Tips for making dollhouse furniture and decorations out of everyday items.
Pizza Box Support as a Table
If you have a Valentino's pizza near you, they used to put little white plastic things in the center of the pizza to keep the top of the box from getting stuck to the toppings. They look a lot like little tables and when I was younger, my Grandma would save them for me and we'd use them as tables for my dollhouse. They worked especially well for the smaller Kelly dolls.
Sink and a Trash Can
The plastic protectors on roll up deodorant are clear and oval shaped. Could be used as a sink. Hairspray tops could be used as trash cans.
By Sue Braun
Decorating a Room
Small school pictures work well as gigantic artwork on the walls. Also, the "after eight" mints have tiny ornate clocks on the front of their wrappers which dress up a room nicely. I used to use wrapping paper as wall paper in the room and scrap fabric for curtains. If your child has a barbie play-set many times items can be used from it in the doll house. Also, a tiny drum set can be made with enough dixie cups!
By Kelly
Dollhouse Furniture With Everyday Objects
Small boxes can be cut to make chairs and then covered with small amount of batting and fabric.
Velveeta boxes make great beds for Barbie.
Kitchen appliances can be made by painting boxes to look like them you can use stickers for the burners and knobs on the stove. When constructing these cardboard furnishings I would make sure you use hot glue or a tough tape as they will get a lot of wear and tear.
2 mac and cheese boxes could be used for a couch covered with batting and cover with fabric. You can get small amounts of Fabric can be bought at a discount in the remnants bin at Walmart. You may even be able to find real upholstery fabric.
Tables can be made from small food containers by drawing legs on to the container and then taking a pair of scissors and cutting out the legs. Depending on how much work you want to put into this you could tile the table tops with the glass gems.
Hope this helps
By Debra in Colorado .
Strawberry Container Table
When I was a little girl, we used the green plastic containers that strawberries come in. We turned them upside down, and placed a washrag or scrap fabric over the top. It could be a bed or a table, depending on the size of the doll. (11/01/2004)
By Jill Iannetti
Found Objects
I love making things for my dollhouse from found objects!
Dresser drawers can be made out of matchboxes. Simply glue, cover with pretty paper and add small beads for knobs.
Magazines and newspaper ads are great sources of scaled down pictures of foods, book and magazine covers and posters.
From old makeup: the thin trays eye-shadows come pressed in can be used as trays or picture frames. If you can pop the mirror out of a compact without breaking it, it's a good scale for dollhouses.
Couches and beds-any stuffed furniture-can be made from small boxes, cotton or batting, fabric and glue.
Cotton swabs and round toothpicks make handles for brooms and mops (kite string for the mop head). -Buttons for plates, beads for vases and bottles.
I have found that small doilies work fantastic as rugs, tablecloths, bedspreads etc.
By Alina
Popsicle Stick Furniture
You can make small (or large) furniture from craft sticks or popsicle sticks by cutting them to the right length and gluing them together. Most public libraries also have books on this topic.
By Alina
Doll Lamp
I've covered those little medicine cups that come with NyQuil with pretty fabric. Hot glue a bead on top for a finial, attach a lollipop stick to the inside center, and a large heavy button to the bottom for a base. Makes a nice sized lamp for 11" dolls.
By Chris
Russell Stover Bed
Russell Stover candy boxes make an ideal sized bed. Glue wooden beads at the four corners for feet. Cover with fabric.
By Chris
Balsa Wood
My mom used the strawberry plastic containers for the shelves in the fridge and stove which she made from balsa wood, she made them many years ago and the are still in my proud dollhouse today! Balsa wood is great for carving things for your doll house!
When I was a kid, we had a book called "Things to Make and Do". It had instructions for a six-drawer desk in it made from matchboxes. You make two stacks of three matchboxes, with a matchbox-width space between them. Cover with a piece of cardboard long enough to fit up, over, and across the stacks. I didn't have the brass prong paper-fasteners for drawer-pulls, so I used thumbtacks. I think tiny buttons would also be cute. I covered mine in denim Contact Paper (it was all I had), but I guess you could paint it. Contact Paper also comes in woodgrain. Thanks for asking for tips--I'm warm and fuzzy remembering how I loved my creation!
Me and my sister Kayley are beginner collectors with 8 barbie Dolls. Here's how to make a luxury bed for a single barbie or a few more at a time. You may use replacement materials.
First, you find velvet, or another attractive fabric, In thin or regulation size. Find a small mini shelf. Sit that anywhere around the pillow to make it look like a headboard. Put a dumbbell at least 10 pounds behind the (quote)Headboard(/quote), parallel. Now get an upside-down pompom, or any other long stick, or two, Put them in the space between the dumbbell and headboard. Pack clothes and stuff between, too, to keep your "canopy posts" up.
Now, get veil material or any other see through fabric on the "canopy posts", use rubber bands to secure canopy. Great! now you got your own luxury bed with a princess canopy! Feel free to furnish it with Pretend sheets and pillows. It's your bed now!
I found all this reading about making dolls houses out of things around the house very interesting. It would be lovely to see the photos of them when finished as I have a grand daughter who would love to have one if I get cracking. Good luck, everyone don't forget the photos.
Tiny plastic food containers with lids make good no sew foot stools and bed side tables for Barbie. Cover the container with thin fabric stuff the edges inside, then seal with lid. The metal plastic end piece or jack of tape player head phones makes a nice drill for Ken. Large size clear tape placed on Barbie size picture art work gives it a nice shine like glass. This is really good if you printed off something on the net.
Making furniture from an old oatmeal box is easy. I made:
A tea-table, with a white lace tablecloth. I cut out a circle from cardboard, traced with a compass. for the legs, I cut out a 2-d silhouette of what I wanted the leg to look like, wider at the top and bottom for support, cut slits in those 2 areas, then cut silhouettes of the other legs and inserted them into the slits. no painting required, a little glue, a litthe fabric. I made a bed too, from cardboard and tape and paper and paint.
I'm a Blythe collector, and I'm frequently short of cash so I enjoy making little things like this from materials around the house. <3 thanks for the tips!
If you have tuna or chicken cans crochet or knit a shape suitable for the can.then take the lid and tape or use a hot glue gun to make chair backs then put the cover over and it makes wonderful chairs! Try it!
if you have tuna or chicken cans crochet or knit a shape suitable for the can.then take the lid and tape or use a hot glue gun to make chair backs then put the cover over and it makes wonderful chairs!Try it!
The bakable modeling clay comes in many colors and makes great doll food. Make little round tan bread balls and use a pin to make dots in the rolls. Roll little red cherries for a bottle cap pie.
I am going to be spending the month with my three-year-old granddaughter, since my DIL broke her foot. I think we are going to make some dollhouse furniture for her Beanie Babies, the oatmeal box cradle, the tissue box and paper towel roll sofa, the Tide bottle bathtub. It will be fun. My mother made doll furniture for me when I was little and we were poor.
Hey! Those were some great ideas I'm only 8 and I'm in 4th grade, and I made my dollhouse out of old computer box and painted it with green and purple stripes.
Making dollhouse furniture for daughters bday. Trying to think of ideas for a stove and a kitchen table. I've used a lot of cardboard and don't want the whole thing to be cardboard. HELP!
I have to make a dollhouse with items around my house. Please give me some ideas. How to make a stove? A washer and dryer? A shower? What can I do with an empty milk carton? Paper cups? Match box? Small piece of foam? And tiny colorful building blocks? Hurry, I'm desperate! It's a school project that is due in a few days! I have to finish it this weekend because I'm busy during the week!
Ok- I've been working on my dollhouse furniture for about a month now and i have yet to come up with any ideas on making a bathroom other than curtains and towels..any ideas?
I Have To Build A Dolls House For My Science Project And I Also Have To Make Minin Furnitue. How Can You Make Mini Furniture With Glue,Selotape, Scissors,Fabric,Plastic And Wood. Please Help Me!
I have found that the boxes that bank checks come in makes a great bed base. For the headboard, use cardboard or poster board, cut to the shape you want for the head of the bed and use batting and scrap material to pad the headboard and attach headboard to bed with paper fasteners. Finish the look by making matching pillows, curtains and bedspread with same scrap material. SO MUCH FUN! Balsa wood makes a great chair rail and hardwood floor to any room. Good use for the leftover stain in the garage.
I have found that the boxes that bank checks come in makes a great bed base. For the headboard, use cardboard or posterboard, cut to the shape you want for the head of the bed and use batting and scrap material to pad the headboard and attach headboard to bed with paper fasteners. Finish the look by making matching pillows, curtains and bedspread with same scrap material. SO MUCH FUN! Balsa wood makes a great chair rail and hardwood floor to any room. Good use for the leftover stain in the garage.
You could use pop bottle caps as base for a pie. For crust,cut thin strip of tan felt to fit inside the edge of the cap and glue. Fill and glue with colored beads (red for cherry;blue for blueberry)Then use light tan felt cut into strips and glue onto top like the lattice weave of a pie.
It's great to discover that I'm not alone in my love for all things Barbie. I too would love to get more ideas on how to make Barbie furniture with recycled items. I'm also interested in any ideas anyone might have on how to create a tree house for Barbie sized dolls. I'd also like to share some ideas on how to make food for Barbie. I use playdoh (basic colors) I mix and blend the colors to create food items and plate them on accessories that come with the Barbie kitchen set.
I love this site. I recently bought a doll house for my daughter's Polly pocket dolls and would like to make some furniture. I haven't seen those little matchboxes around here lately. They would be great for lots of stuff. Thanks
Hang paper clips on a skewer or pencil. Attach scrap fabric to the paper clips to make curtains/shower curtain. Or hang strings with beads for a 70's beaded curtain.
Make slides out of paper towel tubes. Have races!
35mm film tubes or thread spools can be furniture feet or tables. Or can be the base for a teeter-totter - just lie on side and add a short paint-stirring stick (or popsicle sticks).
Take a large 2-piece plastic easter egg. Place (the longer) top part open-side down on table. Glue (the wider) bottom part back-to-back on top of the other piece - open-side partway up for an art-deco chair (like the 60's).
A non-repairable watch can be a clock (minus the straps).
For older kids: Glue tiny pictures inside bottle caps for photo frames. Glue tiny cardboard 'stand' behind cap or glue caps to dollhouse walls. (I would recommend covering sharp cap edges with thick line of sparkle glue.)
Make stained glass windows by bending black craft wire (or bare wire twist-ties) into shapes, then fill inside with light-colored broken crayon pieces. Melt in oven (200ish?) on waxed paper on a cookie sheet. (I haven't tried this one yet so good luck)
Hi. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas for making matchbox furniture. I'm 12 years old, and I'm really interested in doll houses. It's lots of fun to make your own furniture, so I thought I'd like to get some more ideas. With regards, Lizabeth W
I've found that sculpey clay makes a lot of stuff for doll houses. Rugs, picture frames, toys, and food. The furniture can be made with cardboard, then painted. I just cut out pieces and hot glued them together.
hey, i think this site is great, i recently found a piece of elmer's foamboard in my garage and used an old gingerbread house pattern to cut and build it. i'm looking for ideas for siding, furniture, and accessories, like stairs and lattices for porches.
Hi everybody, I love this site very much. I love to play with Barbies and doll houses. I have a problem, I want to make furniture with cardboard. I don't know how to do it soooo please help.
This is a great site! I love dolls and doll houses so much. Im 13 and I still play with dolls (not Barbies)! Oh well they are fun. Id like to know how to make play food if any one has any suggestions. Thx,Brittany
i really enjoyed looking at this pg. i liked hearing what people did with their moms and sisters to make furniture for their dolls. im still a kid and i love making doll furniture. My friends and sister do the oppisite of what the people on this sites family did. they make fun of me! o well. i still enjoy making doll stuff and playing with barbies . thank you i hope this comment helps.
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