American Girl Doll House Inspiration

Raise your hand if you have a daughter who is obsessed with American Girl Dolls.

Sister LOVES A.G. dolls, and I will have to admit, I really like them too.

The dolls were first released in 1986 (when I was 5), and have been going strong ever since.

I had friends growing up who had them, and I always wanted Samantha.

However, the dolls are very expensive, and always have been, so I never got to own one.

I survived, obviously.

Anyway, Sister fell in love with the dolls, and we started with the Target brand of Our Generation dolls. We weren't investing in something that expensive if she wasn't going to play with them.

She did play with the dolls, and really didn't notice that they weren't the real deal. She did get frustrated with the hair though. That's the biggest difference between the cheap dolls and the real dolls. The hair is WAY better with the real American Girl line.

After realizing that she truly would play with these dolls, we stepped into the real world of American Girl with a Bitty Baby. 

Bitty Baby is so precious. 

I miss those days (sniff). 

For those that don't know, Bitty Baby is the line geared towards the younger girls. 

We graduated from Bitty Baby and now Sister has two American girl dolls.

At first, we had all of the kids' toys upstairs, including the dolls because I don't like seeing toys strewn all over the house.

However, one of our lovely guests decided that Isabelle needed a trim last year, (grrr) so all of the A.G. stuff is in Sister's room for safe keeping.

Which has created a bit of a storage issue, as seen below.

 

There isn't a good way to store everything she has, so it's tucked away in little pockets everywhere in her room which is driving me bananas!

I needed a solution!

I knew that Ana White would have some plans for a doll house. I have used her website for plans before. We built a dollhouse bookshelf which is currently being used as a Barbie house, and I built a see saw for the kids.

Her instructions are easy to follow, and there are PICTURES!

This particular build is massive, and it has pocket screws (which I don't know how to do), so hubby is going to have to help me build this one.

He just doesn't know it yet!

I'm thinking this will be a great project this summer after we finish the laundry room and get through some of the yard work.

 

I found this picture under the brag posts from Ana White's website. Isn't this adorable? Someone took a tremendous amount of time in making this dollhouse special.

 People are so creative when it comes to making doll house accessories! I love this little living room set.

 And there are some really crafty mommas out there.

Look at this amazing washing machine made out of a baby wipes container! So clever!

I can't wait to get started with this project! Hopefully Sister's room will look a little more organized once we complete it.

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Lego Friends Table

 Hello dear friends! I have a little project to share with y'all today. 

If you have been following along on Facebook, you know that I have been doing a little series called Thrifty Thursday's. It's where I share things that I have purchased from thrift stores or yard sales, and show you that it's possible to have awesome stuff without going broke. 

This thrifty find deserved an actual blog post.

S.R. has been after me for a few months now to make her a Lego table. I'm sure you recall the Lego Table I made for her brother 2 years ago...has it really been that long?!?

When I made it for E, little sister wasn't really into Legos, so I didn't feel the need to make her one at the time.

Well that time is here, so I had to come up with something for her as well.

And here it is.

 I found this table at one of the thrift stores I frequent. I happened to show up on one of their sale days. The table was $5. The store had coupons you could draw from a basket. I drew a 50% off coupon, so I used it on this table. $2.50 on a mostly wood table. Not too bad, eh?

I knew it would be just right for S.R.'s new Lego Table.

 

I needed to knock the finish off, so I used an orbital sander with 80 grit sand paper. It removed all the gunk off as well. It took about 10 minutes to finish that task.

The table had a 1/4" recess in the center, I need to fill it with strips of wood, so that the Lego plate wouldn't bow when being pressed down on.

Enter compound miter saw.

I forgot how.much.fun.this.thing.is!!!!

I want to start sawing everything in half now...just kidding...maybe not ;-)

Once I measured and cut the wood, I stapled it down using the hubs' nail gun...also an awesome tool.

 

Now this was the tricky part. Here in Alabama, we are known for nasty, sticky humidity. One of the worst places to spray paint.

But I have a trick. I spray quickly, and immediately bring back into the house between coats. The dry time is a little longer because of the WET air, but it still works pretty well.

I really like Valspar for spray painting. I used to be a Krylon girl, but you only have a 1 hour painting window. Valspar is a little more forgiving, and if I have to go longer than an hour, the finish isn't compromised. I love it!

Sister chose pink, of course!

 I sprayed the legs, apron, and the top edges of the table. I didn't paint the center because the Lego plate would be covering that space.

 

Here's a close up of the top. You can see I got a little staple happy...I Love Power Tools!!

 

I forgot to take a picture of the next 2 steps.

While the last coat of paint was drying, I drilled two holes on the table top and added some glitzy  hardware to hold the Lego bag. I had originally intended for the hardware to go on my hair sink cabinet, but I saw how much S.R. loved them, so I decided to surprise her with them. She loves all things that glitter and sparkle...I don't know very many girls who don't!

After the knobs were in, I glued the Lego plate down with Liquid Nails. I set some heavy books on top to help it adhere.

I also sewed a bag with fabric I had in my stash to house her Legos. She only has a few Legos right now, so the bag should be enough for now. If her collection grows, there's plenty of room to set a basket under the table.

 

And here's the finished product.

 A close up of the glitzy hardware.

 

 

And once again, the before and after.

I am so glad to have a project completed!

We start school in 2 1/2 weeks, so I am squeezing as much as I can into what little summer we have left!!

Make sure to check in with me on Facebook. I do most of my posting there.

Thanks for stopping by today!

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Riley Blake 'Dress Up Days' Doll Kit-Somewhat finished...

If you remember back in the summer, I made S.R. a new quilt. She loves her room, and I always feel so proud when I walk by and see that quilt sitting on her bed...when the room is clean, that is.

I purchased the Dress Up Days doll kit (which matches her bedding) and had intentions of making the doll for Christmas. S.R. even asked me to make her a doll for Christmas. Well, time flew by, and I didn't get a chance to make it. 

Since our Christmas break was so laid back, I was able to take the time to construct it.

I made a few modifications to make it more personal.

I added felt hair and little bows on top. 

I haven't made the dresses to go with it just yet. I purchased a second hand serger a few months ago, and I wanted to make the dresses on it. I am really excited about this machine. I have wanted one for a few years, but they have always been way too expensive. A friend of mine was selling this one at a great price, so I couldn't pass it up.

While it isn't being used, it will be resting here. Notice the painting? My sister painted it for me. It was my Christmas present from her. It's the Northern Lights. Didn't she do a great job? I love personal gifts so much more than store bought stuff.

It matches really well with the decor in my craft room too.

E wants me to make him a monster doll, so I have to figure out how to make one. I also have some tooth fairy pillows that need to be constructed. We're about to get a few visits from her very soon!

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Handmade See Saw-Made by Me!

Guess what. 

I've been doing a little wood working...

and I'm totally digging it..

like a whole lot!

S.R. asked the hubs to build her a see saw the other day. 

I found the plans on Ana White's website, and after looking them over, I decided that I could make it....all by myself.

The hubs has been so hard at work on the half bath, I thought it would be one less thing for him to worry over, and I could try my hand at construction.

He cut all of the wood for me because pressure treated wood is so heavy. I needed his muscles to straighten the base a bit (the wood was warped) and to attach the see part of the saw(is that right??;o)), but other than that, I did it by myself. 

S.R. kept asking me if I was sure I knew what I was doing...I did because the instructions were so easy to follow. I plan on staining the wood to match the play set soon.

The kids LOVE their new toy. The neighbor kids LOVE the new toy. I LOVE that I made something that everyone LOVES! Now I'm ready to find something else to build...any suggestions?;o)

On a side note, I thought I would share the beautiful rainbow we had in our backyard the other day...I love moments like these when we can take a second to appreciate God's promises. 

I hope you all are having a great day. Try to stay cool in this heat!

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LEGO Table

You can find more information about this table HERE.

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Mr. Sock Bunny

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Ours was a bit uneventful. Both of the kids had kind of a down weekend. E had a fever all day Saturday..have no idea why. And S.R. has had a bad cough and runny nose. We just hung out at the house all day while they tried to feel better. 

So while they were recovering, I needed something to do with my hands. 

I grabbed a pair of socks that were too big for S.R. and transformed them into a little bunny.

 An arm-less bunny, but he's still a bunny. E saw his little tail and said, "aw look, he's got a powder puff." Too cute;o)

I'm hoping to make a few more of these as soon as I find some more socks;o)...and they will have arms!!!

Happy Monday to you all!!

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Little Dusters

Yesterday I stayed home from services because S.R. was sick with a cold. We had our own little Bible class and discussed this week's  memory verse. I printed out one of the coloring sheets that I linked back to, and then I decided we also needed a craft.

I read her the story of Dorcas, found in Acts 9.  We talked about how Dorcas was a helper and what it means for us to be helpers. 

For our "helper" craft, I made these little dusting mitts out of felt, and let her decorate them with googly eyes and yarn. 

I had her lay her hand on a folded sheet of felt. I used her hand as the template and just traced around it. I cut around the lines, and then stitched the two pieces together, leaving the hole at the bottom. We made one for E as well, so he wouldn't feel left out:o)

E decided he wanted to be a helper this morning, and dusted a little for me. Isn't he a sweetie?

This was a super simple and fast craft for the kids and they have really enjoyed using their dusting mitts...and I have enjoyed them as well...makes for a cleaner house;o)

If you would like to make these, and don't have a sewing machine, using tacky glue or fabric glue should do the trick as well.

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Quiet Book

I finally did it! After a year and a half of wanting to make S.R. her very own quiet book, I finally made it:o) I was not coming to bed last night until the last stitch had been sewn. I was exhausted. My back ached from hunching over my machine, but I feel that it was well worth the effort! 

(the highlighter is there to cover S.R. full name...we like to keep just a tad bit of privacy;o))

This project took about 3 days from start to finish. Of course it wasn't 3 Full days, but it does take time and thought to put one of these books together.

I tried to think of S.R.'s favorite things. These pages tell you a little bit about my sweet little girl. She LOVES shoes. Every morning when she wakes up, she tracks down the first pair of shoes she sees and puts them on, whether it be her heels, or a pair of E's flip flops. When she makes her grand entrance every morning, she models her shoes. It's hysterical:o)

This spread is a representation of her bedroom. Now, the color scheme is wrong because I had ZERO pink felt:o( I wanted to do this for FREE, so I used what I had:o) To see S.R.'s room, go here.

She loves to dress herself. What little princess doesn't;o)

The words I hear out of her mouth are usually, "I gon do it."(long O sound;o))

The Wardrobe that holds all the little felt clothes for the little girl.

Doors opened.

Panties are a big thing around here b/c we are in the throws of potty training. It was so much easier with E:o/

One of the dresses.

This next spread is a Tea Party and Build an Ice Cream Cone 

The tea pot and cups are removable, so she can have a little tea party.

The ice cream is also removable. The Ice Cream bucket and toppings jar are pockets to slide the pieces in.

S.R. loves babies, and is always carrying around one. 

Now I realize that this baby is slightly frightening. Especially with the red hair...but remember, I am using what I have:o)

The spoon, green blanket and bottle are removable so she can pretend to feed and cover the baby up. The little red bowl is supposed to be baby food(rice cereal, maybe???)

Every quiet book has flowers that button on. Very straight forward. Thinking about spraying just a tad of perfume on them so that they smell:o) Not too much though.

The last page houses crayons and coloring pages. The pic didn't turn out so great, sorry.

S.R. is my little artist:o)

So that's it. My hard work paid off, at least I think it did;o)

I know that I normally do tutorials on Tuesdays, but I thought that if I showed you this book, that it might give you a few ideas so you could make your little one a quiet book of their own.

Happy Tuesday!

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Baby Pool Converted to Sand Tub

First off, I want to congratulate Cayce again for being the winner of the ruffle wallet give away. Speaking of which, I have a few fabrics I purchased yesterday, and if you are interested in any of these prints, I will be making wallets and selling them for $20. All proceeds will be given to the American Red Cross for the Nashville, TN flood victims. Just shoot me an email if you are interested. If not, I'll sell them on Etsy.

Also, here's an interesting tidbit I read in the Lowes mag. the other day. Flies hate the smell of Basil. We live out in the country with the cows. And where there's cows, there are a ton of flies. So I purchased some basil and I'm looking forward to it growing big, and hopefully warding off those little pests. I'll let you know if it works:o)

Now for the actual post. I have been very interested in getting a sand table for the kids to play with. They aren't exactly cheap, though. I was ready to purchase one, got to Walmart, and they said I would have to order online and have it shipped to the store...fat chance. They saved me 70 bucks by not having it in the store. So then it hit me, I have a cheap-o baby pool, you know the kind you get from Babies R Us for $5? I decided to fill it with leveling sand...cuz it's cheap, and have a ready made sand tub. Total cost for this sand contraption: $3.50. The kids love it. And I really love it, since I saved so much money. I plan on buying one of those pool covers, the kind that are made of tarp and elastic, they're pretty cheap, so I can keep the elements out.

 The great thing about this is that it's so small, if it does rain before I get the pool cover, I can pull it under our covered patio without any trouble. So that's my tip for the weekend:o)

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I hope that you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!

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