The other day at JoAnn Craft Store I saw this adorable tiny chicken coop I thought would be perfect for mini kit. It even has a little chick inside. Of course extra chicks are available. These guys are even on sale right now for Easter. Wouldn't this make a wonderful scene for Kit (AG's spunky depression-era character who sells eggs to help her family)?
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No French bakery would be complete without a fancy cake and some lovely macarons. This is a project we've be saving for a long time. The cake is a trinket box from this set my daughter got from her uncle a couple years ago.
As I strolled through the toy aisle at Walmart today, I saw some super cute Barbie items to enhance doll play. My girls don't play much with Barbies, but many of these accessories would be perfect for mini dolls, especially the new Our Generation modern minis. This Girl Scout Barbie doll was my absolute favorite. She comes in blond or brunette, and she's all decked out in her uniform (Barbiefied with plenty of pink, of course) and ready to sell everyone's favorite cookies! My daughter has been a Girl scout for 4 years, and I think she would adore this set. Barbie's uniform even matches my daughter's, since she's a Junior this year. I love the tiny cookie boxes and the bag. Isn't Barbie a little too old to be a girl scout, though? Maybe she's just a really enthusiastic cookie mom. Anyway, the background and accessories would work great for AG or OG mini dolls or other dolls with a younger look. At under $15, I think this set has great play value, if you can manage not to lose those adorable but ultra-tiny cookie boxes. I really may have to purchase this one. There were several small accessory sets, including a glam microwave, glam breakfast tray, and glam vacuum set. The food sets are neat because the tray has little grooves you can fit the other pieces into so they don't fall off and get lost. The microwave comes with popcorn and pizza, and the breakfast set has a tea kettle, strawberry pancakes, and heart-shaped waffles. The little utensils are especially made for Barbie to hold. The cleaning set was kind of cute, but who really plays vacuuming with Barbies? Maybe if I had a "glam" pink vacuum I would clean more. These larger sets are great for recreating scenes from the hilarious Life in the Dreamhouse series, and they would also work great for other mini dolls. The camping set has two dolls, along with a campfire and sleeping bag and a few smaller accessories.I really love the Tiki set. It has a little snack hut with a stool, drinks, and a volleyball for lots of beach fun. The tropical background on the box is very nice. It comes with Skipper, but I can't tell if the Chelsea is an actual doll or just a picture. These sets are about $25 each, and there were several other sets as well, including a bicycle, a clubhouse, and a school set. If you need ideas to enhance your small-scale doll play, head on over to Walmart and check out these fun sets!
Today is my birthday, and Saige made me breakfast! Unfortunately, she will have to be in the kitchen all day to make enough of those eggs to fill me up! They are the perfect size for my mini dolls, though. I assembled this quick table from a cup, a paper plate, and a doily.The eggs, plates, sign, and place mats are from the wonderful breakfast kit I got as a prize from Doll Diaries. This set is so cute, and it works for mini dolls or full sized dolls. You can purchase it from the DD Etsy shop here.
Here is my completed bedroom for my boy doll, Emmett. The back-drop is just a presentation board from the dollar store. I covered it with wood-grain contact paper and decorative tape for a border. Let's take a look at some of the finishing touches. This trinket shelf is my favorite part of the room. I used the box from a wooden magnet
toy and affixed it to the wall with sturdy tape. It is strong enough to hold, but it can still be removed to change the look. The decorations include sports erasers, a Lego mini-fig, three ninja nesting dolls, a small car, some kind of springy bird toy (not sure where that came from), and a small transformer. I love doll pieces that are functional as well as decorative, so I wanted to make a dresser that can really be used for storage (but without the hassle of real drawers that pull out). This dresser has a flip-top that opens to store items inside the box. I also found a great tutorial from My Froggy Stuff for making a dresser with a hole in the back to stash stuff inside. I made the drawers look more 3-D by wrapping pieces of cardboard in contact paper rather than using flat scrapbook paper. Materials:
Instructions:
* For an easier variation (which I discovered after completing mine, of course) is to cover both ends of the box and glue the top down all the way, Then just cut a small hole in the back to access the inside of the box for storage. A bedside table is one of the easiest pieces of doll furniture to make. Just take a candle holder or cup and flip it over. Then tape your foam circle onto the flat surface. To make it more sturdy, layer several foam circles or attach the foam to a circle of cardboard first. Try different shapes like stars, hearts, or cars, I decorated my table with this cute glow-in-the-dark mini lamp, also from the dollar store.
When I was growing up, I somehow missed the whole American Girl phenomenon (probably too busy making tin foil clothes for my second-hand Barbies). Even so, I find myself feeling nostalgic toward the original characters. While I didn't get the chance to "meet Samantha," I did meet and fall in love with similar characters like Anne Shirley, Mary Lennox, and Sara Crewe and their fascinating time period. Though my daughter is thrilled about the pink-clad "new" version of AG's beloved Samantha Parkington, I prefer the original. So I decided to to add her to my mini-doll collection while she is still readily available. The new Beforever mini comes out later this month. Mini Samantha is currently sold on the American Girl website for $24, but I actually purchased mine for about 19$ on Amazon, since I had free shipping. When Samantha arrived, she was a little off-kilter inside her box, so I was afraid she might be disheveled, but she came out looking lovely, though her hair does lean to one side. I had already purchased Samantha's Play Scenes and Paper Dolls book on sale for $5. It is no longer available, but some of the other historical paper dolls are still on sale. I love these sets, and at $5, they are an incredible value. The actual paper dolls are a little large for the play scenes, but the mini dolls are a perfect size! Here are some pics of my new "old" Sam. Samantha gets ready for back-to-school time with this fabulous classroom scene from her paper doll book. Samantha plays with her new birthday teddy bear in her room (bear and play scene are from the paper doll set). The first chair is made from a free printable available here, and the second was purchased with a coupon from Jo-Ann craft store. When I first saw this mini doll, I immediately thought of the beautiful Diana Barry from L.M. Montgomery's books. Naturally, I had to create her kindred spirit and bosom friend, Anne Shirley. Saige is borrowing Marie-Grace's dress and Cecile's boots with a mini straw hat to complete her costume. This picture just makes me giddy. I loved Anne of Green Gables so much, and I was even in a junior high production of the play, where I played Diana's sister Minnie May. Which do you prefer, the new version of Samantha, or the old one?
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