Craft a Heavenly Heart Shaped Bed for A Little Doll...

Our little doll is thinking to herself, "I must be dreaming,
because this bed feels just heavenly."

The Dove chocolate box received on
 Valentine's Day last year.

       I recycled a nice tin candy box from last Valentine's Day for this year's special gift. 

       It made a perfect heart shaped bed for a tiny doll and best of all... it was decked out in someone's favorite shades of pink! 

       This project is perfect for an older sibling, mother or grandmother to craft as a gift for a young child. 

       Because your Valentine box may not be the same size as my own, I have neglected to include measurements here. However, the process is not difficult for someone if they have a bit of sewing experience!

Supply List:

• a heart shaped candy box
• felt for a fluffy, heart shaped mattress
• embroidery floss and thread
• cotton batting
• ribbon bows
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• decorative trim: lace or ribbon 
• matching fabrics and trims for tiny blankets and pillows
• masking tape
• embroidery needle
• cardboard

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Make sure your candy box is clean and dry before beginning. 
• Trace around the outside of the heart shaped box using a pencil on top of a light weight piece of cardboard. Now you have a pattern to make the mattress with.
• Cut two pieces of hot pink felt in the size of the pattern exactly. 
• Then cut a very long, narrow piece of that same felt for the edge of the mattress, approximately one inch wide.
• I used a blanket stitch to attach the sides of the doll mattress. But you may use any stitch that pleases you or you may even attach this piece of felt using hot glue if you do not feel like sewing.
• Leave a two inch opening on one side of the mattress so that you can fill it with cotton batting. Then sew up that opening with an invisible stitch or a showy blanket stitch if you prefer.
• Now you will need to use a long large embroidery needle to 'tuft' the mattress with. Poke this all the way through the back to the front side. Your knotted end of the embroidery floss should catch as you pull the floss hard enough to 'tuft the back to the front side. 
• Double back with the needle through the front to the back of the mattress and repeat this step three times before tying off the embroidery threads on the backside of the mattress. 
• Tuft several areas equally distant from one another till the mattress is completely tufted.
• I then sewed on the tiny bows to the front side for decorative reasons.
• Set the finished mattress aside.
• Now mask off the upper edge of the candy box in order to help the hot glue grip the eyelet lace and ribbon. I used a 'Hello Kitty' ribbon because it is a favorite of the child receiving the Valentine bed.
• I also cut a small piece of felt and trimmed it in the same ribbon and lace to coordinate with the mattress. Except I used a a pale pink felt for the bedding and pillow.

Left, I shaped the mattress by tracing around the heart candy box with a pencil on top of cardboard.
Center, after stuffing the mattress with cotton batting, I used an embroidery needle to 'tuft' the mattress.
Right, the backside of the mattress.

Left, the top half of the candy heart shaped box has been masked with tape so that the hot glue will adhere
 better to the lacy dust ruffle. Center, the felt mattress fits perfectly inside the candy box. Right, the dust
 ruffle completes the look of our heart shaped bed.

Left, I made a tiny pink felt pillow for the doll's heart shaped bed. Center, I also trimmed a blanket in the
same 'Hello Kitty' ribbon and eyelet lace. Right, everything plus the new doll is tied together with a pink bow.
 Somebody will be pleased as pink punch this Valentine's Day!