Make a loaf pan for your doll's kitchen...

The finished paper mache loaf pan and a loaf of bread.

       To make this paper and cardboard craft you will not only need these two materials but also: white school glue, masking tape, grey tissue paper, metal silver tape, a brown paper bag and a bit of saw dust.

How the loaf pan will look once it is shaped and taped.

       Shape a deep, narrow loaf pan using cardboard scraps and don't forget to add handles to both of the narrow ends. Cover all of the surfaces of the little loaf pan with masking tape. This will make it more durable for play.

The loaf pan has been covered with a layer of glue and grey paint.

         Spread a thin layer of white school glue to the outside surfaces of the loaf pan and gently cover this with grey tissue, you can use any grey paper if you do not have tissue at hand. Let dry. Add a second layer of paper and glue. 
       I then put a layer of silver metal tape on the bottom of my loaf pan for decoration. This step is optional; not everyone keeps this kind of tape in their craft supply.

The loaf of bread is covered with brown paper bag and saw dust.

        To make the small, pretend loaf of bread, use the same process with brown paper bag. To shape the bread loaf, simply push tissue inside the loaf pan, pull it out again and add masking tape. Then push this tissue into the loaf pan again to shape it with the tape. Crush and add a puffy top to this bread shape and mask it with tape. 

       Cover the shape entirely with masking tape and layers of glue and brown paper bag. Once your little loaf is dry, smear a little glue across it's top and dip it into saw dust to give the bread realistic looking detail. Seal with Mod Podge if you have it to keep the saw dust from rubbing off over time.

Box Templates for Doll Bakery

        These box templates, one with partitions, are for doll sized bakery goods. One each for Barbie and the others for 18" doll bakeries like American Girl dolls. Download and print, trace on top of white poster board. Fold in the dotted lines to assemble. 
       The templates for the hinged box are for the bottom only. You will need to cut lids slightly larger using the same bottom template. 
       Decorate the outside of your doll bakery boxes using holiday stickers.

Hinged box template for a doll bakery. Fill these up with donuts etc...

Box template with partitions. Fill these with 4 kinds of cookies!

How to make an 18" doll sized rolling pin and cookie dough...

        Every doll needs a rolling pin to help them bake sugar cookies for the holidays and this is a very simple craft for a child to make. After making a set like ours, include it in a bakery or kitchen if you like.

Above is our handmade rolling pin, cookie dough and 
cardboard chopping block.

Supply List for Rolling Pin & Sugar Cookie Dough:

• one recycled toilet paper roll
• oven-bake clay
• scrap cardboard
• red and tan acrylic paints
• faux wood shelf paper
• Mod Podge
• white school glue
• masking tape
• hot glue gun and hot glue

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First it is best to acquire a set of mini cookie cutters so that you will be certain the sizes to be made to go with your cookie bake set. The set I have pictured here is vintage but it cost me no more than a few dollars. Each cutter measures no larger than an inch. These will make 'jumbo' sized cookies for our 18" dolls but that's o.k. The love cookies!
2. I chose to use the star four our example but you can make as many sugar cookie cut-outs as you wish. 
3. For the sugar cookie dough, roll out oven-bake clay to the size you will need to surround the cookie and leave approximately 1/2 inch extra dough. This will ensure that the cookie dough can be played with and not broken as quickly. 
4. Cut out the sugar cookie using a mini cookie cutter. Remove it from the dough and bake both in the oven.
5. For the rolling pin, cut a recycled toilet roll length-wise and then cut it down to approximately 2 1/2 inches in length. 
6. Roll the pin into a narrower shape and tape/glue in place.
7. Draw around the end of each side of the rolling pin, cutting out these shapes from scrap cardboard. 
8. Glue the circle pieces to both ends of the tube. Let dry.
9. Shape from the oven-bake clay, two reasonably identical handles. I made mine to look like the handles on the cookie cutters.
10. Bake these as directed.
11. Hot glue these to opposite ends of the doll rolling pin and paint. Finish with Mod Podge.
12. Cut and cover the rolling pin with faux wood shelf paper.
13. Paint the ends of the pin using a tan colored acrylic paint.

Above you can see the mini cookie cutters that 
were used to cut-out our doll's pretend sugar 
cookie dough. There are a selection of 5 designs:
5 pointed star, moon, ruffled square, diamond
 and an 8 pointed star.

See how I made other cookie sets for our dolls:

• Doll sized cookie sheets
• Easter egg sugar cookies
• A set of gingerbread reindeer and pine trees displayed on a cookie carousel
• Doll sized set of gingerbread men displayed on a Christmas tree here

Make a Gingerbread Carousel for Your Dollhouse

       A carousel or carousel or merry-go-round is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gears to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music.

       Carousels are commonly populated with horses, but may include a variety of mounts, for example pigs, zebras, tigers, or mythological creatures such as dragons or unicorns. Sometimes, chair-like or bench-like seats are used, and occasionally mounts can be shaped like airplanes or cars. Our gingerbread carousel has cookie reindeer "seating" and cookie Christmas trees to celebrate with a Christmas theme for this ginger cookie ride display.

My doll sized gingerbread carousel.

Supply List:

• a recycled tape or ribbon cardboard holder
• scrap cardboard
• Styrofoam mini balls
• brown paper
• acrylic paints - browns
  
• Mod Podge
• toothpicks or wooden skewers
• white glue
• hot glue and gun (optional)
• rick-racks and laces, red ribbon
  
• mini wooden reindeer flats (optional)
• white puff paint (looks like icing)
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut-out 4 pine tree shapes and paint these a "gingerbread'' brown.
2. Paint the 4 wooden reindeer pieces the same gingerbread brown. (See what these looked like before painting here.)
3. Decorate all 8 with white icing (puff paints) and candy (Styrofoam mini beads) and set aside.
   
4. Cut a larger hole in two equal sized ribbon cardboard holders and insert a sturdy tube between the two. This will be the carousel stage for your pretend ginger cookies.
5. The bottom of this construction must have a floor but the top half will only need to be a hollow canopy-like structure with a cone shaped roof. I made this cone by cutting a cardboard circle approximately one inch larger around it's circumference than the ribbon holder. Find the center of this piece and cut from any part of the circle edge straight to the center point. Now shape this cutout into a gently sloping cone shaped roof. Use masking tape and glue to hold it in place.
6. Cover the entire carousel with brown paper and white school glue, after hot gluing the roof in place.
   
7. Paint the center, column white and glue a red ribbon around it to make a faux peppermint stick.
   
8. Hot glue four skewers equally space around the carousel, with their tops inside the canopy and their bottoms piercing through the floor of the carousel. Paint these white.  
9. I then used the white school glue to paste on white lacy trims and more Styrofoam beads for the gingerbread decorations.
   
10. Hot glue the Christmas tree cookies at the base of the carousel, near the peppermint column.
    
11. Next hot glue the faux, reindeer cookies against the skewers, spacing them evenly around the carousel.
12.  Mod Podge the finished display for your doll's house or bakery.
    

Left, see the ribbon containers and center column used to build the carousel.
Center, is the finished stage. Right, is a close-up photo of the pine tree
shaped Christmas gingerbread cookies.

Make More Gingerbread Crafts for Dolls:

• Doll Gingerbread Horn Book Craft
• How to craft a gingerbread castle for AG dolls...
• The Pioneer Doll's Christmas Tree
  

A lovely carousel cake by bake artist, Deborah Hwang.

How to Make A Jelly Roll Sponge Cake for Dolls

Sponge curler, jelly roll cakes.

       This version of doll sponge cake uses sponge curlers. These may still be purchased at Dollar stores for those of you who are unfamiliar with the items. 
       Using sponge curlers to curl ones hair when wet over night is definitely "old school." Although, it seems to do far less damage than modern methods for curling one's hair... 
       In any case, these are fun to craft with and easier for little hands to manipulate.

Supply List:

• clean recycled sponge curlers
• fleecey fabric scraps (icing)
• white toilet paper rolls
• Sculpey (oven bake clay)
• acrylic paints
• white school glue
• cookie molds (from Dollar Store)
• hot glue gun and glue  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Remove all of the plastic parts from several colors of sponge curlers.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry the sponge curlers.
3. Cut the white paper tubes to the sizes you wish the jelly roll sponge cakes to be. I made both uncut lengths and single servings for our dolls.
4. After cutting the lengths, I then cut the rolls down to narrower proportions and used  white school glue to reattach the seams. Let the rolls dry.
5. Cut down the lengths of the sponge curlers and roll these together alternating colors.
6. Carefully push these inside the paper rolls with a bit of hot glue.
7. Shave off the ends at the outside edges of the paper tubes to reveal the colorful, spiral sponge designs made by alternated colors.
8. Wrap the outside of the tubes with hot glue and fleecy fabric to give the faux jelly roll it's icing.
9. Mold tiny cookie and fruit details using Sculpey and molds. Bake according to the directions on the package. Let cool.
10. Paint the cookies/fruit using acrylics.
11. Hot glue the decorations to the top of the full sized jelly roll.
    

Sponge curlers in pink, lime and yellow
from Dollar General.

How to sculpt a doll piping bag for cake decorating...

Finished piping bags for American
 Girl dolls or other...

       If your American Girl doll loves to bake, she will need a few piping bags  to decorate her cakes with! Here is how I made mine...

Supply List:

• recycled glue bottle nozzles or tips
• two very short pencils
• masking tape
• newsprint
• white typing paper
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• Mod Podge
• puff paints
• acrylic paints: grey and white

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First, you will need to cut the tips off of a glue bottle to use for the piping bag tips in this craft. 
2. Next, wrap newsprint into the shape of a piping bag using masking tape
3. Hot glue the ends of the recycled pencils inside of the glue tips or caps.
4. Paint the piping tips grey and the body of the piping bag white.
5. Squeeze a dot of icing inside the tips any color you like...
6. Finish the completed faux piping bags with a layer of Mod Podge.

Left is the mini tacky glue bottle that I recycled for the piping bag tips. Center, see the
short, recycled pencil tips I used to "wrap" faux piping bags around. Right, see how the
piping bag bodies are shaped and masked with tape and newsprint. Then these are hot
glued inside of the craft glue tips.

How to make patriotic cakes for your dolls...

        Our dolls make these red, white and blue patriotic cakes to display in their doll bakery on the following holidays: Independence Day/4th of July, Memorial Day, President's Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. 
       Other countries that have red, white and blue colors in their national flags include: France, Great Britain, Norway, Chile, Iceland, and the Philippines just to name a few. So perhaps children from those countries would like to make cakes similar to these for their doll bakeries, after trading our flags for their own, of course!

Red, White and Blue cakes for your doll's bakery or picnic.
Above are two versions of stacked cakes and below is a
sheet cake representing a United States flag. If you live 
in a different country, your dolls might like a cake with an
alternate design representing the place where they live 
with you! Cake baking supply shops will probably carry 
tiny flags representing your own country if you need to
search for these...

Supplies Needed for Patriotic Cake Crafts:

• scrap cardboard
• cardboard tubes
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and glue
• tiny flags from your own country
• brade and lace trims
• fluffy white fabric scraps
• jelly lids with colorful prints (ours are red, white and blue checks)
• puffy paints in your own country's flag colors
• Sculpey
• acrylic paints in your country's flag colors
• Styrofoam beads
• mini clay shapes (ours are of strawberry halves and blue stars, optional)
• masking tape

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. When making doll cakes in the round with stacked tiers, make sure to trace around each cake tube shape to make a top to close the cake and also to trace about for the shape of the masking tape to stick in the center of the decorative recycled cap. The hot glue will adhere the cardboard tube to the tin lids better if it is sticking two rough, paper surfaces to each other.
2. Cover the cake tube shape or the sheet cake shape entirely with masking tape to give your doll's toy baked goods more durability. 
3. The sheet cake is made of identical shaped sizes of cardboard stacked and glued together with white school glue. Although, white glue takes longer to dry, it is stronger and neater to work with than hot glue. I really only work with hot glue when it is necessary.
4. The American flag design on the sheet cakes uses precut and shaped strawberries and stars. I purchased these online long ago. The icing on this cake is of fluffy white fur fabric and this was applied with hot glue.
5. If you make this flag cake, put a layer of Mod Podge on the top to help preserve the decorations.
6. Recycled jelly lids in plaid were turned upside down and used as platters for the tiered cakes. 
7. Use acrylic paints to decorate the trims and make them patriotic colors. 
8. The blueberry topping on the left cake with flags was made using Styrofoam beads. These may be purchased at a dollar store and painted blue. When gluing these to any surface only use white school glue or these beads will melt!
9. The "rippled" icing effect on the right cake was crafted using corrugated cardboard and three colors of paint: red, white and blue.
10. It's icing "drips" are made using white puff paint for this type of faux icing.
11. I sculpted tiny strawberries and wafers from Sculpey for the top cake decoration and then hot glued these to the top.

Make More Patriotic Doll Desserts:

• DIY Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies for American Girl Dolls
• 4th of July cupcakes to craft for your dolls

4th of July cupcakes to craft for your dolls

Left, the dessert details seen from above. Right, paper bandana design printed on the cupcake liners.

       These delicious looking red, white and blue doll cupcakes are made with oven-bake clay, narrow cardboard tubes and cupcake liners. 
       First cut the thin cardboard tubing in short lengths. Then shape the decorative tops using the oven bake clay. I use Sculpey. Half of our cupcakes are decorated with blue icing and red strawberries. The other half are with white icing and blue berries. Well, with pretend ones anyway.
       I used a bandana cupcake liner cut down to glue neatly around the sides of the tubes. Then I cut small rounds from the liner scraps to cover the bottoms of our cupcakes using the same white school glue.

• See Halloween cupcakes we made for our doll's bakery! - If you missed making these sweet treats for this years 4th of July, you still have time to make them for Halloween!

Left, I used a bit of glitter glue to highlight the blue berries. I also drew in a few seeds
on the strawberries with a black permanent ink marker.

Make a Lemon Flavored Bunt Cake

The finished lemon bunt cake sits on top of a small china plate.

       This particular cake craft is made by upcycling an old-fashioned "JELL-O" gelatin tin mold. I didn't prep it with any special medium before painting the surface. I did wash it well.

       After painting the surface, you may wish to seal it with Mod Podge so that it will hold up to regular handling and play.

       I used inexpensive acrylics to paint the bunt cake portion. Then I used a puff paint for the lemon icing.

      This icing gave a 3 dimensional surface with a shinier finish compared to that of the bunt cake beneath it. 

       Puff paint can take 24 hours to dry properly and sometimes it's surface will even out a bit while it dries. Apply a second coat, after the first dries if you wish for the surface icing to be even thicker looking. 

       The 18" doll sized, lemon bunt cake would look marvelous displayed inside of "Angelo's Bakery" for those of you who are fans of the Claudie Wells doll! But our family will use it in our own version of a doll bakery instead. 

The JELL-O brand mold is from a collection passed down to me from my mother-in-law.
I have another craft made with the same tin: pumpkin bowl with candy.

Left, is the dry-brushed tin. I used brown, gold, tan and black brushed in layers to make a bunt
cake. Right, is the cake "iced" with lemony yellow puff paint.

Craft a Crayon Caddy Cake For a Birthday Surprise!

My Birthday Cake Caddy is decorated with
swimming ducks, rose buds, a faux candy 
beads. It holds ample numbers of crayons!
When the child has deposited most of his or
her crayons, the "birthday candles" will stand
up-right. Your child may be more inspired to
clean up her/his craft station than they are to
color! That's a first...

       Here is a clever crayon caddy for you to make for a special friend, a sibling or yourself. You will need to eat through a real cake from a bakery or grocery store in order to recycle the plastic cake container though. But that's fun too! 
       The supplies you will need for this adorable DIY are: paper mache pulp, acrylic paints, air dry clay, chocolate/candy molds, masking tape, Mod Podge and a recycled cake container shaped just like a real cake.

       Hopefully, your little one will be inspired to clean-up more often, if they are rewarded with an adorable cake with candles every time they color.

 

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

1. Clean a recycled, plastic cake container.
2. Cover the entire outside dome with masking tape. 
3. Using a pencil, mark then cut the holes for the top of this caddy craft at the top of the dome. I cut five holes.
4. Shape air dry clay using chocolate molds. Let these decorative dry completely and then glue them to the surface of the cake wherever you would like.
5. Cover the remaining dome surface using paper mache pulp. Mix and apply this pulp according to the directions by the manufacturer. The faux cake dome should be left in the warm sunshine and given ample time to harden. Depending on where you live, this drying time could take a couple of days or even a week. 
6. Paint the surface of the faux Birthday cake however you like using acrylic paints.
7. Seal the surface with Mod Podge.

Left, what the Birthday cake caddy looks like inside. Center, the holes in the top of this clever
box craft are just large enough to stuff dozens of crayons through. Right, what the caddy looks
like when it is filled to the top with crayons, A Surprise Birthday Cake!

More Clever Novelty Box Crafts:

• Glue together a shell mosaic box
• See my Belznickle Candy Box here.
• Craft a bird in a nest box for a secret message...

How to make Dutch Crunch Doll Bread

The bread is fresh and lovely!

       Dutch Crunch is sometimes called Tiger Bread but because there are so many varieties of bread known as tiger bread, we will assign the former name for our version here. This bread has a distinctive split top with many cracks! It is soft and cake-like in it's middle and crunchy on the outer top. I have made our versions of this classic favorite from papier-mâché and cork. The loaves will look delicious in our 18" doll bakery! But for now the dolls are enjoying them at home in our big dollhouse kitchen, along with some lemonade.

Supply List:

• brown paper bag
• tissue paper
• masking tape
• crumbled cork
• acrylic paints in shades of brown and white
• Mod Podge
• white school glue

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Crush the tissue paper into the shape of a Dutch Crunch loaf. Visit Secrets In The Oven to see what this kind of bread looks like and how it is made.
2. Apply masking tape to the surfaces of the tissue to hold these in shape.
3. Layer white school glue and shredded brown paper bag on top of the tissue paper until the entire surface is covered and dried.
4. Crumble the cork and glue bits of it to the top of the faux, papier-mâché, Dutch Crunch bread.
5. Use a small paint brush to add light applications of darker brown and lighter creamy white to the loaf as you like.
6. Mod Podge the entire surface to keep it clean and to toughen-up the papier-mâché surface.

 

The loaves are shaped from tissue paper and 
covered with masking tape.

The cork is crumbled and glued to the tops of our
bread loaves. These look so crusty and delicious!

Now just a bit of paint for highlights and Mod Podge for
durability. The loaves are perfect!

Bread Loaves Sewn from Socks

Artisan bread loaves made from socks for our American Girl Dolls.

       Try using two brownish socks to sew small loaves of bread for your dolls. One sock will need to be slightly darker for the outer crust and the other will need to be slightly lighter for the inside of the bread. The results can be charming.

 Supply List:

• two distinct brownish to cream colors of socks
• needle and thread to match
• cotton batting for stuffing
• white to cream embroidery floss
• small sharp scissors

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut oval or round shapes from the lighter of the two socks to be the inside layer of the bread loaf.
2. Sew a straight seam around two layers of ovals or circles leaving a small opening for stuffing.
3. Turn the shape inside out and stuff it firmly with cotton batting.
4. Now cut two more similar sized ovals or circles of the alternate darker sock to insert the inside stuffed loaf of bread. 
5. Turn the second sock layer inside out and stuff the loaf of bread inside of it. Sew the opening shut.
6. Take a small pair of sharp scissors and carefully cut slashes in the top layer of sock where these would appear on the upper layer of a fresh baked artisan bread loaf.
7. Turn the sides under as you sew the seam down on top of the sock below. This is sewn just as a reverse appliqué would be except I am doing this free-hand without controlling 'how' is looks so much. These are loaves of bread after all! Watch reverse appliqué methods on YouTube: here and here.
8. Not only do blanket stitches help keep your seams intact, these also create a nice finish on these small bread loaves. I chose to use an even lighter embroidery floss for this hand stitching.
9. Optional: Small plastic bags or plastic wrap may be wrapped around the loaves of bread with a thin wire or thread to keep them looking clean and to make them look like bread loaves do when packaged in a bakery or grocery store. Don't do this step if small toddlers will be playing with the toys, plastic wrap can be considered a choking hazard. 

See the details of the socks loaves up close.

Printable Poster for a Doll's Bakery

        This Royal Baking Powder poster is from a vintage advertisement. It pictures the following baked treats: biscuits, walnut spice cake, blueberry muffins, iced pink cupcakes, pumpkin pie, cornbread, deep fried cake donuts, three layered cakes, coconut cake, pancakes, a Swedish tea ring, a lemon pound cake etc. It would be a delightful addition to your doll's bakery!

The Royal Baking Powder Company has been producing their
product since 1866.

Molding and Painting Doll Sheet Cakes for Valentine's Day

The finished version of a heart shaped sheet cake from different angles.

  

At the top are two St. Patick's Day sheet cakes prior
 to painting. The sheet cake shapes below are for our
Valentine doll party. 

       I used plastic candy molds to make these detailed, doll sized sheet cakes. 

       The heart shaped sheet cake above is made entirely of clay. It's glossy finished surface reminds me of fondant icing.

       The sheet cake below combines both a scrap piece of wood and a few clay details. I also "iced" this cake with paper mache pulp to give it the look of coconut icing.

Supply List:

• oven bake clay, air dry clay or paper clay
• flat wooden shapes optional
• candy molds
• cardboard
• acrylic paints
• wood glue or hot glue and hot glue gun
• Mod Podge
• decorative scrap paper to cover the cake trays
• paper mache pulp 

Step-by-Step Directions:

1.  Press and unmold the oven bake clay and bake it according to the instructions given on the package.
2. You can cut a cake tray to display your sheet cake craft out of cardboard. Make it a little larger than the cake and decoupage it with a pretty paper. 
3. Then glue the molded sheet cake to the tray. 
4. Now you can paint the molded cake entirely with acrylics before sealing it with Mod Podge.
5. If you have chosen to use a piece of scrap wood with clay trim, you will need to mix paper pulp with water according to the directions on the package and apply it to the wooden surface. Let it dry; this may take a few days.
6. Paint the second version with acrylics and seal it with Mod Podge.

The "Valentine" lettering is cut from paper, however, you could use a red puffy 
paint to write on top of your version of a sheet cake if you would prefer.

DIY a Bakery Kitchen Unit from A Box

       Even though our little ones are a bit sad over Grace's French Bakery being retired, I am not worried about replacing it with something similar made from boxes and a bit of imagination! 

        We've already made some delicious looking sweet treats and have also collected some nice wire shelving. 

       Now what we need to make requires decoupage supplies and a solid cardboard box for the following kitchen unit.

The finished bakery kitchen unit for our own version of  Grace's
French Bakery is decoupaged using paper, metallic tape, and faux
 marble shelf paper. Added details include buttons, fabric, dowel
rods and one china bowl for the sink.

Supply List:

• metallic tape or silver spray paint
• faux marble shelf paper (get at dollar store)
• buttons and beads for oven knobs
• fat and thin dowel rods for oven door handle and curtain rod
• black and red papers 
• black paint
• hook from a bungie cord for the sink faucet
• small white bowl for the sink
• masking tape
• glue gun and hot glue
• Mod Podge
• tacky white glue
• decorative fabric (shelf curtain)
• blocks for kitchen unit feet
• cardboard box, plus extra cardboard for the kitchen unit, oven and shelves
• needle and thread for sewing shelf curtain

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First you will need to assemble the basic kitchen unit using masking tape and a box of your own specifications. I will include measurements for mine but it really isn't necessary for you to make your own version with the same exact measurements. I do not know the exact measurements of the original French Bakery belonging to Grace; I chose my own. (10"x7"x3 1/2") 
2. Cut cardboard shelves and tape these into place using masking tape.
3. I chose to use a smaller box (6 1/2"x 4 1/4" x3 1/2") for the oven unit and I just taped this into the larger box after covering it's outside surface with metallic tape.
4. Before attaching the oven door with metallic tape, I cut out the window and pasted a small sheet of plastic behind the door to act as glass. 
5. I covered the fatter dowel (6") handle with the same silver tape and attached it.
6. The oven controls are made with black and silver buttons and the digital temp. screen a black , square bead.
7. Next I decoupaged the shelf units with red paper and the inside of the oven with black paper You could do these steps alternatively with paint if you prefer.
8. Cut the cardboard for your kitchen unit's counter top. (13"x5") Glue this firmly down to the top part of the shelves.
9. Cover the counter and edges with a faux marble shelf paper. Although this is sticky paper, you may need to add extra tacky white glue to your surfaces in order to get everything pasted down properly.
10. I glued together three wooden blocks for the unit's feet and painted these black after the glue had set. (blocks together measure 8 1/4"x 2 3/4"x 1 1/2") The weight of the blocks help to keep the kitchen unit upright because these are much heavier together than the cardboard unit as a whole.
11. The curtain in the lower shelf was made last. I hemmed it and folded over the top edge of the curtain to form a long narrow pocket for the thinner dowel rod to be inserted into. 
12. You will need to measure your opening for the curtain and then double the length in order to have enough fabric for the ruffle. Leave 3/4" fabric for the top pocket and 1/2" additional fabric for lower hem. 
13. Iron 1/4" seam on both the length of the top and bottom. Then repeat this step for the hem only. Iron the top of the curtain over 1/2" and sew it down using a whip stitch to form the pocket.
14. Work the rod through the narrow pocket, ruffling the fabric as you go. 
15. Take your scissors and push the tip of these half way through either end of the location where your curtain will hang. 
16. Fill these shallow holes with sticky craft glue.
17. Now guide your dowel curtain rod into these two holes and let the glue dry. See picture below.

Left is a close-up shot of the button oven knobs. Center are the shelves next to the oven. Right, you
can see one of the two holes that I made with the tip of my scissors for the curtain rod to slide into.

Left, I cut a small, shallow hole into the counter of my kitchen unit so that the porcelain sink's lower
 lip would fit neatly into it. I covered the bottom of the sink in masking tape and the cut out portion of the
counter with masking tape also. Because both surfaces are covered with masking tape, the hot glue will
adhere the sink to the counter. Right, I used hot glue to adhere a button to the center of the sink. The button
looks like a drain and the glue like water. The black faucet, a bungee hook, is sunk into an additional
whole and glued in with hot glue.

Left, you need to turn your fabric edges over twice and press them down before sewing them in place.
The top of your curtains should have a larger open hem for the dowel rod to fit into. Center, here you
can see the curtain on the dowel curtain rod. Right, now glue this into place. There are shallow holes
 at either end of my curtain rod. I squeezed a bit of tacky glue inside these openings to
make sure the curtain was permanently attached.

See More Photos of Grace Thomas French Bakery:

• Grace Thomas, American Girl of The Year 2015 by chiilmama.com
• Grace's Bakery from Dolltastically

DIY Doll Sized Candied Apples

These faux candied apples are approximately one inch in diameter; perfectly sized for our 18" American Girl dolls.

       Every doll lover should have a sweet, candied apple selection for her dolls to enjoy during the holidays. Ours are made from small, turned wooden apples and popsicle sticks. Just cut the sticks to the length you prefer and glue them into the centers of each apple. Let the glue dry and stiffen over night before painting the apples with red, gold or green acrylic paints. Then dip your apples into your choice of caramel, white or brown chocolate colored paints. 

       Place the wet apples on top of wax paper and let the dipped paints settle and dry so that the apples are supported by a small amount of paint pooled beneath them. This is how real caramel or candied apples are allowed to dry too! It should take several days for the paint to dry. Carefully peel away the wax paper after the paint on the apples has hardened. 

       Give the apples even more decorative surfaces with colored puff paints, glitter glue and beads that look like small hard candies, if you'd like.

Left, small 1" diameter wooden apples with flat bamboo skewers glued into the top where stems would
originate from. Right, I've painted half of my apples green and the other half red.

Left, apples drying upside down inside of a plastic egg carton. Right, apples dry on top of brown paper.

Left, Caramel Candied Apples. See a real recipe here.
Right, Jolly Rancher or Red Hots Candied Apples. See a real recipe here.

Left, White Chocolate Dipped Apples with Drizzle. See a real recipe here. 
Right, Chocolate Dipped Apples. See a real recipe here.

More Candy Apple Crafts:

• DIY American Girl Candy Apples!
• Miniature Candy & Caramel Apples - Polymer Clay Tutorial