The Dollar Tree House Begins

Necessity is the mother of invention but grandchildren are the necessity of life. A Christmas visit from one of my granddaughters brought on a need to create. She brought her doll with her and I brought out three of mine (one of which she left with) and the play began.

One of the fun ideas we got I like to call the Dollar Store Doll House. We used tri-fold boards-like the ones you use for science fairs-and created a small kitchen in about 10 minutes. I am going to show you the kitchen we created and then, after I get the other two rooms added, I will update the article.

What we used: one tri-fold board, one flannel-backed table cloth, glue and scissors. We added cut-outs for plug-ins and a light switch.

How we made it:

1) Lay the board out on the floor, white side up and sides out-stretched.

2) Along the edges, pour glue and smear it.

3) Center the table cloth over the board and lower it. Smooth it out and let it dry.

4) After about five minutes, turn it over. Add glue over the back of the board.

5) Fold the extra edges over the glue and smooth it down. Let it dry.

6) Trim off the extra edges.

7) Copy the download-able plug-ins and light switch. Enlarge them and copy then on card stock, either white or a color that matches your wall paper.

8) Cut out the light switch and glue it at an American Girl's or other 18 inch doll's hand height.

9) Place the plug-in about 2-inches from the floor and glue it there.

10) For a kitchen window, cut out a blue, cloudy sky rectangle. Glue it at eye level for your doll.

11) Use tape, like electrical tape to the edges. You can also put one down the middle to split the window into two pieces.

12) I found a lace window covering that can be cut down and glued across the top of the window.

13) Add a round, single-colored place mat for an area run. Move in your kitchen appliances (see article on making a fridge and stove from photo boxes.)

The rest of the house will be finished soon. Follow 18-inch World so you don't miss the next room. Also, sign up before Feb. 14, 2015 and win the dishes in It All Happened at the Asian Market. All you need to do is follow the blog and leave a comment on any of the articles, including this one!

It all happened at the Asian market...

When you are looking for dishes for your American Girl doll, don't overlook the Asian market! While waiting for a pizza at Little Caesar's Pizza, I visited the Asian store next door. The very first aisle I walked down turned out to be the best one in the store!

Innocently thinking they are selling dishes for Asian food, they have plastic boxes of the cutest plates and serving dishes for 18-inch dolls! Not only are they adorable, they come with choices. I found plates, serving bowls and serving dishes split in two.

If you look at the little "wooden" table, you will see my first set. The great thing is, if you like it, you have a chance to win it! That's right, this adorable little set can be yours. All you have to do is follow this blog and leave a comment on any post on the blog. If you already follow my blog, just leave a new comment and you are automatically entered. It would be great if you pinned this on Pinterest, but it is not a requirement for the drawing.

The drawing will be on Valentine's Day....February 14, 2015! 

School Supplies

Wow! I have been so busy that I have not posted for a long time. As the Christmas holiday approaches and gifts for American Girl lovers enter my thought pattern, my creative mind has started working again.

Maybe it is because I am a teacher, or maybe it is because I love school, but my new project is the perfect thing for a back-to-school bag for your American Girl or 18 inch doll fan. I made a clip board with very few items and extremely low expense.

My first step was to go to the 99 cent store. I bought a roll of decorative tape.  I added a mini-paper clip and a square of cardboard.

The tape that our 99 cent store had was printed. I chose a purple paisley for no other reason than I love purple. For the $1.00 you pay, you get plenty of tape to create many projects.

As you can see from the picture, I cut the rectangle from a solid piece of corrugated cardboard. It is, approximately, 2 inches by 1 2/3 inches.  I cut a piece from the tape that was long enough to wrap the cardboard around the short sides, from front to back. It took two pieces.  Then I took a third piece and wrapped the cardboard from top to bottom, overlapping the pieces on the back.

I opened the clip and centered in on the cardboard on one of the short ends. I flattened the clip in the back and left it up on the front.  It looks like this:

One of the things I like to best about the new clipboard is how easily it fits in the hand of an 18 inch doll. Here is a picture of Kit holding hers:

If you notice the little sticky notes on the bottom of Kit's clipboard, you might be interested to know how they were made.  After cutting a few sticky notes on the non-sticky end to make paper for Kit's clipboard, I made this American Girl doll sticky notes by simply cutting squares from the sticky end of the same paper. She is ready to go take notes, either for school or for her newspaper!

Shorts to Complete the Onesie Outfit

First, I have to admit that I only thought of making a cute top when I bought a onesie for $1 at Goodwill. After I cut off the top section, I laid it beside the bottoms and my mind started whirling. As I made the bottoms, I told my husband, "I don't know if this is going to work, but I didn't know if the top would work either. It came out okay."

Once I finished the top, I cut the snap section off of the  bottom, making a straight-across cut (mostly.)

I pinned the two sides together until it formed a pucker in the very middle. Then, I cut straight up the pucker, from the top to the bottom. This was my excess. I pinned it straight up and sewed it straight it, pinned again and sewed a seam across the crotch of the shorts.

It was pretty easy after that. I pulled the shorts onto Kit's body and I folded the top over. I sewed it down, making a little channel for round elastic. After running the elastic through, I tied it and the shorts were done.
I put it on Kit's body and, well, I think it looks really cute on her! What do you think?

American Girl Play Outfit from a Newborn Onesie

When one of my granddaughters received her own American Girl doll, she wanted lots of clothes for her, but her little budget wasn't strong enough to support buying new things from the magazine. I made it my goal that I would show her how well Molly could be dressed without an enormous price tag. I have continued my quest after she went home, and send her ideas over this site. The last thing I made was the dresser found here.

Searching out inexpensive ideas took me to a local resale store. Our Goodwill has a dollar day sale every Thursday. Items that were marked down that week only cost $1.00. While looking around for ideas, I found a onesie with small print that, I thought, would make a great doll top. I spent about an hour turning the little shirt into a cute top for Kit. It was so simple that, even a child who knows how to sew a little can do it. This is what I did!

Step one: I cut the top straight across, about five inches from the top. It looked like this:

Step two: I pinned a hem onto the top piece and set the bottom piece away for another idea.

I sewed around the edge with a zigzag stitch.

Step three: I pinned a wide, scalloped ribbon around the outside of the shirt.

If you look, you can see it was about one-half inch from the bottom. I sewed it with a straight stitch and closed the two ends with another straight stitch. In no time, the little shirt was complete. 

Because the ribbon was some that I had stored away in a box of things I had of my girls' grandmother, and I already had the thread, the total purchase cost of the little top was $1.10. Tomorrow, I will post the rest of the outfit, including a shot of Kit wearing it. The shorts took a little more work, but, with the help of mom or grandma, this outfit can be ready to go in a very short time.

Kit's New Dollar Store Project

My new American doll, Kit, brought a gift with her-imagination. At a visit to the Dollar Tree, I noticed a little plastic two-drawer organizer and my imagination kicked into gear. For my classroom, I had modified three-drawer dressers to match my room and, I thought, why not make one for Kit. I paid my dollar and headed home to raid my scrapbook paper supply. I came up with one that I liked and that matched the purple plastic on the organizer. Then I went to work. The entire project took about ten minutes and I love how it came out!

Remove the plastic, of course! The frame is not rigid, so I pulled it down just a little so the drawer could be removed. Then, the drawer was placed, face down, on the edge of the paper and traced. Use a thin piece of cardboard if you want to make a pattern instead.

Trace around the pattern and cut out the tracing. Repeat this step for the second drawer. The two drawers are exactly the same, so you can use the first one as a pattern or trace the pattern you made twice.

Choose a glue that dries clear. White school or craft glues work well, but when I was making the drawers, I actually used Contact Cement and it worked great. When I put the glue on the plastic drawer, I made sure I got glue in the side sections where there is a little fold. Then I lowered the paper into place and adjusted immediately, before it could dry at all. Don't let it rest or you will be making a new one! Press it into place and rub it down until it stays firmly in place. This is what it looks like:

It works well to hold just about anything an American Girl doll could want. Here is Kit and her dresser.

The total cost was around $1.35. Not bad for a project that even a child could make!

Kit

First, let me say that I have the best big sister in the world. When my granddaughters (all 3) ended up being the owners of at least one American Girl doll each, the Christmas frenzy began. My sister and I encouraged each other as we made countless American Girl items.One granddaughter stayed with for a while. When she went home, she took Molly with her (Molly was the original model for this blog.) I bought an 18-inch doll, Sophia, from Michael's and used her for my model. My sister provided me with the correct measurements for AG dolls-just in case. Then she told me she bought me an AG doll off of eBay-one that needed some repair but that would work as a model after she fixed it. I was happy, but, she must have changed her mind.

Christmas came and so did a package from my sister. Inside was a beautiful, brand-new doll-my favorite of all that I had met by reading stories with my granddaughter. Kit was staring at me when I opened the box. She is now my model, but only because I have the best big sister in the world.