A Cabinet of Curiosities for Your Dolls

A curious, doll-sized collection to hang on the dollhouse
wall this coming October...

       The wooden trays used in constructing my shelf or "cabinet" are the type used to package wooden flats for decorating and crafting. These are generally sold at stores like Target, Michaels or Hobby Lobby. They are nice enough to keep but what to do with them once these are empty? 

       Before you start you may like to chose to work within a limited color scheme when filling the cabinet. Curiosity cabinets are known for their dark and mysterious looking contents. Some have botany collections: nests, eggs, preserved species and taxidermy. I have also seen some collections that are focused more on rock and gem collections. Perhaps the most clever ones have a few oddities left over from old technologies. Then lastly, some of these cabinets are focused on Halloween paraphernalia.

Supply List:

• a couple of small wooden trays with compartments
• black and white clip art of curios old things
• some plastic bones from the dollar store
• a few plastic bugs from the dollar store
• faux wooden printed paper
• white school glue

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Glue two recycled wooden trays with compartments end-to-end once you are ready to assemble and fill your cabinet of curiosities for your 18 inch dollhouse.
2. Line the interior shelves with faux wooden paper if you prefer. You could elect to paint your cabinet with dark paints instead.
3. Then decoupage some spooky clip art inside the shelves. Old jars for potions or strange ingredients. 
4. I also hot glued in a few insects, a bone and a large bony skeleton hand. Include whatever you like...

A spooky curious collection of clip art for your cabinet!

Cabinet of Curiosities About Identity and Power

by Giovanni Aloi - Atennae

The world's many curios displayed in cabinets, boxes, frames, etc...

1. Rate Oddities in a cabinet by Diane Shaw
2. work by mike bennion (slide show)
3. treasures from enchanted places by Von Pappell
4. Wanderlust - Joseph Cornell Fernweh 1, 2 & 3
5. Trausnitz Castle
6. box by LaBlanche Stamps
7. moments by BeULaH Bee
8. Habsburg Wunderkammern
9. Wayne Bertola - Life and Light (slide show)
10. time heals all wounds assemblage by Beckie Holso
11. Salvadoriana
12. Art21 - Mark Dion
13. Shadow Boxes & Dioramas 
14. the midnight party 
15. IMAGINARY WORLD - by karolin felix
16. The Cabinet of Curiosities at Warrington Museum
17. Sandra Evertson  
18. julie liger-belair 
19. Tim Holtz configurations box made from chipboard 
20. found objects by joseph bennett
21. The Chamber of Wonders 
22. Mr. Emilton's Cabinet of Curiosities
23. Tim Holtz Altered Printer's Tray
24. Rosalie Koldan - creating art with found objects
25. Professor Lynkhart's Cabinet of Curiosities
26. nymphlight
27. g. hanson makes a joseph cornell box
28. Alice in Wonderland Card House
29. Kass Copeland
30. circus junk & stuff by K. Batsel
31. Richard James
32. portable museum of curiosity by robert dick
33. Wondrous Obsessions I & II
34. ray papka artwork
35. kunstkammer or cabinets of curiosities
36. patti harris has a few kustkammer
37. The Medieval Bestiary
38. providence by lori vrba
39. The Wassmann Foundation 
40. The Private Life of a Doll's House I & II
41. Paul J. Flick  
42. sainted mother 
43. A Small Wunderkammer
44. Chamber of Curiosities in Paris 
45. working birds studio
46. Idols of the Cave 
47. altered altoid tins 
48. David Nicholls - Cabinet of Curiosities
49. gabrielle pollacco - mixed media nature canvas tutorial 
50. encaustic assemblage by Tracy-Mae Chambers