Some of you may have seen a blog post a while ago where I wrote about getting 2 free dollhouses...well, I finally got started on this big project a week or two ago. I painted the outside and made some porch lights and some flowerbeds. Then I had a friend over and we were discussing furniture placement and she got me motivated to start on the inside. It was just too overwhelming so far.
Every day I do a little bit more and if I remember I take pictures so I can show others how to do it too. Some of the more complicated things will be more in depth.
The goal behind these dollhouses is to create the safe place for my inner child to play as she never was able to as a child because of all the abuse and trauma. In a way, in my imagination, I aim to give the little child inside of me the freedom to heal and be herself. Not only that, but I also know it could be healing for others as well so I dream of someday having dollhouse parties with my friends and others that may come into my life. It's all about creating a safe and nurturing environment that so many children, now adults, never had, and yes, there are still plenty of children growing up who will need to heal as adults because of the abuse and trauma that they are being forced to endure and survive, if they can...
I started with the kitchen and made a breakfast nook which will be a separate tutorial once I figure out what kind of table I want to make.
Today will be about the cozy nook under the stairs. So I had these stairs for a long time. I don't remember where I got them but they were perfect for this project. I sawed the top step off so it fits a little better.
First I cut a piece of wood to glue the stairs on since I had tried to glue them together but they came apart again.
Next I cut out triangle pieces. One for the back side and the other for the front.
I cut the front triangle to form the nook. Then I needed some spacers because the wood I was using is maybe 1/8 in. thick so it doesn't hold together very well by itself. I had some leftover pieces from the breakfast nook that I used.
It wasn't quite the width of the stairs I wanted it to be so I used some wood scraps I had and cut them accordingly. It was still a fraction off but I decided it's good enough.
Next I glued it together and used some heavier pieces to weight it down because the thin wood just wanted to buckle from the wetness of the glue.
Then I glued on the back. It got a little wonky because not everything lined up perfectly but some rubber bands came to the rescue even though I had to use the glue bottle to hold the one on so it doesn't just slip off. While it was drying I started on the cushion.
For the base I used part of a cereal box cut to size and layered 3 pieces of leftover quilt batting. Then for the top was a soft piece of fuzzy fabric.
Since 3 sides would be hidden I didn't bother very hard with the corners which are usually a struggle for me. I cut out the corners so there isn't a wad of fabric after gluing.
What I don't have photos of is of how I made the pillows, curtain, and blanket.
The blanket is just a rectangle piece of a thick fuzzy white sock that makes the perfect cozy blanket. The white pillow is made from the same material, a thinner longer rectangle that is doubled over and hot glued. The green pillow is the same fabric as the cushion cover, made in the same way as the white pillow.
The heart pillow is made from some pink thick knit fabric I had. For the stuffing I cut some smaller pieces of quilt patting and then I just put a bead of hot glue around the fabric sandwich and squeezed the pink edges together. Then I glued on some tiny white trim to hide the edge.
The curtain is basically the upper part of the sleeve of a lady's shirt. I decided that then I don't need to sew in the raw edge because the fabric is doubled. The top I gathered with a needle and thread to make it ruffled. I then glued some pink trim on top to hide the thread and glued the curtain to the top of the nook. I was going to use a skewer for the curtain rod but I accidentally cut it too small and decided it wasn't worth the hassle.
I painted the whole thing white after the glue was dry. And when the paint was dry I glued pretty paper on the sides, and attached the cushion and the curtain. Now it needs a book and perhaps a cup of tea or coffee yet.
I decided it needs some trim so I painted tiny strips of wood after cutting them to size and when they were dry I glued them on.
I want to add a railing yet and I'm considering adding natural wood steps on top of the built in lip for the steps already there. I think it would add a nice touch.
Here are a few more things I'm adding to the entry...
The mirror is trimmed with ribbon and a ribbon rose. The clothes tree is made from a square strip of wood. I tried to carve it a bit to make it look turned. The base is a wooden heart I collected somewhere. I drilled tiny holes and used tiny pieces of skewers for the hooks with a bead on the end. Then for a finishing touch I added a marble on top after I had painted the whole thing.
I'm also adding a halltree with a seat. Its getting another shelf in the bottom yet. I was going to use baskets but the smallest ones I had were too big. The round thing is from a broken keychain. I want to add a few pillows and a blanket on the seat and maybe a few small items on the shelves...
When I get done with the stairs I will share the pic here, but it might go awhile...
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