A Doll House Piano

My daughter LOVES music of all "varieties and flavors" (something she gets from her daddy!). A couple weeks ago she ask me to print her some instruments off so she could make her dollhouse people play and sing.  

(Here they are all lined up with their guitars, banjos, mandolins, and a bass!)
Last week she got the bright idea that she wanted a piano for the dollhouse people. 

The above creation was what she "dreamed up" with a little help from mommy along the way....mostly her ideas though! 

Would you believe that she made that piano with only:

1) a block of wood leftover from building the deck

2) some black paint

3) some black beads

4) paper

Just goes to show that "where there's a will there's a way!"

We made the "piano bench" from an old rubber stamp block (painted black) and padded the top with a scrap of material and some cotton batting.  Oh, and we added beads to the bottom to make it sit up a bit higher. 

Of course, what's a piano w/out music.  

My daughter had me shrink some music down and print it off so she could have a song book for the piano.

Oh and the lamp on top -- made from a button, beads, and a scrap of paper. 

My daughter followed this tutorial to make it.

This post linked to:
Whatever You Want Wednesday

More Furniture

My daughter has been playing Little House on the Prairie in her log cabin dollhouse this week.  (It may have something to do with us reading that book together right now!) Anyway, she needed another bed for "Laura and Mary to sleep in......" so Mommy got the job.

I decided to make it "earth tones" this time -- maybe fit in that log cabin she's playing with a little better!  I also made it smaller than the first bed (this post) since it's for the little girls to sleep in.

Here you can see I made the sheet of muslin this time instead of the white handkerchief.  It went with the earth tones better. Also, made two pillows for sleeping instead of the one last time.
Got the idea for this from a book called Tiny Treasures (American Girl) -- but I didn't exactly follow their directions -- just sort of used it as a guide.
Here's a parting shot of the bed in the dollhouse with the little rug and nightstand I made to match it....

The rug was made by braiding yard and then hot gluing it to a piece of felt.
The nightstand (not in the book -- just something I made up) used a round piece of cardboard glued to the top of an empty wooden spool. Then I cut a circle of fabric and glued the lace around the edge.  I glued the tablecloth to the piece of cardboard and wa-la - a nightstand!

More Minatures

My daughter wanted to make something miniature from the Tiny Treasures (American Girl) book. The above school supplies were what she chose. (To see the previous post on the bed we made go here.)
We ended up with two backpacks (one is empty the other full in the picture above) - two notebooks, two pencils, three erasers, two lunch bags, and three folders (full of mini paper).  I put  a penny in the picture so you would have a size comparison.

Here's a closer view of the notebook, pencil, and eraser.  I didn't exactly follow the directions on the notebook -- I used masking tape (colored black) to make the binding.  Also -- if you happen to want to make one that opens and is usable......I held the pages together with the front and back cover and put a strip of hot glue down the spine.  This keeps all the pages in place and still allows you to open the book at the same time.

A  closer view of the lunch bags, folder and backpack (my daughter had some mini fruit she added to this picture).  The backpack in the book was too big for what she wanted it for (dollhouse people) so I cut it down.  It is still a little big, but any smaller and the school supplies would not have fit inside!

Here's a shot of two of the dollhouse children all ready for the start of school with their new backpacks and school supplies!  These sets turned out pretty cute - don't you think?!?
Supplies used:

• Toothpick
• Felt
• Ribbon
• Eraser
• Notebook cover
• Masking Tape
• Bic Markers
• Hot Glue
• Tacky Glue
• Misc. Paper scraps
• Paper bag
• Decorative Scissors

Something Different -- Doll house furniture!

I discovered something about myself yesterday.....I have more patience than I thought I had!!  Reason being --- I was able to put together a "Queen" sized bed for dollhouse people!  My daughter and I recently checked out Tiny Treasures - Amazing Miniatures  You Can Make (American Girl Library), and I promised her we would make some of the projects together this week for her dollhouse.  I envisioned making the simple braided rug out of embroidery floss, but my daughter wanted a little more complicated project (this bed) to be the first project.
Have to admit it was a lot of fun to make,and we are both MORE THAN PLEASED with the way it turned out! 

Here's a view from above with the bed spread open so you can see the flat bottom sheet underneath.

A view of her Melissa and Doug dollhouse people laying on top the bed so you can see it's more than adequate!
While I can't tell you exactly how I made everything (it's not my original idea, but from a copyrighted book).... I will list the supplies I used.  I didn't  follow the book exactly,  but based my ideas on the twin bed they had pictured.
Supplies used:

• Cereal  box (base of bed)
• White handkerchief -(sheet/long pillow)
• Batting (inside pillows)
• Sour Cream lid (headboard)
• Bits of leftover lace (edging on lg. pillow/bedspread)
• Blue rick-rack - along base of bed
• Two coordinating (blue) material scraps (bedspread/sq. pillows/ headboard)
• Singer Pixie Sewing Machine
• Glue Gun

Just for fun here's a link to Family Fun and a page they have about recycling things to make dollhouse furniture.
BTW - we did do the braided rug ....here's what it looks like next to the bed

Supplies used on the rug:

• Dk. Blue/Lt. Blue/White Embroidery floss
• Felt
• Hot Glue