falling apart) copy of Little Women. I can't wait to see what the shoppers think of the Clothespin Dolls' Shoebox Dollhouse.

Have fun creating!

Old Coupon Holder = New Doll House Bed

2009-09-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Michaela recently bought me a new coupon holder as a surprise and then together we cleaned out the old one. I was going to throw the old one away but Michaela wanted to keep it. My first thought was No! we have enough clutter already, but she said she could just picture something for the doll house. Well, that was enough for me!

When she took the dividers out of the old coupon holder and spread the coupon holder fully open, she pictured a fancy bed for the dolls! I could see it too.

As we are incorporating a Charlotte Mason education, this seemed the perfect opportunity to allow a personal interest to result in a handicraft. Michaela took the old coupon holder to her room and got to work.

She opened the holder and glued on support underneath to keep it open. She glued in very soft, furry fabric for the mattress. The dolls love it!

After the new bed was brought home, all the dolls went outside and got into formation for a family portrait. We think it turned out great.

Lynn and Michaela

Gifts from Across the Country

2009-05-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise for the dolls! They received a package of lovely gifts from AnnaMarie and Audrey!

First up: the Fairie Calendar! It is absolutely adorable. Please, pardon the bright sun. The dolls took the calendar outside to show you all the detail.

The dolls have been marking off the days so that they can keep track of things. (AnnaMarie, I hope that's okay!) It has made their lives immensely more orderly.

Just look at the beautiful illustrations in the calendar. The dolls love it so much and just can't quit looking at it.

The only problem is that the little dolls cannot decide which month's illustration they like the best.

Here is the calendar hanging in their kitchen, the busiest room in the house!

Last, but not least, would you look at these delicious cookies they received!

The dolls were not exactly sure who all had a hand in baking them, but they were delicious.

Thank you so very much for the doll house gifts. Our dolls feel it is time to send something to you!

Lynn

A Little Bird Told Me

2009-04-10T05:05:00.000-07:00

You have probably picked up on the fact that we enjoy using picture books for school, using Five In A Row for our lesson plans, and then when done I like to make a storybook souvenir for the dollhouse. Well, it was no different when we finished up Angelo. I wanted something in the dollhouse to remind us of Angelo.

Using a tiny bit of Sculpey clay, I fashioned a little bird's nest with a straight pin. I added two teeny-tiny little eggs to remind us of Sylvia (the pigeon in the book) and how life goes on and on, generation after generation.

Princess of the Universe put the nest in the house, placing it on the top of a small vase that has guinea feathers in it. (My mom has guineafowl. Lucky woman.)

Little things like this are SO easy to make. It's a little thing that goes a long way in preserving a happy memory.

There are directions for using and baking Sculpey right on the box. Directions are also easy to find on line with a Google search. Just always use care and supervise children when doing this.

Lynn

Auction Treasure

2009-02-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

Maybe you didn't know this, but the dolls in The Homemade DollHouse just LOVE Haiku and they love reading and learning about Japan. Imagine their shock and delight when this painting signed "Basho" turned up on the auction block! Of course they put their pennies together and bought it!

It may be authentic. It may be a fake. All they know is that they love Basho! They elected to hang the large painting in Mei-Ling's room. She's so happy.

Jennifer's Printables

2009-01-22T15:32:00.001-08:00

I want to share a link I came across out there in blogland. Jennifer's Printables. You need to be sure and click on the button near the bottom that says "Visit My Doll House."

Lynn

The Dolls Receive A Package!

2009-01-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Talk about excitement around the doll house! The dolls received a package in the mail today. (Actually a sweet Five In A Row friend sent me a little package today, full of a wonderful, fun surprise!)

Have you ever seen a box of chocolates for a doll house? Well, it could be a valentine too, but we pretended it was a box of chocolates.

Perhaps it's because Valentine's Day is so close. Or maybe just because the dolls needed chocolate. Oh, I don't know! Whatever the reason, the dolls had a marvelous time sitting around and eating chocolates. Until, that is, Papa found out about them and claimed all that were left.

Umph. There sits the whole box on the nightstand beside Papa's bed.

And here lies Papa, fast asleep, after eating a bunch of chocolates. They sure were good, he was saying to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

The ladies of the house could have been angry, but they weren't. No indeed. In their package were also a bunch of seeds for the spring garden. Hooray!

The doll house was all abuzz with talk of what would be planted where. There were shrieks of delight as the dolls tried to imagine all the food they'll have come summertime!

Mama especially was happy, because she loves gardening most of all.

Thank you, sweet friend, for you gifts and for the fun you gave us!

Lynn

Allowing Children To Create

2009-01-14T14:03:00.001-08:00

I love the way working with a doll house that's homemade brings out the creativity in children.

My daughter has made two items lately, totally by herself and not by my urging. First, a crib/playpen. It's made from a box that contained soap. The legs are tall wooden beads. It is trimmed in ribbon and rick-rack.

And a shower. The shower is pieced together from all sorts of things: a clear plastic box that contained who-knows-what, old ribbon, old lightweight wood left over from an airplane kit, and of course a condiment container. She even used a foam sticker as a no-slip pad in the tub.

Just have fun!

Bear Attack!

2009-01-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

HONEY WAKE UP!!

Mother was frantic to wake up husband because she could hear a bear trying to get into the house.

(All this thanks to Michaela's imagination! And Actually this bear was quite tame when we were reading We're Going on a Bear Hunt. )

Ahh, you knew he looked familiar, didn't you?

Father was up in a flash and commanded that mother get the large knife from the kitchen. After all, their only gun had been lost in a storm.

Sadly, Father had to kill the bear, but after all the bear was a threat to his big family. At one point the struggle was so intense the knife went flying into a dark corner of the room. Thank goodness Mother knew where to find the flashlight. The family dogs heard the struggle immediately and were all barking at the bear and jumping on the bear to help Father. It ended with everyone safe and with Mother and Father having plenty of bear meat for the winter.

A Famous Relative

2009-01-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we play with purpose around here. At the end of every book we study for our homeschool curriculum, Five In A Row, I make a little souvenir for the doll house. For one thing, it reminds us of wonderful time spent reading books together. The other thing, though, is that it helps Princess of the Universe remember what we studied.

We just recently studied Snowflake Bentley. What was the souvenir?

Well, let me tell you the dolls were just over-the-top excited to find out that Snowflake Bentley was a distant cousin on their family tree. Oh, you've never seen such scrambling to get out just the right picture frame for the picture that they inherited!!!

Even the back of the frame is so finely crafted. :) tee hee

Princess of the Universe and I had so much fun playing dolls this evening. She made some things on her very own that I'll post about later. For now, it's time for bed.

Lynn

Faerie House Completed

2008-12-24T15:09:00.001-08:00

I finished the faerie house this morning! Just in time to wrap it up for Christmas. I think it's so cute, dolls and all.

Paisley, above, rests in her bed of clouds.

The dolls are made from Sculpey. Their arms and legs are attached with full-thickness embroidery thread. We'll see how they hold up.

I wrote a little note to my daughter and Mod-Podged it to the back of the house. It's dated, with a special love note from Mommy. It tells her that Pinky and Paisley (the dolls) are faerie-like forest creatures that live deep in the woods. They love human food and will borrow it (steal it?) whenever they get the chance.

Pinky sits at the tea table. I may paint it to look like a colorful mushroom at some point. Not sure. I kind of like it as is.

This cute little group of baby woodland creatures sits in a pretend stone hollow at one end of the downstairs. I cut the picture from an ad in a ME magazine.

Ahhh. Home Sweet Faerie Home!

The wall above the bed is clouds too. With little birds for sweet dreams.

I think she'll be surprised.

Hidden beneath the top shelf, this poem makes a sweet picture for the little faeries' ceiling.

Maybe I'll have some more pictures from when she opens it.

Lynn

Where We Are On The Faery House

2008-12-20T19:24:00.001-08:00

The Faery House, which will be located in the woods near the doll house, is coming along quite nicely.

This is the upper level -- up in the treetop. I have layers to add yet to make it seem more "in the clouds" and somehow I have to add a faery bed that will fit in.

The lower floor houses a rustic Sculpey table and chairs set with teapot and cups -- also from baked Sculpey.
I've pulled the little faery table out so that you might see all the food they've stashed underneath their tree. Faeries love a taste of human food sometimes. A lot of the embellishments came from old Mary Engelbreit paperdolls from her magazine. I LOVE her magazine, Home Companion.

Will show you more as I go. Princess of the Universe will have so much fun with this! She has not seen this at all yet.

Lynn

More Doll House Work

2008-12-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my husband picked up a 20-dollar piece of white beadboard that he could cut to size and staple (with a pneumatic stapler) to the back of the bookshelf doll house I got from A.C. Moore. This makes the rooms look more finished.

I would love to add lighting at some point, and perhaps stain the wood. Not sure yet. For now I am just going to clean off the scuffs and lightly sand a couple of places where the wood's not so smooth.

Won't the dolls just love this? Not to mention my daughter! I can't wait to set up the little loft area!

Lynn

Great Doll House Deal With A Coupon

2008-12-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share something that Princess of the Universe is getting for Christmas, and it was a GREAT deal!

I have long noticed this dollhouse/bookshelf in A.C. Moore, but for 99 dollars I never really spent that much time looking closely at it. Until yesterday. Princess of the Universe is at Grandma's and Grandpa's for a few days, which means easier shopping for me!

I had one of those 50% off any regularly priced item from A.C. Moore. I actually printed mine from on line by searching Google and finding a current coupon, but the Sunday paper usually has one as well.

I inquired about using the coupon before I had them pull this big item from the upper shelf it was on. Yes, they said they would take the coupon - as long as the item was regularly priced, and it was! Yippeee!!

I called my husband and he said he could easily cut a piece of pretty white beadboard-type wood to fill in the back of the shelf so the rooms will look finished!

For 50 dollars, I bought it. Oh boy, will the doll house adventures continue this year!!

She will be so excited. :)

Lynn

The Doll House Bookshelf Gets Used

2008-12-19T04:53:00.001-08:00

Oh, how happy I was to see this.

Sweet little girl.

The American Doll

2008-12-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. The mysterious foreign doll who showed up at the doll house needing a home wants to become an American. Even now, she is studying to become a citizen.

Gasp! She's reading about... War?

Oh, it's a particular war. The beautiful doll shows us that she is learning about Abraham Lincoln from her little history book for dolls.

By the way, we are still trying to learn her name. I have an idea for a name for her. My daughter has a few ideas. Do you have any suggestions for a beautiful name for the mysterious foreign doll? I would love your comments!

Doll House Bookshelf

2008-12-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Bless their little hearts, my dolls are such book lovers! I knew I needed to find a way to make them a bookshelf for their doll house. When my husband tossed this into the trash can...

my mind raced to the doll house. This is the perfect size -- tall and narrow -- for making a bookshelf. I retrieved it and put it on my craft desk.

I cut it down to the size I wanted, making the depth and height the perfect size for our dolls and their doll house books. Some of the left-over pieces of the box were used to make shelves which were hot-glued into place.

I then used Mod-Podge to put into place some heavy pieces of scrap book paper, making a sort of veneer on the doll house bookshelf. One large piece, perfectly cut, slid in perfectly behind the shelves, on top of a layer of Mod-Podge, so that made the inside back of the doll house bookshelf.

To smooth the edges and give the doll house bookshelf more design I Mod-Podged little pieces of tissue paper around the edges.

I then started putting books in. Ooohh the little dolls had goosebumps when they heard about their new bookshelf!

See anything that appeals to you?

I think we would agree, this is the best corner of the doll house.

Making A Doll House Book

2008-12-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make a little book for the dolls. One with actual pages. Thank you to Mommylion, a commenter who pointed out this mini book tutorial at Hitty Print Mini. It worked out great!

I printed the covers for the little doll house books from Hitty Print Mini and then used little strips of words cut out of a no-longer-useful book.

By the way, I am always looking for books at the thrift store that have beautiful pictures or words -- something that would be great for a doll house project, but is no longer readable. I would much rather reuse a book than to see it thrown away!

My children LOVED reading through these little doll house books. A word here or there that jumps out and makes them think of something historical!

Fun stuff. The little doll house bookshelf up next!

Lynn

Tiny Little Books

2008-12-15T05:59:00.001-08:00

I want so much to make books with pages that will open and close. I need to surf around and find a place with detailed instructions and suggestions. Until that spare moment...

this little book was simply made by printing the cover from Hitty Print Minis and then cutting pieces of paper to fit inside, stacking them evenly and setting them right into the book on a strip of hot glue run right down the middle.

I will get better at this. You know how I love books.

Lynn

The Beginnings of a Faery House

2008-12-15T05:54:00.000-08:00

Faeries don't need huge houses, of course, being such tiny creatures. And faeries just love rustic, out-of-the-way places where no one would think to look for them, like this shelf I'm turning into a faery home for Princess of the Universe.

There is SO much more I've yet to add, but wanted you to see the first layers. A tree to hide under. Pink tissue paper Mod-Podged in for the base. A bird on each level. I'll post updates as I can. Princes of the Universe has not even seen this project yet. Shhh. It's a surprise.

I think this would be a great little shelf for her art desk -- to keep her inspired.

Lynn

Doll House Lanterns

2008-12-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Again, another sweet doll house project from Hitty Print Mini: precious little doll house paper lanterns.

We did as suggested on the website and cut off the "paper" sticks which will print out with the lantern. (You'll know what I mean if you look at them on the website.) Instead, we hot-glued toothpicks into place after cutting the ends off the toothpicks with scissors.

Okay, time for a disclaimer: Ends of toothpicks are sharp and should not be left on the floor to be stepped on. They can be dangerous. Cut over the trash can so that all sharp pieces go into the trash. Secondly, moms, do the cutting. Not children. Also ALWAYS supervise the use of hot glue guns. They are not for children without supervision.

We used just a dab of glue inside each corner to attach our little strings for these two doll house lanterns. They will probably hang up in the dolll house somewhere near the door or in a doll's bedroom.

The Well Read Doll

2008-12-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Michele at Smile, Wink, Nod posted a wonderful link today, so I have to thank her for helping me find this! How could I have missed this sweet bunch of miniature printables at Hitty Print Mini? Oh, never mind, at least I know about it now! And I thought you would want to know as well.

Today we made the dolls a bunch of books for the doll house!

These were so cute printed out!! A page of book covers. I simply cut out each tiny book cover, folded it in half, and then glued it with a glue stick around a piece of nice smooth cardboard (think thick card stock).

Just to show you how mini they really are.

You know now I must make a doll house bookshelf. These dolls love books! I love these dolls.

Lynn

Wall Papering The Doll House

2008-12-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Today my daughter and I wall papered the doll house (bookshelf) that had not yet been papered! This is something we have been wanting to do for a while. Yesterday we made a trip to the Scrap Exchange to pick up odds and ends, just perfect for doll house stuff. We left there with a roll of left-over wall paper. It's plain but fancy. You'll see what I mean.

First I measured the inside of each room: height and length around the three walls. Then I cut.

We used a paint brush to brush glue onto the walls inside the dall house, one room at a time, then we smoothed our wall paper into place.

The last thing we did was to draw beautiful doll house windows with our Prang colored pencils and art paper. We cut the windows out and "installed" one in each room of the doll house using Mod-Podge.

The window in the second picture is top is mine. I'll have to give you a close-up later. It's a delicate tree outside with a cardinal in it. My daughter's window, the one in the third picture, is lovely. I love it! There a "huge oak" outside, and a sunset.

The Doll House General Store

2008-12-10T08:02:00.003-08:00

The dolls are busy this week building a doll house general store. Yesterday I had the occasion to be in A.C. Moore and I saw the most adorable little doll house cash register and jar of candy canes.

As a bit of "building background" the general store will be located in a shelf I found on sale some months back at an antique store. This shelf, which serves as even more rooms for doll house adventures, I think was an old cabinet with doors -- thinking maybe 50s or 60s. It was cleaned up and painted and sold to me! But I'm sure one could be found at a thrift store as well for even less. Just be patient and keep looking!

You can see Princess of the Universe playing in front of the shelf, on which sits the doll house. It no longer holds books and toys, but is a wonderful extension of the doll house.

Anyway, I had to travel out of my snuggly old home yesterday for a work meeting, and on the way I stopped at A.C. Moore to see if any doll house things caught my eye. It took awhile, but finally the candy canes spoke to me the loudest. And then the cash register.

For just a few dollars, every once in a while, I love to find little things to bring home to Princess of the Universe and her dolls. Little things like this add a fine touch to the doll house that I cannot always figure out on my own.

Upon examining the cute little cash register, the wheels in each of our minds began turning. I'm not sure who thought of it exactly, but we decided to install a doll house general store beneath the dolls' home. It will be a wonderful place to put "leftover" furniture, lamps, and of course the supplies that any doll family would need.

I promise you'll see pictures soon of the Doll House General Store, as well as some other things we've worked on.

A doll house is such a useful thing.

A Soapbox For A Doll Bed

2008-12-07T18:01:00.001-08:00

The doll will literally get on her soapbox with this project. Well, maybe in the soapbox.

I found the most beautiful boxed soap not long ago at Marshall's. The soap smelled divine and I just knew the box would be the perfect size for a doll house bed.

I only used the bottom half of the box for this. My daughter decided to use the lid of the box to make her own project. More on that later.

First I cut a strip of fabric to go about one and a half times around the bed (box). I then basted it with a large stitch so that I could gather it a bit. I then carefully glued it around the lower outside of the box to make a dust ruffle. The pink paisley print at the bottom is what was used for this step.

After that I took a pretty tieback that was cut from a thrifted curtain, pressed it with the iron and cut it to fit perfectly around the box for a trim to cover the glued portion of the dust ruffle. This trim was hot glued into place as well.

Two nice large buttons were glued -- one on each end of the box -- for decoration.

I then cut a mattress out of some red ticking I had in the scrap box. The mattress is deep and shaped like a real mattress. The top and bottom pieces of fabric were cut to fit perfectly into the box with just enough room for a seam. Then a strip as deep as the box was cut to go all the way around the box to make the "side" of the mattress. It was sewed together first by making a seam in the side strip, then sewing (right sides together) the top to the strip, then (again right sides together) the bottom piece to the side strip, leaving a small opening to turn the mattress and stuff the mattress and then sew it up by hand.

The legs on the bed are long wooden beads, hot glued into place.

The last step was to make a sheet and a little downy pillow. Princess of the Universe LOVED it and was inspired to make her own bed. We'll be posting about that later.

Lynn

PS - As always, a reminder to supervise all use of glue guns and craft materials and scissors and sewing machines when working with children.

She's Come Home

2008-12-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today my daughter and I found a beautiful doll at the thrift store. For 99 cents, we brought her home to her very own doll house. She immediately had a family to invite her in.

She's beautiful and exotic. The other dolls loved her immediately.

How We Made Our Doll House

2008-11-28T05:03:00.000-08:00

First of all, I don't have the money to buy a 200-dollar wooden doll house kit. And secondly, right now I don't have the time to put together a kit like that. I needed a simple and inexpensive way for us to have a fun, usable doll house. The perfect thing ended up being a small wooden bookshelf like you can buy at A.C. Moore or Michaels. I realize that even these can seem expensive, but we found one of ours at the thrift store. The second one I bought new, but if you check your Sunday paper, oftentimes you'll find really good coupons for stores like A.C. Moore and Michaels.

You can see us sitting in front of it playing. It is not fancy, but there are so many crafting hours and good memories tied up in this doll house. I believe that someday I'll have a fancy doll house -- maybe for grandchildren, or maybe for my daughter and me to work on when she's in her teens, or grown. For now, though, this is perfect. We made a trip to a store that sells scraps from area businesses and stocked up on paper, wallpaper supplies, little carpet pieces and little pieces of wood. A thrift store offers much the same by way of old books that you can get pictures from, fabrics that can be cut up and reused, and little miscellaneous items that can be recycled into doll house furniture. Get creative!

In addition to the wooden shelves (if you want to go totally frugal) we decorated two cardboard boxes as two little "loft" rooms that sit, one atop each wooden shelf. We used glue -- you can use either fabric glue or a hot glue gun (just be careful and supevise!) -- to apply the fabric. The room above is nothing more than adecorated cardboard box.

We have splurged from time to time and bought some wooden pieces new (remember those coupons and always look for sales). We've also judiciously picked out some wooden pieces at The Dollar Tree. Some of the above we made ourselves, and I'll post individual instructions about what we all we make.

The kitchen probably holds the least homemade furniture. It is also, for now, a room that's not fully decorated yet. As for the furniture, we lucked out and found the big stove at the thrift store for 99 cents. The table and stools against the wall were a gift. They are currently decorated for Christmas with pipe cleaners. (Remember it's a 10-year-old girl decorating the rooms.) The pretty green table and chairs were a splurge with a coupon.

Another cardboard room (above), the bathroom, with a pretty fireplace made from a paper-towel roll. I'll post instructions on making this later. My daughter likes for this to be the bathroom so the dolls can be warmed by the fire when they get out of the tub. The tub is a recycled soap dish from the thrift store.

One of the rooms in the wooden shelf (above). Do you see Santa hanging by the chimney? Mother is sitting by and the kids are in bed. Perhaps she is making sure they go to sleep. This room has been wall papered with wall paper scraps and glue. The windows were drawn first on drawing paper with colored pencils and then cut out and Mod-Podged into place on the walls. The same goes for the pretty fireplace. My daughter made the large bed out of a recycled metal tin.

All of the above was inexpensive and fun! It just takes time, but the memories you'll create and the talks you'll share make it so much better than something ready-made.

Lynn

PS - Disclaimer: Please just remember to always supervise the use of craft supplies, scissors, glue and glue guns, etc. And remember that small pieces represent a choking hazard for small children. Supervise. :)

Beautiful Baby Cradle

2008-11-25T16:36:00.003-08:00

Not too long ago I found a sweet little baby cradle at the thrift store. There was no mattress, no veil -- just a plain plastic cradle. I knew we'd fix it right up! The picture above shows you the view from the baby's head end of the cradle. I cut this clear piece of material to fit loosely over, hemmed it, added some antique-looking ribbon trim and then put a snap closure so my daughter can close it snugly around the crib. Mosquitoes drive the dolls crazy sometimes.

When baby wakes up, the veil can easily be placed back out of the way.

The make this light, airy material hang down arond the cradle, we sewed on two pretty card decorations I had at my art desk.

The veil was placed evenly over the little post at the cradle top and hot-glued into place with just a small drop of glue. This little birdie was also hot-glued into place. The baby loves watching the little bird.

Baby, of course, sleeps in mommy and daddy's room. They want her close by.

Lynn

A New Doll House Chair

2008-11-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

Last night I used the book that my friend Alana sent me -- The Most Wonderful Dollhouse Book, to make a new chair for the doll house.

First I started with an empty baking powder can. I used a Sharpie to outline where I would cut with my sharp Xacto.

You can see how the chair will be shaped. The most tedious part comes next, and that is cutting a piece or two of fabric and smoothly hot-gluing it on so it looks upholstered.

But it turns out well! What did I use to fill the inside? I simply measured out enough stuffing to fill up the seat. I then cut a circle of fabric and laid that stuffing in the center of it. I pulled the fabric together all around it like a balloon and tied it together with a piece of string. The tied-with-string end went down into the seat first, leaving a pretty puffy pillow look on top.

Mama Doll loves her chair. I ended up covering my fabric "seam" on the chair with a ribbon I had recycled from some old PJs. It worked perfectly.

Fancy, eh? Princess of the Universe loves her new chair.

Remember to supervise the use of all crafting tools. I always do the sharp work myself and supervise my children very closely when they are working with things like this to avoid injury.

Lynn

Doll House Emergency Supplies

2008-11-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

This week we finished up our studies of Storm in the Night.

And you know me. I was inspired to make something for the doll house. As luck would have it - or should I say as the occasion was presented to me, I ran out of my favorite eye cream. The little jar could certainly not be discarded. Anything small has to be considered as furniture or some little thing for the dolls. You'll see the little jar sitting up at the corner of the book, above, freshly turned into a stool that doubles as storage. For now, let's take the top off and see what's inside.

Oh, it looks exciting!!

It's emergency supplies!! A book of matches for the doll house candle, and a flashlight! And they'll always be located in the comfy storage stool so we know how to get to them quickly!

Do you know what the flashlight is made from? The little extension pieces that you would use to increase the size of the posts in a scrapbook! They even unscrew so the dolls can pretend to put in new batteries. The tip, light and switch are tiny pieces of felt that were hot-glued on.

Here's brother, who's pulled the stool up close to sister's bed so he can read to her. She's not feeling well today.

The satin trim on the stool came from an old pair of pajama bottoms that finally wore out, but the tie around the waist was too pretty to throw out, so it went into the "string drawer." The top of the stool is padded with a cotton ball with a circular piece of fabric placed over the top and then hot-glued into place. The final touch was the trim glued around. The little matchbook is just a little black piece of paper folded with the matches drawn onto a white piece of paper and glued inside.

Lynn

PS - Miniatures are fun, but remember they are small and not for children too young to understand about not putting thing in their mouths.

Doll House Sled-Box

2008-11-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we finished up Very Last First Time. It has been a really good study for us.

You know a FIAR book would not be complete to me unless we had a little reminder in the way of a doll house accessory! I used a little matchbox to recreate Eva's box that she pulls across the ice. I looked through some of the little boxes on my sewing/craft desk and found a couple of little card charms that resemble picks or shovels. A bottle cap makes a great mussel pan.

I was so thrilled when Princess of the Universe wanted to make her own little sled-box out of paper and tape. Her box is deeper, which I commented is more like what Eva had. And Miss Priss even tore up little pieces of black paper to make mussels for her pan.

Do you know it just made my heart sing when she said, "Mommy, I love my doll house."

As occasion would have it, our little girl doll looks like she could pass for Eva.

We have enjoyed this book -- and our doll house -- immensely!

Lynn

Cute As Pie

2008-11-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is this just cute as pie?

Do you see the apple pie on the table? I had a bottle cap from my ginger-ale today and thought this would make a perfect doll house pie pan, if only the edges were brought out some.

And what a way to finish up How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World!

This little pie is just a bottle cap with the edges flattened out somewhat by pliers, a circle of felt glued in for the bottom crust, little pieces of felt glued in for apple slices, and felt strips glued on the for the top crust. I think the dolls will have wonderful conversations about Italy and Sri Lanka and England...

Lynn

Doll House Dresser For A Friend

2008-11-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share pictures of a dresser that was made to give away to an on-line friend.

Yes, the little matchbox drawers may be a bit wobbly, but so is Pooh's spelling.

This dresser has tiny little batchboxes with tiny little drawer pulls.

I think everyone needs miniature, homemade doll house furniture.

Lynn

Doll House Blanket

2008-11-24T19:41:00.001-08:00

As I wrote a few days back, Princess of the Universe and I have been making blankets for the doll house. In the gift from Louise was also a piece of cheery fabric -- just perfect for a doll house creation.

Little doll boy has a new blanket, trimmed with pom-poms and a dream-filled little pillow to match.

Louise, thank you again

Lynn

A Sweet Gift

2008-11-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

A special gift from a sweet on line friend. Louise must have known we needed blankets in the doll house.

The dolls are snug under this beautiful, warm, handmade quilt. Thank you.

And Louise sent an exquisite piece of art for the little dolls to hang in their modest home. (Miss Priss attached it where she wanted it with a little piece of sticky-tack.)

She is adorable!

Oh, and there is a book for the dolls to read! How did you know they were interested in faeries?

Louise, I want you to know that little Princess of the Universe set to work straight away drawing faeries and baby faeries in the book so her dolls would have lovely pictures to look at.

Louise, thank you ever so much.

Lynn

The Prudent Man

2008-11-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

"The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going."

Princess of the Universe and I talked about this verse from Proverbs and I told her what I thought it meant. The moment trouble stirs, the simple jump in with both feet without looking. A too-good-to-be-true "deal?" The simple run right after it. Not so the prudent man.

It was such a simple gesture, but last night in her room I picked up a couple of dolls and had them talking to each other.

"That kid is a pain. Let's do something to him so he can't play with us anymore. Let's tell him he's not welcome around here."

Princess of the Universe walked right over, smiling.

The next thing you know these two little kid dolls were whispering their plans about how to get rid of the kid they didn't like. No one wanted him around because he was mean.

Of course an older, wiser kid asked the two children if what they were about to do was very prudent.

"Do you think you should try to correct that little boy on your own, or should you go tell your mom?"

Princess of the Universe took over.

She had the little dolls walking into the parents' room (of course waking up the newborn baby during a nap, who cried WAAAAAH WAAAAAAH), and they told Mom what they were thinking.

Mom sat down with the children and explained to them (my daughter's words, not mine):

"Children if you try to correct that little boy, then he might go home and tell his mother about you and then you will be in trouble too. It's always best to tell a parent."

As we tucked all the dolls into their beds we lamented over the lack of adequate blankets in the house. What is the use of a fancy bed if you don't have a proper blanket? We should have planned more wisely perhaps?

I told her it reminded me of The Virtuous Woman and how she was not afraid of the snow for her household because all of her household were clothed with scarlet.

Proverbs is so wonderful. It is like a treasure of practical advice for all, including children, and then the marvelous deeper meanings can be uncovered as we grow older and older. In fact, it would be a life-long project.

The next doll house project? Homemade blankets for the dolls' beds.

Lynn

Doll House Decluttering

2008-11-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

We have done some decluttering of the doll house.

Hey. Even dolls can only move around and function so well when there's too much clutter. Of course, it won't do to throw out something you use from time to time, even if you're in a decluttering frenzy. Now, that's a lesson to teach!

You'll see the fancy dog bed that Princess of the Universe made from a little tin from the thrift store and some fabric scraps. That dog sure has a nice bed.

She put a couple of pieces of wood on the "fire." Of course the fireplace was drawn on paper and then decopauged to the wall.

The bathroom was also moved to a room with a fireplace (made from a cardboard papertowel roll), and yes that's the man of the house in the bathroom currently. Ahem. I desired to edit this out, but Princess of the Universe insisted it should stay in. It is real life, after all.

How would you like a huge, round bathtub which allowed you to step out and dry in front of a roaring fire? Could be dangerous. But it could be warm. :)

Lynn

Doll House Trundle Bed

2008-11-24T19:17:00.000-08:00

"You can do anything with children if you only play with them."
Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), German Statesman

Last night my daughter and I had a slumber party together in her room. We took four dishpans of craft materials into her room so that we would have plenty to do. She had the idea to use an Altoids tin to make a trundle bed. She said, "I want the baby to have a trundle bed, so she can be close by her mommy. Like the beds that Laura and Mary had."

It was so sweet to watch her create something from a book we'd read together. (No worries that currently there's a puppy and a chicken in it. It's just part of her imagination at work. Later on there was a tiger in the trundle bed.)

Lynn

The Most Wonderful DollHouse Book

2008-11-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

It is! And it came to me in the mail yesterday from my sweet friend, Alana.

It's true I was a bit tired when I came home yesterday, but this book very much lifted my spirits when I saw it in the mailbox and then even more when I looked at it last evening and just marveled at all the things I can make with Princess of the Universe!

This book has very clear instructions and has many things in it that have already set my mind to work. It's called The Most Wonderful Dollhouse Book and it's by Millie Hines (by Butterick, copyright 1979). It's a treasure! :)

Alana, thank you.

Hugs,
Lynn

Fresh Eggs for the Dolls

2008-11-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

While I was in A.C. Moore the other day, I could not resist these fresh eggs and milks for the doll house.

There's gotta be a lesson in these.

Lynn

Order Lends Itself To Play

2008-11-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

My daughter's room is clean. The doll house sits ready for play. Leaving things nice and neat, keeping things nice and neat, help us play better.

Playing Dolls Together ~ Her Way

2008-11-24T18:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my daughter and I had a nice time playing dolls again. Of course I am trying to interject my thoughts as we play, but I do let her take the lead with her imagination. It gives me a lot of insight as to what she is thinking these days.

She made a very fine horse corral out of some wooden blocks she got for Christmas. "Mom and Dad" are relaxing in the back of the truck. Out beyond the horses, the son and the daughter are playing on the tinkertoy swingset. :)

My daughter told me of a game she had invented with the dolls that was "really, really fun." It involved a haunted car and the doll family trying to hide in the back of the car or under the dashboard while the car drove around crazily. This is the haunted car:

I know it doesn't look so scary now, but boy you should just see it in the hands of my daughter. It would scare you to think about not falling out!

We had to get on her bed, on our backs, and hold the car up over our heads. She told me to take control of the car, so I did some crazy yelling and shook the car and the whole doll family fell out around her forehead. (I am glad they did not hit her face. Mom was not thinking too far ahead.)

My daughter started laughing. And laughing. She laughed until she had tears in her eyes -- a firsttime thing for her, and she pointed that out to me. I was laughing too, mostly at her. It was such a nice bonding time before I went to work.

I could tell she had continued to play dolls by herself when I got home last night.

Lynn

Thrifted Doll House Lamp

2008-11-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

My mother (again, sweet woman) found this at a thrift store local to her.

The shade looks like cowhide!

Lynn

A Very Tall Chest of Drawers

2008-11-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

I decided to make something for my princess! A very tall chest of drawers. She'll also have some new dolls tomorrow, as I stepped into a local toy store today and could not resist a family of wooden dolls.

Match boxes are great for making furniture. Each drawer has a different little button for the drawer pull.

The doll family admires the beautiful veneer on one side.

And then the other side. It is actually a few pieces of paper cut from some scrapbook material I have, glued into place and then covered with a coat of mod podge.

But what's this?

It's a little letter for my darling!

What does it say?

We're studying Roxaboxen right now and my daughter just loved our first reading of it tonight. This little letter will be a fun "find" for her tomorrow while I am at work. Her dolls can play Roxaboxen.

They'll need the pretty treasure.

Happy doll house playing,
Lynn

Doll House Kitchen Set

2008-11-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

We splurged, which you know is usually not our style around here.

Yesterday at A.C. Moore we were totally smitten with the doll house furniture sets. Good thing we had a coupon!

We picked out one set of furniture, because it's really nice, if the family can afford it, to have quality furniture. We won't be doing this all the time, but as my daughter pointed out, it really matches the new rug we made! The set was about 14 dollars, but A.C. Moore frequently has coupons for as much as half off one item in the Sunday paper.

Lynn

2008-11-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I have been working on some rugs for the doll house -- hers painted and mine done with colored pencils. After hers had dried, we took the rugs upstairs to determine which rooms to put them in.

I love this face. She's wondering where to put the rug.

This is the rug that ended up in the children's room of the doll house.

We are waiting for our coat of mod podge to dry. Then we'll put another one on. We talked about women who had to make real rugs by hand to keep their real floors warm -- a lot of work! It reminded us of the Virtuous Woman who "worketh willingly with her hands."

The kitchen rug is drying as well. It won't be long before we can put all the furniture back in. Won't that be nice?

Last of all, we took a tiny picture frame that we found at the thrift store awhile back for a quarter and we put a picture of the two of us in it. Where is it? You guessed it. In the doll house den.

Overall, I'd say it's been a pretty productive day.

Lynn

Migration Heritage Link

2008-11-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

I have got to -- got to -- share this picture with you! I only wish I could find close-up pictures of the rooms.

I really think, though being content now with what I have, someday I'm going to have to build an authentic Victorian doll house.

Lynn

Inexpensive Doll House Bathroom

2008-11-24T18:22:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share was a couple of bargains we got at the Dollar Tree. Not all of their doll house furniture is worth buying -- some pieces would break almost immediately, I think, but they did have this cute cabinet with doors that open. And they had a bathroom set that we needed since there was no commode in the dolls' bathroom!

I dont' think we went wrong for 2 dollars.

Happy playing,
Lynn

2008-11-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

The lesson with the doll house money is going to be a great one. My daughter counted the money and added it all up again herself, which was good math practice for her. The amount seemed large to her, but she shook her head "no" when I asked her if she thought that much money would run a real home for a year.

What I am going to do is have her subtract the amount of any house-related expense from the total, and we'll see how fast this money is gone. (It's a good lesson for me too!)

She was astounded at how quickly the money dwindled down in just one day of bill paying.

Lynn

A Lesson Found

2008-11-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

I stopped at an antique store today on my way home from visiting my aunt and uncle. I figured I would see something really pricey that I would want and not be able to have, so I braced myself for that. But oh my goodness.

Do you see the money on the doll house dresser tray? That stack of money was laying in the antique store on top of a wooden box. As soon as I saw it, I thought of The Year of the Doll House. I asked how much I could buy it for, for our doll house, and they just gave it to me. ??? So I am thinking that this little project was supposed to come our way.

And guess how much money it is?

9271 dollars. Why that amount? I am not sure how to turn this into a fun lesson. Before I counted the money, I was going to set it as a pretend budget for her doll house and then everything we purchased for the doll house would come out of it, even if only on paper -- just to show her how expensive things can be, but I can't do that. I can't spend 9271 real dollars on the doll house!

But what if I wrote that amount down and used it for our real house? Nine-thousand two-hundred seventy-one dollars will sound like SO much to my daughter. And what if, for math, we subtracted everything I have to buy for our own home in 2008 from that amount?

I think she could really get a sense of budgeting. I am thinking that that is the amount I am supposed to work with. After all, there it was and it was given to me.

How cool is that? I will let you know what we do with it.

Lynn

Lessons From The Doll House

2008-11-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

Are we still playing dolls here? Yes! Here's the latest creation: a doll house puppy box for the children's room. My daughter made it and received plenty of praise from her mama.

For those of you keeping up with our doll house adventures, here's the latest.

"Year of the Doll House" has been a very thought-provoking venture for me. My daughter and I have really enjoyed playing together. The lessons have been just as much for me as for her.

Speaking of "lessons," it's not something formal where playing becomes rote. We simply talk while we play, and I am -- quite simply -- committed to playing. I try to have had my meditative time with my bible and Proverbs earlier in the day, which helps me to have "a word in season" for whatever we are doing.

It's also not about dropping whatever I am doing and giving in to my daughter's every whim. It's about giving of my precious time to her, when I have time to give it. I think of times in the past when she's asked me to play -- and probably needed my attention more than anything, but I was too busy. I don't want that to be the tone of our relationship.

What are her lessons?

The other day she mentioned her doll house being small compared to her cousin's very tall doll house. We talked about having patience and adding another level to her own doll house. This situation gave me the opportunity to mention a thought that had been on my mind from Proverbs. I had been reading about Solomon. He was one of the wealthiest men who ever lived: 40 thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12 thousand horsemen. (I Kings ch. 4) There's more, but does that give you a hint? Still, with all his material wealth, it was his request to God that made him great: "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad;..." (I Kings ch. 3)

I explained to my daugther that I thought it was the best request we could have, whether our house was great or small. To have wisdom to establish a home and to raise our children and to discern between good and bad is the key. The size of the house matters not if there's no peace in it.

Anyway, that's the kind of lessons I want to undertake, and in the most gentle, non-preachy way.

Lynn

Doll House Cup

2008-11-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

Did you know that caps from toothpaste tubes make great doll house accessories?

It's either a great doll house cup or a cool doll house canister. Your choice!

Keeping it simple,
Lynn

Homemade Doll House Dresser

2008-11-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

I must say I am so pleased. I just had to share this. Sweet-pea and I sat down this evening and worked on a piece of doll house furniture -- a dresser. With a mirror and everything!

We used match boxes for the drawers. My husband carefully removed a mirror from a compact I had. Last night at work we had some excellent boxes that were going to be thrown out. They were heavy cardboard, but not corrugated. Very smooth and sturdy. Just right.

We cut out a "frame" from one end of a box, into which we could glue the drawers. Then we cut a piece of box to be glued onto the back. Finally, the mirror was glued into place. For the pulls on the drawers, we used a needle to punch holes (carefully now!) into two places on the front of each drawer. We took a little piece of raffia and drew it through and tied in the front.

Isn't it great?? ~:-D

Lynn

On Playing Dolls

2008-11-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

I don't want this to seem something complicated. Life is complicated. Playing dolls is not. But playing dolls -- I believe -- can help a girl to handle the complicated things that will come her way in life some day.

I've learned a lesson raising four children. It's a lesson that has thrilled me at times, but sometimes has been painful. Children do what they see their parents do.

The day before Christmas 2007, I woke up feeling very overwhelmed. I was working outside of my home (just a season, I tell you) and it's easy to get overwhelmed. I was thinking, how will I get the gifts wrapped, or even finish buying the few things I need, and rest well tonight, and enjoy Christmas Day, knowing that I have to be back to work the day after Christmas?? I had a deer-in-headlights moment and did a totally abstract thing. I hung up my new 2008 calendar. It was probably meant to be. The quote for the month of January 2008 was exactly what I needed to see.

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957)

I held that thought close. I decided to pick the sweet, simple things out of all the thoughts swirling through my mind and focus on them. Playing dolls with my little sweetie-pie was one of the first things to pop into my mind. The second thing was how much I wanted to see my mother and my sister (and how much they wanted to see me), so wrapped gifts were not as important as I could build them up to be. The important thing was me having a soft and sweet spirit and enjoying the important things. I decided just to relax and enjoy the days ahead. After all, my daughter is watching, and so are my sons.

This is all about playing. It's about doing something simple. In doing the simple things, though, we often paint such a larger picture that it's hard to see the whole masterpiece at one time. The Year of the Doll House is about doing a sweet, simple thing, and doing it day by day.

There's a precious thought that a dear friend shared with me recently. It keeps coming back to me in all that I do. It's helped me to focus on the sweet, simple things.

"...precept upon precept; line upon line...here a little, and there a little:" Isaiah 28:10

Precept upon precept and line upon line -- little by little. That's how big things are built.

Lynn

Fancy Doll House Vase

2008-11-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have the best mom in the world. She just falls in and supports me and my sister when we decide to do something. A good lesson for me in raising my own daughter.

She found these cute little bottles and wrapped them up for my daughter for her doll house. The clear glass bottle looks like a great base for a doll house lamp. I am not sure about the other one yet. It looks like a lovely vase for foliage on a doll house hearth.

Looks good with guinea feathers, no?

Lynn

Doll House Accessories From Homemade Clay

2008-11-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I made some clay tonight so that we could make doll accessories for her doll house.

First you put in 2 cups of plain flour. Feel free to get the flour on your hands!

Then you add 1/2 a cup of salt.

Next, you add 3/4 cup of water...

...and mix.

This will make a very thick, sturdy clay that you can mold into small accessories for your doll house. We used toothpicks for modeling tools. At one point our clay got so dry that it was hard to make the items we wanted without the dough cracking. We each wet our hands, slung the extra water off, and worked the clay with our damp hands. This helped a great deal.

We have a set of canisters, a mantle clock, a round tray, a container with a lid, a candlestick holder, a box that we'll surely find a use for, and what will be a bag of flour for the kitchen.

Place the items on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees until the clay is hard. Test carefully, supervise children, don't get burned. Small pieces will burn quickly, so watch closely. Some thicker pieces may take up to half an hour or so.

Tomorrow we will paint the pieces with acrylic gesso, let dry, and then decorate with acrylic paints.

I'll show you what we end up with!

Lynn

PS - This is how they ended up! I'll be honest, some cracked and were not usable. Make sure your mix is moist enough. It was still worth it to end up with even the doll house mantle clock. We love it and use it all the time. Sculpey works wonders too, but if you're aiming for frugal this may be a better choice.

Doll House Fruit Bowl

2008-11-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the most splendid fruit bowl ever? Thrifted. I think this was a cup of some kind. It probably went to some other type of toy set, but it makes a very royal-looking fruit bowl, and I am thinking that I can find some fruity-looking beads to go in it and make it look awesome.

Lynn

A Doll House Clock

2008-11-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

Time flies. This adorable little thing I found for our doll house for 25 cents! And it reminds us of just how fast time flies!

This little item is supposed to be a Christmas ornament, but it makes a perfect doll house accessory. My daughter and I put this in the doll's kitchen (attached with some sticky tack like is used to hang posters). It gave us a chance to talk about how quickly time passes. She nodded as she played. I shared the thought that because time passes so quickly we need to be extra careful how we spend it.

Another little topic that came up was having enough blankets in the house. I said Oh, we need more blankets! We talked about having a blanket chest and plenty of blankets, in case you have company. I know that's certainly the case in real life. Now I suppose we need to sew some little quilts and put them in a shelf. I'll be on the lookout for a makeshift shelf.

Lynn

Doll House Toy Basket

2008-11-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

This basket is so sweet, it's hard to tell from the picture that it's only about an inch tall. This is actually a little basket that a deodorant rock came in. I am always thinking what could I do with this or that.

Economical playing! You can't beat it.

Lynn

The Importance Of Playing Dolls

2008-11-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

"House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord." Proverbs 19:14

This blog -- The HomeMade DollHouse -- began first as a personal project called The Year of the Doll House. I'll tell you about it.

I have one daughter, and there are so many wonderful thoughts I want to share with her. I don't want to be overbearing, but I delight in teaching her what is good. I want her to understand that what is good, is good for her. I made a vow of sorts at the end of 2007 to play dolls in earnest throughout the year of 2008. At the time I called it "The Year of the Doll House."

"Wisdom hath builded her house..." Proverbs 9:1

My desire to play dolls with her was like a vision, a goal, whatever you want to call it. At the time my goal began I was working part time in a bakery, always in the evenings. I gained a new view of my daughter. I was given a perspective that I did not have before. I was away from her more. She was spending more time with her papa and her brothers. That was a good thing, but I could clearly see how very much she needs me and my influence. It was an astounding revelation -- just how quickly she is growing up and how extremely important my every word and action is to her.

"Every wise woman buildeth her house..." Proverbs 14:1

Therefore, when I am with her, I want to really be present with her, in heart and mind, and not consumed with thoughts of things that I want to be doing for myself.

As we worked together -- almost cheek to cheek -- setting up her new doll house, it occurred to me that her time of playing with dolls as a true child is coming to an end. Similarly, my window of time of strong influence over her thinking and her habits is becoming smaller. Playing dolls throughout the year of 2008, which is coming to a close now, has been so very precious. We have bonded so much more deeply. I am not sure my daughter even realizes the significance of it, she's so young. As we have played dolls and made furniture together, it has become clear that this will be a lifelong hobby for us. The doll house play will go on and on! Neither of us has to be a little girl to enjoy building doll houses and making miniatures. Staying close to my daughter is what is at the heart of this.

"She looketh well to the ways of her household..." Proverbs 31:27

Throughout 2008, The Year of the Doll House, I made special little things for us for the doll house. It might have been a little cup for the table. It sometimes was a pretty piece of furniture recycled from something throw-away. It might have been a note from me about something one of the dolls did that she needs to look into further. It may be only a thought shared about what it means to build a house.

I was committed. And it paid off.

"...but the house of the righteous shall stand." Proverbs 12:7

It was sometimes an hour of special doll house play. It was sometimes shopping together. It was oftentimes making something new. It all worked together to create a closer relationship. Superficially my daughter will remember playing, but in her heart she has a storehouse of memories of talking and laughing and learning things that are good for her.

Perhaps this idea will appeal to your heart too. The year 2008 has flown by quickly, and now I find that The Year of the Doll House has evolved into a habit around here. Playing dolls is easy to do.

This blog is solely dedicated to all things doll house. I am putting all of our doll house adventures so far right here together. And as I've already mentioned, the doll house will go on and on. Join us!

Lynn