No Spam Straight From The Can!

Spam salad, stir-fry and musubi all made in our Doll's kitchen.

 

       Above are three spam toy foods that "mix-up" the way spam gets treated in our doll's play kitchen: Spam stir-fry is on the large platter, the bowl contains a pickled SPAM served with fruits and the third is SPAM musubi place upon an attractive decoupaged Hawaiian platter.
       What is SPAM you might ask? SPAM is a brand of lunch meat (processed canned ham) made by Hormel Foods Corporation, an American multinational food processing company. It was introduced in the United States in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use during World War II. As of 2003, Spam was sold in 41 countries, and trademarked in more than 100, on six continents. read more . . . 

Spam steaks with a rice cake and seaweed wrap are called "Spam musubi." This is a very popular lunch food in Hawaii.

How to make real SPAM musubi:

• emmymade makes SPAM Musubi
• Aloha To You makes Spam Musubi

Santos Chronicles takes his family to the Spam 

Museum in Austin Minnesota.

Students can read the dialogue bubbles or 
speech bubbles above to discover just how 
good Bob's cooking is. This a very vintage
advertisement for canned SPAM. The pack-
aging for SPAM has changed but the food
still tastes the same. Unless, you are Bob,
his cooking is the exception according to
his wife and friends. Click to enlarge the 
advertisement for better reading.

How to Craft Button-Top Salt and Pepper Shakers for Dolls

Left to right: doll sized coffee grinder, toaster, salt and pepper shakers and butter.

        This has got to be the tiniest, cutest craft I have ever made for 18" dolls! It's so simple and quick to put together and that's a good thing too - because I can see how easy it would be to loose doll sized salt and pepper shakers.

3 Sample sets of button-top salt and pepper shakers.

 Supply List:

• a matching set of tiny buttons
• scrap cardboard
• white tacky glue
• masking tape
• decorative paper and /or tape
• acrylic paints black and white
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut and roll scrap cardboard to make two identical, pretend shakers. These may be 1/2 inch tall or shorter.
2. You can tear off a tiny bit of tape to hold these together in a tight curl.
3. The tiny shakers need to be level enough to stand freely on top of your doll's kitchen counter or table.
4. Dab onto one end a bit of tacky glue and position a button on top of each shaker.
5. Wrap and glue decorative paper or metal tape around each shaker for decoration. 
6. Paint the top of each shaker black or white. Black being for pepper and white for salt.
   

Move Related Crafts:

• How to Make Utensils for Your Doll's Kitchen
• Crafting a Herb & Spice Collection for AG dolls...
• The Story of Common Salt

''When it rains, it pours" Morton Iodized Salt advertisement from 
the 1939. Read about the benefits of using non-caking salt!

DIY Doll Dairy for Play

Above are milk carton types and butter
sticks, one whole and the other sliced.

      Shown in photos here are the extra dairy foods that I made for our 18" doll kitchen refrigerator. 

       To make the pretend bottled milk, I filled two mini glass bottles with white paint and then sealed the openings with hot glue. I then wrapped the outer edges with tape and a cardboard tops to make simple lids. The lids were then painted with a grey acrylic paint.

       I crafted the box shaped milk carton using cardboard, white paint, and a milk label cut from a grocery flier. Then I Mod Podged the surface to make it durable for play.

       The small butter trays are cut from cardboard and the butter is shaped from Sculpey and painted a creamy, pale yellow color. Then the surfaces are also sealed with Mod Podge. These butter sticks fit perfectly in the door butter compartments of our doll's refrigerator. 

       Below are the cheeses sculpted from oven-bake clay and painted to resemble cheddar and Swiss cheese varieties. I also picture the slices of Swiss and cheddar cut from Fun Foam and wrapped in tiny plastic bags. The shredded faux cheese is also meticulously cut from a yellow foam sheet as well.

Left, are the sculpted cheeses and butter prior to painting. 
Right, are the finished versions of foam cheese slices, painted cheese
bricks and shredded cheese for pretend doll recipes.

       For dolls who are allergic to dairy students could make butter replacements just like Vegetable Oleomargarine. Below is a vintage advertisement for this food substitute. Apparently "The Finest and Freshest Spread For Bread."

'Good Luck' vegetable margarine advertisement.

How to make soap for Pioneer dolls...

Bars of pretend soap for any dolls.

       We made pretend soap for play with all of our dolls, not just Pioneer Dolls.  But there is an interesting video included here for those students interested in knowing just 'how' the Pioneer's actually made soap over 100 years ago. I sure am glad that this is no longer a chore we need to perform!

Supply List:

• cardboard scraps
• ruler
• masking tape
• white school glue
• acrylic paints
• scrap paper for labels (optional) 
• Mod Podge

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut many multiple pieces of cardboard into the same sizes.
2. Using white school glue, adhere layers of these cardboard pieces until your pretend soap is the size and shape you desire.
3. Mask the surface area to make it stronger for play.
4. Paint the surfaces of your soap in the colors you prefer.
5. Seal the painted faux soaps with Mod Podge.
6. If you like to put your doll sized soap on display at a doll fair or market, wrap it with paper and label it with stickers.

How soap was made by American Pioneers by tellervo...

See Old-Fashioned Soap Making at Youtube:

• Soap Making with VIP Cheryl
• Mountain Craft - Soap Making  by Resort Adventures
• Homemade Soap at Marshes
• Tread of Pioneers Museum Makes Soap
• Making Soap in Appalachia - cold process soap making

Actress, Loretta Young dialogues with magazine readers about her
love of LUX soap in the 1930s. 

DIY Upholstered Wingback Chair and First Impressions

One of two doll wingback chairs is finished. I chose to cover one of my chairs with a worsted
 wool. Dyed with multiple colors, primarily a russet combination, this chair will look charming in
our doll's library.

       Though there are many types of wing chairs, there are two standard wing styles - the flat wing and the scroll wing. Our wingback chair is a flat wing. 

       Chairs like these were first made in England during the 1600s. The purpose of the "wings" was to enclose the head or torso areas of the body in order to provide comfortable protection from drafts, and to trap the heat from a fireplace in the area where the person would be sitting. Hence, in historic times these are often used near a fireplace.

       This is an advanced craft for teens or adults. So little ones might request it from an older sibling, parent or grandparent as a special gift. I also suggest that crafters watch several videos about upholstering doll furniture prior to attempting to build one on their own. Many miniaturists cover this topic in videos or on their websites. You will need to enlarge their patterns for 18" dolls and switch out heavy cardboard for their foam board or paper materials. I drew my own patterns but there are many free patterns for similar chairs to mine on the web.

• Miniature upholstered arm chair with free template from Bentley House Minis
• DIY miniature no-sew armchair tutorial by Kixkillradio Miniatures

Above you can see that I have covered the
basic chair structure and soon will begin to
sew and attach the interior pillows.

Supply List:

• cardboard
• masking tape
• upholstery
• round needle (also called a curved or upholstery needle)
• wooden blocks for legs
• tongue depressor for chair aprons
• paint or stain for legs
• matching threads
• wood glue or tacky craft glue
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• buttons for pillows
• poly-batting for chair cushions and pillows

Step-by-Step Directions:

• Download a pattern, copy a pattern from a library book, or purchase a pattern. 
• You may need to size the pattern up for a larger 18" doll.
• Cut out all of your cardboard pieces from very heavy cardboard. Some of you may choose to use wood for the project. I make most of my doll furnishings with cardboard but wood is good too.
• Assemble the wingback chair's body with either wood glue or tacky white glue. Take the extra time to wait for the glue to dry hard before covering it with fabric.
• Measure and cut fabrics as you go, turning under the rough edges, neatly cutting and clipping corners. Apply small amounts of hot glue on these to attach the fabric neatly to the chair parts.
• Glue down a felt covering to the interior seat of the chair after everything else has been covered with fabric and glue.
• I use a curved needle and matching thread to stretch the fabric seams tightly against the frame. This step is optional and could lead to greater frustration if you are not a sewer. However, it will make your upholstery work look professional in the end.
• Measure and cut the both the back and seat cushions, inserting seam allowances if necessary. Do not over stuff the cushions or your doll may not be able to sit securely into the chair. As a rule you should always use less filler here, instead of more.
• Now glue on the chair legs using a wood glue, if your legs are made from wooden blocks. 
• Glue on the chair's apron using cut tongue depressors. These lend strength to the legs!
• Finish the legs with a paint or stain. Hot glue a chair skirt or a fabric trim of some sort around the apron only if you prefer.
• I permanently attached the upper and lower cushions to the seat with hot glue. This is optional as well. I felt it necessary for play; children have a tendency to loose things like chair cushions and tiny pillows.

Left is the wingback chair body made from heavy layers of cardboard, glue and masking tape.
Right, you can see that I used a hot glue gun to initially attach the fabric upholstery. After this
 step, I went back and sewed in stronger seams by hand using a curved needle and matching thread.

Left is a picture of the underside of both chairs. This is where I used wood glue to attach the chair feet.
 The feet are made from child blocks and then reinforced with large wooden tongue depressors, (aprons)
trimmed to fit between the sides of the legs. Right, pictured here are the legs as seen from the side without
the skirts sewn on.

Left, I brushed on a light, brown stain onto the legs of one chair. Then glued on the tree skirt.
The second chair, not pictured here, I chose to leave the skirt off and simply covered the aprons only in fabric.

First Impressions

"This old-fashioned chair would look lovely in our library." Sophie says.
Poppy says, with just a hint of remorse, "Oh how I wish my knees could bend!"

"Who is this? She sure seems affectionate around Sophie." Poppy thinks.
She does not know that Sophie has a younger sister.

Skylar, Sophie's little sister slides into the room wearing her slippery
 knee socks! She dances in front of the arm chair, using her robotic arm
 moves. Finally she sits down with ease into the arm chair bending at the knee.

"Skylar, you are so lucky to have elbows and knees!" Sophie begins to chastise
her sister. "Look how neatly she sits in this comfy, cozy chair!" Poppy exclaims
 with a little envy in her voice.

Sophie thinks, "My little sister can be such a show off sometimes.
She could use a few lessons in manners."
 Poppy thinks, "This girl is amazingly flexible!"
Skylar says aloud, "I am small...but...mighty."

Sophie says, "Every person has a special gift, Skylar; don't forget to be
considerate." Skylar and Poppy's eyes meet; They will soon be good friends
and share in many adventures.

Skylar is lounging in the upholstered arm chair that I will
include in our dollhouse library room along with many other
interesting things.

Sophie shakes Poppy's hand and tells her she is looking forward
 to a playdate with the younger girls. Skylar waves
goodbye, as she bounces up and down on the new arm chair.

More Friends To Play With and Learn From:

• Peggy Stuart's dolls are "Welcoming the Newcomer"
• The Reflection in Me HD - animated film
• Wise words from Kid President

Advertising From The 1960s

"New diamond-bright Gossamer the only hair spray that passes the close-up test."

A bouffant /buːˈfɒnt/ is a type of hairstyle characterized by hair raised high on the head and usually covering the ears or hanging down on the sides. Read more...

"If you're setting up house... you'll live happier with Holstalen" cartoon ad for plastics

Find out what plastic is, how it's made and who made it. Read more...

"Romance has faded right out of my life!" cartoon ad by Colgate toothpaste

Why you should be using cartoons to sell product...

'Unders' & 'Overs' by Kayser (knee socks for school girls)

Knee highs became popular during the 1960s and 1970s with the increase in popularity of the miniskirt. Read more...

The differences between early, mid and late 1960s fashions.

DIY Durable Boxed Doll Foods for Play

Our American Girl Doll, Molly, unpacks groceries made
with our vintage food labels.

       In order to make play foods durable, I often will craft them so that boxes can not be opened and emptied of contents, especially if I am going to gift these to a child younger than six or seven.

 Supply List:

• flimsy cardboard
• corrugated cardboard
• white school glue
• Mod Podge
• printable labels
• food labels cut from ads and/or food product

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Print and cut out labels found under the 30 vintage labels post.
2.  Stick these to a smooth faced, light weight cardboard first. Cut them out.
3. Stick the same labels to corrugated cardboard four times over. Layering the thicknesses on top of each other. 
4. Stick light weight cardboard to the final outside layers on both the edges and the back of each small cardboard food.
5. Mod Podge the entire surface of each box shaped food.

The labels for these particular food items may be downloaded from here and printed out on your
home computer for personal crafts only. I restored them for this purpose from the public domain.
They are, however, my own interpretations, so do not resale the content or redistribute it
 from your own web pages.

Frozen strawberry boxes and the Five Roses
Flour cake box for a doll's pantry.

10 Quick Tips for Working With Cardboard:

1. Because cardboard is processed with acid, this chemical will leach out and be absorbed into paper materials glued to it's surface over time. Therefore, turning surfaces yellow and corroding them completely.. If you wish to slow this process, seal the cardboard with liquid Gesso before applying acid free paper prints of labels.
2. Apply a thin cardboard to the face of corrugated cardboard surfaces in order to avoid a rippled texture in your paper mache crafts. 
3. Many layers of cardboard compressed together, lend greater strength to your paper mache toys. 
4. Toys made entirely with cardboard and paper are biodegradable. This means you can toss them into landfills and the bacteria there will break them down naturally.
5. Paper mache toys that survive well, are also collectable.
6. Cardboard is a forgiving craft material. It can be easily manipulated, cut, molded and transformed into practically anything if you develop the skills to use it.
7. Cardboard is cheap and in many cases, free!
8. If your cardboard warps, layer heavy books on top of it overnight, or until it's surfaces are restored to rigidity. 
9. Do not store too much cardboard at any given time in one area of your home. Collect and work with it as you need it. Cardboard can attract insects and spiders who love to make their homes inside it's cracks and corrugated medium.
10. If you work with cardboard frequently, you will find that you need sharp tools to cut it. Remember to carefully store razor blades, craft knifes, box cutters and sharp scissors away from places where small children can access these tools!

Left, you can see that there are four layers of corrugated cardboard glued together to create the
illusion of a 'box' for the doll's Five Roses Flour cake box. The outside layer is made with
cardboard from a cereal box. This layer is smoother and yellow as is my printed logo. I didn't
 need to paint my samples for this reason; I only needed to seal all four sides with Mod Podge
 in order to give the finished craft a professional look. Right, here you see that I'm trimming off
the edges so that the boxed food items can stand on their own.

Left, a Fashionista models for the camera. She demonstrates size/scale of boxed granola.
I found these tiny photos on the side panel of product I purchased for breakfast.
They are the perfect scale for our Barbie dolls to play with and they are made with
the same method of layering cardboard described in our simple craft above.

• Remaking Play Food Boxes to Last
• DIY Miniature Cereal Box made from recycled cereal boxes

Read a cartoon with dialogue balloons talking about
the benefits of Kellogg's All-Bran cereal. This vintage
advertisement is about a food product we still eat
today and is quite common to American markets.

Craft a Faux Stainless Steel Doll House Sink

Barbie sized paper towels and toilet paper balance on a
soap dish rack converted into an entire doll sink counter.

        This stainless steel, doll house sink is made from upcycled house hold things. The sink itself was formerly a 1/4 cup measuring cup used for baking and the steel frame once held shampoo, conditioner etc... The custom miniature toilet supplies are made from the very materials they are intended to copy. The toilet paper rolls and paper towels are cut and shaped from life sized toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls and the tiny tissue box was made from the cardboard and tissue of an actual box of Kleenex.

       A modern sink like this one, is perfect for display in a contemporary doll house bathroom. Later, when I have finished more furnishings for a modern bathroom, I will show you how it looks inside of our doll house display.

Supply List:

• stainless steel measuring cups
• stainless steel soap dish dispenser or display unit
• aluminum foil tape (industrial)
• masking tape
• heavy cardboard
• wood glue
• buttons and plastic ring for the faucet
• tiny sharp scissors with a sharp point (ask for adult help)
• silver spray paint 
• hot glue gun and glue
• white school glue

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Clean all soap residue from the items you intend to work with.
2. Turn the soap display unit upside down and trace around it's outer edge with a pencil on top of a thick piece of cardboard. 
3. Trace around the outer edge of the 1/4 cup measure on top of the cardboard bathroom counter top. I positioned one single sink in the middle of the counter for my bathroom counter, but you could choose to cut two sinks if you prefer.
4. Cut out the cardboard and repeat step two and three in order to cut two identical counter tops. Then glue these together with wood glue.
5. Tear a very narrow strip of masking tape to adhere to the outside edge of your measuring cup. You must have a 1/4 inch masked area along the rim of the measuring cup in order to successfully stick the small steel bowl down between the cut cardboard holes of the sink counter. 
6. Squeeze a bit of wood glue along the inside edge of the cut hole before firmly pushing the measuring cup part down through the opening. Let this part of the assembly dry thoroughly over night.
7. Now you are ready to wrap the entire sink counter in aluminum foil tape. I wrapped together the edges of the cardboard counter onto the first wire rung of my soap dispenser with small strips of tape to insure that the top of my lavatory would stick to it's cardboard counter.
8. Then I wrapped the entire counter top on top and underneath with the aluminum tape.
9. I had to trim out the covered sink cup with a tiny pair of scissors. Then I carefully folded a small edge of tape over the edge of the sink.
10. Hot glue the cut plastic ring and button knobs to the sink counter after spray painting these silver.
11. Use white school glue to add in a small snap for the drain. Hot glue may cause a filming looking mess in this case, but the white glue if pooled will dry clearer and look more like water. It takes several days for this glue to dry before you can see the sink's drain, so be patient. 
12. To make the facial tissue box, see instructions here.
    

Left, a up-close look at the toiletries balanced on the stainless steel rack beneath the sink.,
Center is a view of the sink from above. Right, is looking at the doll sink from the backside view.

Left, is the 1/4 cup measure with it's handle removed. Center, is the cut cardboard counter top with
the sink hole trimmed out., Right, is the stand/dispenser made to hold bathroom supplies such as:
 soft soap, shampoo, conditioner etc...

Left, Use white school glue to add in a small snap for the drain. Center, Cover the snap completely.
Right, It takes several days for this glue to dry before you can see the sink's drain, so be patient.

Above is a very old Scot Tissue advertisement that 
explains why absorbent toilet tissue is good for hygiene
and therefore for everyone. The logo is very old,
but the company still produces the same product today!