Build a custom fireplace surround for Barbie's dollhouse

I will purchase a battery operated
 votive for the firebox later.

       This elegant fireplace has a built in shelf where dolls can position a T. V. or display just above the firebox. The firebox has two columns flanking both the left and right as well as a mosaic, base for the ''faux gas logs'' to stand upon. Most of our doll fireplaces have been wood burners, however, this particular one is based upon a cleaner, gas version designed for a semi-formal living room. Students can build this version using a tall narrow box and printed papers.

Supply List:

• faux wood paper
• decorative paper for the deep shelf
• white school glue
• masking tape
• decorative pebbles 
• a tall cardboard box, approximately 12 -14 inches in height and 5 inches wide and 3 - 4 inches deep
  
• extra cardboard
• 2 cardboard tubes
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Approximately locate the large shelf halfway inside of the vertical standing box. The shelf should project beyond the opening of the box by one inch.
2. The cardboard tubes will support the shelf and mark the ending of the extended cardboard base for this fireplace design.
3. Glue these elements in place and then wrap a wider length of cardboard around the edge of the shelf to make it look as though it has volume.
4. Cover all of the surfaces with masking tape prior to decoupaging these.
5. Glue in white typing paper inside the firebox to give it a clean finish.
   
6. Layer a classic striped paper inside the shelf above the firebox. 
7. Cover the remaining fireplace with faux wood paper.
8. Pool the glue at it's base and fill it in with decorative mosiac pebbles. Let these dry overnight.
9. Decorate the shelf as you wish or craft a television set to position over the firebox. Here is a cardboard television set and here is one made from a foam craft sheet.
   

See the custom built fireplace for Barbie and her friends from different angles.

Paper Furniture for A Paper Dollhouse

       ''When you have mother's consent to download and print this page, paste it upon lightweight cardboard and press it under heavy books until it is quite dry. Then carefully trim along the outlines and cut the plain lined along the sides of the chair seat. Then fold on the dotted lines as indicated, and paste flaps A and B to sides of chair. If you will use your watercolors to decorate the wingback chair and footstool these furnishings will be all the prettier.'' Harvey Peake

And easy chair (wingback design) and a matching footstool, sometimes called an ottoman.

Find More Paper Dollhouse Furniture Patterns:

• Cut, Color and Paste Paper Doll Furniture
• Some nursery furniture for the paper doll house
• Miniature Paper Kitchen Furnishings for Your Paper Dolls

One-Color Effects For Dollhouse Decor

        Designing dollhouse rooms with monochromatic color choices is just one method to ensure that items like carpets and rugs, wallpaper and paint, and upholstery and pillows all coordinate in good taste. Below, paintings by Charles Webb demonstrate the same den/family room space in five distinct singular colors: yellow, green, red, blue and brown.

Left, green is the color of choice.  Right, yellow is the main color used for the same space.

Left, if the same den was made over in red; this may be how it could look. Center, here the
 one-color selected is blue. Right, how does the room look with everything in brown?

       Did you know that people have been attaching meanings to color forever it seems? Below are some of the customary feelings attached to colors in rooms, although I don't believe that these attributes are always legitimate. There are many more experiences unique to people's lives that can affect the way they feel about color. It is best in the long run to make selections based upon what you have and what pleases you. At the end of the day, a dollhouse is a personal space and every dollhouse should reflect the person designing it.

• Red - means stimulation to some - irritation to others
• Yellow - means irradiating cheer and vivacity - yet your neighbor's complexton may not harmonize!
• Blue - the color of purity and peace - yet some claim it depresses.
• Green - is for tranquility, as in the cool shade of foliage and field
• Brown - suggests a cozy comfort in the living-room. Which color do you like best?

How to make a faux leather club chair...

Left, finished faux leather club chair for a Barbie or any other 10 to 12 inch doll.
Right, the blocks and underside of the chair have been painted black and sealed with Mod Podge.

      

       This side club chair is a classic addition to our growing collection of Barbie dollhouse furnishings. I covered it with faux looking leather paper instead of real leather. The paper was purchased on sale at a hobby store for a dollar a sheet (I needed two sheets). 

       I chose to give it a coat of Mod Podge in order to keep it clean, however, it looked just as nice without this coating, if you would prefer to leave it "as is."

 Supply List:

• leather look paper (2 large sheets)
• white school glue
• two wooden blocks
• corrugated cardboard
• masking tape
• recycle Styrofoam sheet
• Mod Podge
• black acrylic paint

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut 4''x4'' pieces of corrugated cardboard for the arms and bottom sides of the club chair. Triple these cut layers from cardboard to make them sturdy. 
2. Glue the pieces together to shape a "U" Shape.
3. Cover the surfaces using masking tape.
4. Make the backside of the chair by cutting the cardboard into a "T" shape. 
5. Glue three of these "T" cut pieces of corrugated together to make the back sturdy and cover with masking tape as well.
6. Cut and shape the faux leather paper around the parts of the club chair using a decoupage technique. (See photos below)
7. Apply glue to the edges of the back piece of the chair and fit it between the side and bottom shaped "U" piece. Use a rubber band to hold these together while the glue dries. (see photos)
   
8. Craft a thick cushion using either Styrofoam and cardboard or layers of cardboard or a stuffed fabric cushion. Any one of these alternatives will suffice!
   
9. Glue the wooden base to the bottom of the chair.
10. Paint the base and bottom of the club chair to finish with black paint.
11. Layer on a finishing coat of Mod Podge to all the chair's surfaces to give it protection from wear and a professional look.

Left, see an average size 11-12 inch doll seated and standing next to my club chair.
Right, the finished faux leather club chair without Mod Podge layer.

How the club chair is constructed from different angles. There are essentially two four pieces to the
chair made of three to four layers of corrugated cardboard.

Left, construct a "U" shaped cardboard piece and a "T" shaped cardboard piece  that will make
the back side of the chair once it it glued in place.

Above you can see the two pieces glued together after they have been covered with the paper
and glue. Always cover ''upholstered'' furniture wrapping the ends to the outside edges. The
arms, top of the chair and underside of the chair or couch are covered last. This method of 
wrapping gives a "seamless" appearance to the finished piece. I used a rubber band to hold 
the armchair top and bottom together while the glue dried. 

Left, you can see that I used Styrofoam covered with cardboard to make the chair cushion. 
Center, then I glued on two wooden blocks side-by-side to make a modern base for the chair
instead of four individual chair legs. I also neatly covered the bottom side of the chair
with masking tape to hide wrapped paper surfaces. Both underside surfaces of this chair
will be painted black before the project is finished.

More links to upholstered Barbie doll sized furniture:

• Barbie's Bohemian Patchwork Sofa
• DIY a vanity chair for Barbie
• How to assemble a no-sew couch for Barbie

Four different fireplace surrounds for dollhouses

       Dollhouse fireplace surrounds include very colorful tile work and fancy openings for a pretend cozy fire for every doll that lives inside your hand crafted homes!

 

Printables for dollhouse fireplace crafts.

A Modern Farmhouse Living Room

Our 18" dollhouse living room is decorated with miniature accessories and furnishings
crafted to look like the things you might find in a real modern farmhouse.

       Our American Girl dolls, Journey Girls, My Generation Dolls and 18" dolls by Madame Alexander all live and share playtime inside a giant, nine room dollhouse! Six rooms inside the doll's home measure 48" long, 24" wide and at least 29" from floor to ceiling. The upper story rooms have much higher ceilings. Little ones do not play inside these rooms because they are out of reach, obviously. However, these are decorated just as elaborately as the lower rooms and our dolls rest there whenever they are not entertaining little visitors below.

A modern clock above the T.V.

The Modern Farmhouse Accessories and Furnishings:

1. Quatrefoils alternated with stylized octagons in this patterned white and grey wall covering from a dollar store. The printed fabric was first made into pillow cases before I cut them apart for our eighteen inch dollhouse living room walls.
2. A small silver-plate photo frame from resale; inside it is a picture of an American Girl Doll friend. (picture was cut from a catalogue.)
3. An old-fashioned window with tracery, backed with a faux mirror. I used a shiny silver nail polish to enhance the antique 'mirror' effect. This was crafted for the modern farmhouse from a pattern with cardboard and paper.
4. A doll sized terrarium, complete with a desert themed vignette: fox figurine, sand, polished pebbles and grey/green mosses. It was purchased from Goodwill store.
5. A faux metal curtain rod and hand-sewn canvas duct curtains; these are handmade.
6. A tap light, battery operated from the dollar store or Dollar General is used to light up the doll's living room at night.
7. A window made from cardboard and a magazine photo. (see the project here)
8. A recycled hanging wooden shelf, decoupaged and sanded to give it a rustic, farmhouse flavor. On this shelf at the top sits the word "Blessed," a laser cut sign from balsa wood. This came in a fall pack of six from the Dollar Store. Underneath the top shelf , sitting on the second shelf is a tin pail for displaying collections of things or storing blankets and pillows.
9. A modern, industrial clock made from a recycled tape roll, faux wooden shelf paper, big numbers and a lid.
10. A cardboard television screen made to display postcard sized pictures. We switch these out with the change of seasons or holidays.
11. The T.V. stand made to coordinate with the sofa table, is crafted to look like distressed wood furniture. We also store doll sized board games and puzzles inside of it.
12. A paper lamp with scrapbooking decoupage surfaces. (see the project here)
13. An 18" doll sized card table. I made this using cardboard and unique, old textured papers. I then sponge painted it using: ivory, white, and pale green acrylic paints. 
14. The wood plank floors were decoupaged and drawn to resemble reclaimed wood flooring.
15. Cozy knit pillows have button and ribbon trims. All three of these plus and afghan were sewn from old sweaters.
16. A faux, pale grey, fur rug was cut from a scrap found among our fabric remnants.
17. The decoupaged and white washed sofa table, T.V. stand and television were designed for our modern farmhouse living room. The craft instructions for all three are here.
18. I made a fold-out doll sofa bed, upholstered with tweed wool scraps is the focal point of the room. It includes a tufted back pillow and folds out from the bottom to accommodate sleeping for three 18" dolls!
19. A stone-faced fire place with a tiled hearth and removable wooden logs also has a generous wooden mantel. (see project here)
20. And finally, the grey distressed wooden rocker. Decoupaged with knit patterned scrapbook paper can be seen under this additional post here.

The faux, black metal curtain rod above is actually made from a cardboard tube and has wooden
 beads glued on to each end. These have been painted to look like cast iron. The curtains are very
simply made using off-white canvas. Left, you can see how the curtains look when these are
tied up or left loose to cover the windows. Right, is a detail of the curtain rod.

The cozy knit pillows sewn from old sweaters are color coordinated with our modern
farmhouse furnishings in grey, tan and sage green colors. I love the cable knit patterns;
these add texture and variety to the sofa display.

Left, is the silver plate frame, the antique faux mirror with tracery and our doll's terrarium
 displayed on top of the fireplace mantel. Right, is a photo of the left-hand corner
of this doll living space.

The terrarium up-close. You can see that we have layered sand, pebbles, a small fox figurine
and two different mosses to make the scene. We can change this to different
scenes during the holidays.

Left, is the right-hand corner of the doll's farmhouse living room. It has a large shelf for knick-
knacks, a card table, lamp and television stand. Right, is a close-up picture of the card table. The
 black surfaces here are decoupaged to make them look like either metal or black wood and the
rustic top is painted to look like tin. This combination is frequently found among furnishings
inside of modern country homes in the United States.

Left, the stone-front fireplace. Center, the modern industrial looking clock. Right, the tweed,
 fold-out couch directly in front of the window.

A distressed, wooden shelf that I sanded down for the dollhouse. The back half of it is decoupaged
 with faux wood surfaces printed on scrapbook papers. The dolls can display all kinds of trinkets
 on the shelves.

The modern farmhouse living room is finished inside the 18" dollhouse. Only the shelf and rocker
are purchased and altered, the rest of the furnishings are hand-built from scratch. 

More Links to Modern Farmhouse Interiors:

• See elements of Farmhouse style at YouTube by The Kinwoven Home
• Eight ways to add farmhouse style to any home by She Holds Dearly
• See this same dollhouse room decorated for Halloween...

More Links to Doll Farmhouse Accessories and Furniture:

• Dollhouse Doll Bed and Quilt by qisforquilter
• DIY Farmhouse Table for American Girl Dolls by WoodChuck Creations
• Modern Farmhouse Tinyhouse Basement Playhouse Toy Room Tour by Hertoolbelt

Printable Brick Fireplace With Mission Furnishings

       This red brick fireplace includes a wooden mantle, authentic mission sconces, colonial tin candle stick holders, and ceramic vases. It is a lovely printable for any dollhouse living room.

2 Doll Lamps Made From Recycled Materials

       Below are two alternative methods for constructing eighteen inch, doll sized, toy lamps for your American Girl Dollhouses. These lamps do not have working parts such as batteries. Versions here are more for play and can be easily made by a child of nine or ten. 

A finished doll lamp next to a silver photo frame.

Supply List:

• cardboard tubes or toilet roll tubes
• Dixie cups (paper)
• cup cake liners
• paper egg cartons
• wire
• cotton balls
• tiny beads
• white acrylic paint
• white typing paper
• ribbon
• decorative scrapbook paper
• masking tape
• white school glue
• small empty bottles
  
• spools 
• wire

More Methods for Crafting Doll Lamps:

• How to make a dollhouse lamp - Barbie lamp shade - Easy doll table lamp decor by Tanis Gallery
• MyFroggyStuff also makes a Barbie size lamp using beads and paper condiment cups.
• Dollhouse Ceiling Chandelier that really works - Light pendant including battery operated tea lights. No wiring needed. by Loy Dollhouse

Left, Tiny wire armature details on top of our lamp shades are made from cotton batting wire,
parts cut from paper egg cartons and beads. These are glued together and then painted white.
Right, Three finished bottle lamp examples decoupaged in colorful printed papers. The shades
on the left and right are constructed from paper Dixie cups.

The lamp shade above is constructed using an empty masking tape roll. One end is covered with 
cardboard measured to fit, the other end is left open at the bottom. On the far right, you can see
the underside of the lamp shade. Note, the spool used to attach the two parts of the lamp. The
spool hold up the shade and attaches it to the base of the lamp that is made using a paper tube.

Directions for The Cardboard Tube Lamp:

1. Cut the cardboard tube to the size you desire. 
2. Place it on top of a piece of scrap cardboard and trace around the outside of the tube. Cut the circle template out and repeat the step again. Now you have two circles that may be glued to either end of the tube in order to seal it off. 
3. At the top end of the tube glue a sturdy recycled spool.
4. Now decoupage all the pieces glued together with either a figurative or geometric decorative paper.
5. You can also seal this with Mod Podge or white school glue to protect your finished surfaces.
6. Next, decoupage a recycled masking tape tube using the same technique, only cover one end with cardboard, however.
7. Glue the shade onto the base of the cardboard tube lamp.
8. To add details to the top of the shade: clip and cut smooth texture wire, parts of a recycled egg carton and beads.  I used cotton wrapped wire but you may use any wire you have on hand. The lamp fitting and finial are constructed from cardboard and beads, then painted white to match the wire.
9. Paint the bottom of the lamp base to blend with other parts of the lamp design.

The recycled bottle covered in a navy and white diamond print.
The upper bottle neck is covered in a solid red paper. The
lamp shade is an inverted paper cup cover with a cup
cake liner for a "pleated" shade detail.

This lamp version is decoupaged with orange and white paper
details. It will look nice in a mid-century modern doll space.

Left, Here I have masked the parts of my doll lamp with tape.
This helps the paper to stick to the plastic elements. The shade
here is a plastic part recycled from a Pillsbury cinnamon roll 
package. Right, you can see that I have included a paper tube
construction glued to the inside of the lamp shade so that the
bottle neck will fit snuggly in place. All of these parts are 
glued in place in order to give the lamp durability for play.

 Directions for The Recycled Bottle Shaped Lamps:

1. Cover all parts of the lamp, both the body and shade with masking tape.
2. Glue the bottle neck to the inside of the lamp shade. In order to do this your lamp shade must be closed at the upper end. 
3. To lend the lamp strength for play, you may glue a cardboard collar around the parts connecting the shade to the bottle neck. Add additional glue to the inside of the collar. 
4. Decoupage the base of the lamp with a patterned or solid paper. Cover the shade with cloth, paper or cupcake liner for a decorative detail. 
5. I also added faux lampshade fittings to the top of the shade to give these little doll lamps added realistic details. See the directions above.

Sculpt a Stone Faced Fireplace for a 12" Doll's House

The finished stone faced fireplace
 for a twelve inch fashion doll.

         Craft a luxurious, faux stone fireplace for a Barbie or a Fashionista by combining both sculpted faux rocks for the face and mosaic stone pebbles for the floor beneath. 

       The logs are cut from small tree branches and the mantel is made from a piece of scrap, stained wood. 

       Like our other doll fireplaces, this one is free-standing so that it may be stored separately from a dollhouse and also displayed in any room that it's child owner would like to arrange it in. We decided to paint this fireplace with a white/cream colored faux stone because our American Girl Doll fireplaces are grey and brick. 

 

Supply List:

• heavy cardboard and shallow box
• masking tape
• grout
• scrap wood for the mantel
• twigs and (tree branch perhaps)
• Sculpey
• wood glue
• hot glue gun and hot glue
  
• small stone pebbles
• paper mache pulp
• acrylic paints in earth tones
• acrylic clear sealer
• river pebbles  

The box is cut to size and masked.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First cut a shallow box to scale and then cut from it an opening for the logs to go in the fireplace. 
2. Glue this box onto a floor surface.
3. Cut a nice decorative piece of wood for the mantle, stain it and glue this onto the top of the fireplace.
4. Cover all of the cardboard surfaces with masking tape, including the inside of the fireplace.
5. Prepare the paper mach pulp according to the packages directions. 
6. Layer approx. 1/2" inside the cavity cut from the fireplace.
7. Grout the floor base of the fireplace and push small river pebbles into the grout with a bit of glue on the bottom of each. Let this grout harden overnight.
8. Use a pebble mold to help create the texture for the fireplace if you have one. If not, simple roll out many stones and layer these onto a cookie sheet in order to sculpt the stone faced fireplace. Cut these tiles into square sheets approx. 2" square.
9. Bake the Sculpey as directed. Then glue these stone "tiles directly onto the fireplace. It's o.k. to leave gaps.
10. Roll small smaller stones with the clay and bake them. Then hot glue these "faux" rocks into the gaps between the faux rock tiles. See photos for details below.
11. Now use a small dry brush to work color into the walls of your doll fireplace, alternating five different colors as you go. I chose: ivory, grey, tan, black and white.
12. After all the paint has dried, seal the surfaces of your fireplace with clear acrylic varnish. 

The sculpted fireplace unpainted.

Far left, base coat of grey for the grouted areas. Middle painted details. Right, finished 
firebox interior with blackened wall where smoke from pretend fires has left a bit of soot.

More Barbie Fireplace Crafts From The Web:

1. How to make a fireplace for Barbie from Styrofoam from DIY For Dolls
2. DIY Miniature Dollhouse Fireplace using cardboard and paper mosaic technique

Barbie's Bohemian Patchwork Sofa

       This is probably the simplest method I have ever used to make a doll sofa. Essentially, this style of sofa is made by  upholstering a box and attaching one large stuffed pillow to the top with hot glue. Depending upon the materials used, this doll seating can be made to look formal or informal. In this example, I used a patchwork quilt top for the back and sides of the sofa and covered the bottom with a soft navy wool. I would describe this look to be kind of a"Bohemian Patchwork Design."

Little Chelsea and Friends Dolls romp on the sofa with 

their pet dog, Beanie. Next to them is a bolster pillow with

added floral tatting applied to each end. I used tatting 

scraps from an old recycled sweater for this decorative 

application. But you can find many free tatting pattern 

on the web and learn to knit details like these on your own.

Supply List:

• fabric scraps cut up into small squares
• needle and threads
• lace and lacy needlework scraps
• cotton batting - both a sheet and stuffing
• solid colored fabric for sofa's seat
• cardboard box
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• masking tape
• decorative buttons
• four beads for sofa feet or a smaller box
• tacky white glue
• faux wood grain paper
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Wrap a small box of your own choice with a sheet of cotton batting. Use a bit of hot glue to hold the sheet in place so that it doesn't move while you are folding and tucking fabric around the box on top of the batting. 
2. After wrapping the bottom of the "couch" with fabric and tacking it down with hot glue, use a threaded needle with matching thread to neatly sew the sides and corners together around the box. I used an invisible stitch to hide my stitches.
3. To make the upper cushion of our sofa, cut 1"x1" squares of fabric and sew these back together, matching up the sides and corners to create an overall pleasing checkered, patchwork rectangle measuring the length and two sides of your wrapped box. 
4. Fold and sew the right sides together down the length of the fabric and across one shorter end.
5. Turn the fabric inside out and stuff with cotton batting.
6. Turn inside 1/4" of the remaining short end and sew the last opening closed using a whip stitch.
7. You may add details to the patchwork sofa cushion such as buttons or embroidery stitching. 
8. Now hot glue the patchwork pillow top to the top of the upholstered sofa box in a "C" shape around the two shorter ends and along one long side of the box.
9. I then attached a smaller cardboard box to the bottom of the doll sofa to act as the footed section of upholstered sofa. 
10. I glued a wood grained paper to the outside edge of the box. You may choose to glue on beads for the feet of the sofa instead. The box sofa may not need the added height given by gluing on "feet"; this is a matter of preference.
11. You can make additional small, decorative pillows using scrap fabrics and laces. I used a velvety purple fabric scrap for one pillow adding a turquoise colored button and a bit of lace for accents. 
12. Then I cut a tiny rectangular piece of green faux fur and sew together the two shorter ends. Turning this inside out, stuffing and sewing two coin shaped ends to either side of this tiny tube, in order to finish the tiny, doll sized bolster pillow.

Left patchwork squares, Center, quilt blocks hand sewn together, Right the backside of
 patchwork.

Patchwork details, buttons and stitching.

The doll sized bolster pillow in progressive steps.

Left the front of the sofa with pillows, Center, the backside of the couch,
Right without pillows.

Our dolls have fun playing on their new quilted doll sofa.

More Doll Sofas:

• Make doll sofa from a tissue box for Barbie and Blythe
• How to make a Barbie couch by A Girl and a Glue Gun
• Easy DIY Barbie Couch

Craft Barbie Sized Chairs:

• DIY an Upholstered Tweed Armchair
• How to make a faux leather club chair...

Craft Contemporary Farmhouse Doll Tables

       Our sample doll living room is decorated with an eclectic mix of contemporary and country furnishings, a modern farmhouse look. Below I give brief descriptions of how two of the tables were constructed from cardboard boxes and popsicle sticks. Any number of style variations may be put together with the following craft supplies, whether you choose to copy our doll furnishings or alter them to please yourself in unique ways; the supplies should be considered necessary for general use in projects such as these.

• See the blending of contemporary and country styles 
• How to Decorate Like Joanna Gaines
• A Look Inside Our Farmhouse

Craft a Sofa Table

To finish this table, I painted the popsicle sticks with a warm white ivory color. Then a covered every surface with
white glue to seal the finishes and keep them clean. There are also two faux drawers on one side with tiny silver
buttons to suggest drawer pulls.

       Sofa tables are similar to Pembroke tables and usually have longer and narrower tops. They were specifically designed for placement directly in front of sofas for serving tea, writing, dining, or other convenient uses. A sofa table may also be a tall, narrow table used behind a sofa to hold lamps or decorative objects.

• Craft a 1960s version of a Mid-Century Modern sofa table - it comes with a template

Photos of our farmhouse sofa table in progress. The top is made
 from popsicle sticks glued to the cardboard surface. The rest of the
 table was then decoupaged with white/grey woodgrain
 scrapbook paper.

Supply List:

• popsicle sticks
• small cardboard boxes
• Elmer's school glue
• masking tape
• decorative paper
• acrylic paints - ivory
• Mod Podge (optional)
• tiny silver buttons for drawer pulls

Craft a T. V. Stand or Cabinet

The cabinets here are only decorative. They are glued directly onto the front of our box using the same simple
 steps we used when crafting the sofa table above. The modern looking doll T.V. sits directly on the top of this
 cabinet. Eventually, we will craft a movie player for it's interior. The faux doors were finished with an ivory paint 
wash, justas the sofa table top, to make the surfaces look rustic. The cabinet door handles are matching silver
 buttons to those drawer pulls used on the sofa table.

       A cabinet is a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (solid or with veneers or artificial surfaces), coated steel (common for medicine cabinets), or synthetic materials. Commercial grade cabinets, which differ in the materials used, are called casework, casegoods, or case furniture.
       Cabinets usually have one or more doors on the front, which are mounted with door hardware, and occasionally a lock. Cabinets may have one or more doors, drawers, and/or shelves. Short cabinets often have a finished surface on top that can be used for display, or as a working surface, such as the countertops found in kitchens.

You can see here that I am checking to make sure that the sizes of both the cabinet and television work
 well together.You can make furniture like this quite simply from a few, basic recycled waste materials like
 cardboard, paper and tape.

On the far left, is the backside showing how I made the T.V. stand upright. Beneath it is the cover for the front
 of the television. Center is the cabinet in progress. Far Right, a closeup of the faux cabinet doors.

The finished television set is made from cardboard and 
paper in much the same way that we made a T.V. from
 craft foam.

Craft a Television (T. V.)

       Television (TV), sometimes shortened to tele or telly, is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting moving images in monochrome (black and white), or in color, and in two or three dimensions and sound. The term can refer to a television set, a television show, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, news, and sports.

       Our paper television sample is made to fit standard sized postcards (5"x7") so that the dolls may view places they have visited along with their human companions on vacation. 

• An earlier T. V. craft made with black craft foam

More Tips For Working With Cardboard Boxes:

1. Use small amounts of glue and clamps when possible. The use of too much glue will cause the cardboard to warp.
2. Reinforce corners with masking tape if you intend to decoupage the cardboard furniture. This will make your projects hold up with play and also support heavier dolls if needed.
3. Double up walls of cardboard furniture to add strength.
4. Begin projects using boxes that are proportional to the size of your doll. This makes the project seem easier to a novice crafter (child) than beginning from scratch. 

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