Saturday, December 29, 2012

Making a Dollhouse

Even though Santa brought Sophie and Mary the dollhouse, I thought I would let you know how his elves made it.

HOW TO MAKE A DOLLHOUSE
IN 12 EASY STEPS

First, find a bookshelf at a yard sale for $2. You might not know what you're going to do with it, but buy it anyway since it has a nice shape and it's made of solid wood.


 


















Second, realize one day that it is a good size for a dollhouse, and when flipped over, it would turn the awkward top drawers into convenient doll storage.

Third, find and purchase a dollhouse full of furniture on craigslist. Keep all the furniture and sell the empty dollhouse at your neighbor's garage sale the next weekend for the same price you bought it for.

Fourth, sand every last inch of that thing and fill in any cracks and holes with wood putty, and then give it a coat of primer.

Fifth, let it sit untouched for a month as other events of November and December fill your time.

Sixth, use your mad geometry skills to cut roof pieces out of MDF boards with a 45° angle seam along the top.

Seventh, (NOTE: this step is optional) as you build and assemble the triangle pieces that fit under the roof, forever trap and seal in a screw driver into the "attic" space.



Eighth, add 2 coats of white paint. Also, spray paint the drawer knobs and interiors with another color of your choice.









Ninth, use Mod Podge for the first time to "wallpaper" the back walls with scrapbook paper. At this point, you'll wish you had looked up hints on YouTube before trying it, but you'll still be happy with the results. When one room doesn't work out, paint it instead with the same colors as your own master bedroom.


 
Tenth, using samples from local hardware stores, glue down carpet, wood, and tile floors. If you're feeling especially lucky, cut those samples into rectangular tiles and subway tile the kitchen floor.


 













Eleventh, cut roof shingles into smaller shingles and staple them to the roof. Also, add castors to the bottom.
















Twelfth, add furniture, people, and your own personal touches such as miniature versions of family pictures or art you have around your house.




















 


Now stand back and admire your work!























 BEFORE                                             AFTER



So there you go! That's how they did it. How they got it down the chimney is their business.



3 comments:

Robin said...

This post was entertaining and informative. Well done. Love the doll house, the kitchen floor and mini art work are the coolest!

Skye said...

That is fabulous, good job.

stephanie said...

you are amazing abbie! i want to see it in real life. loved the step by step instructions. :)