Dollhouse from dollar shelf

I picked up this shelf from a yard sale a while back for a dollar.  I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it.  I had seen this Petshop Playhouse at Kiki Creates.  She used a wooden shelf to create a “home” for her daughter’s Littlest Petshop toys.  Mine doesn’t have drawers to store the pets/dolls in, but it will keep the toys off of the floor and will be a fun place for my daughter to play with her little people and animals.

It all started with this:                  



and this is the after:                                        

















Yes!  I see the 1992 heart themed cut-outs!  And I totally planned to cover them up somehow.  But my daughter saw the hearts and thought they were “cute”.  So they had to stay :(  

The shelf had been primed white.  So, I just wiped it down and spray painted it with Krylon’s Ballet Pink.  Then I cut a piece of cardboard to fit the back of my shelf.  I then cut a piece of pretty pink floral fabric from my stash about an inch larger than the cardboard all the way around.  Then I just stapled the fabric to the cardboard with a regular stapler.  I stayed close to the edge so that the staples wouldn’t show later. 



After my fabric was stapled on, I nailed the cardboard to the corners of my shelf.





Now that the back of my shelf is covered, it’s pretty, and no toys will fall through to the other side :)

My daughter asked me to add a dressing room with “curtains” for her dolls to change their clothes.   I didn’t want to have to sew, so I got creative with this one. 


This pair of 9-12 month overalls had been somehow left behind when most of the baby clothes were given away. My daughter is now 6 years old! 

   

Anyway, I cut the overalls just above the pleats and used them for curtains.  I ironed them and hot glued  some ric rac at the top, and they came out great!

I then decided that I needed to add a door or gate to the house as well.  I spray painted some popsicle sticks a bright pink and hot glued them together to make a wooden gate.  For the hinge, I stole the hinge from a wooden plate stand.  These little hinges were the perfect size to attach my little pink gate.

   

It seems that I forgot to take a photo of the gate before I painted a little birdie on it and attached it to the house.  But here it is up close.



I just love this little button that I used as a handle for the gate.  I found it in an old sewing box where I used to keep all of my barrette making supplies when I was in the 4th grade.  The little birdies on the button are just PERFECT!



This is everything together.  At the moment all of our little critters and people are trying the house out to see who gets to live here.  I’m hoping that it will help keep all of the small toys off of the floor and keep a smile on my little one’s face.  She is so excited over her new dollhouse!  That’s a lot of bang for a “buck”!









Linking up to these great parties:

Catch as Can at My Repurposed Life, DIY under $5 at A Little Tipsy, Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Me Thursday, Share Awesomeness Thursdays at 36th Avenue, Time to Shine at A Diamond in the Stuff, The Idea Room linky party, Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now, 30 Days Pity Party, Feature yourself Friday, I'm lovin it Fridays at Tidymom, Show and Share with Just a Girl, Weekend Wrap-up Party At Tatertots and Jello, Weekend Showoff Party at Ladybird Lane, Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Friday Flair at Whipperberry, Whatch Got Weekend at LollyJane, Think Pink Sundays At Flamingo toes, Sundae Scoop at I Heart naptime, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Get your Craft on at Today's Creative Blog, November Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor chick, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday At Coastal Charm, Show and Share at Southern Lovely