Paint a bur acorn to look like a blue Hubbard squash!

Hand painted bur oak acorns dried and painted to look like
baked Blue Hubbard squash. See index for more cooked
doll foods to craft.

        Where I live there are all kinds of oak trees growing within blocks of each other. But, the finest one of them all is the Bur Oak. It's acorn seeds are simply magnificent! These are the largest acorns of any North American oak. But what do these acorns share in common with Hubbard squash? This craft project, that's what.
       It just so happens that dried bur oak acorns look exactly like blue Hubbard squash when dried and painted for our 18'' doll larder. These acorns are edible, but I am not so very interested in their taste as much as I am interested in drying these properly for crafts. 

• If you wish to try eating bur acorns as the native people still do read about this here.
• Here is an article about crafting with nuts at our Christmas blog.
• I have crafted using this nut before... click here to learn how to make Coconut Drinks for your 18'' dolls using bur acorn parts here.
• See our other squash crafts made to enlarge our doll's vegetable stand set here.
  

These giant bur oak acorns have been drying-out in a cupboard drawer for two years.
The outer husks with furry edges will be saved for a future craft as well as the tough shell
 of the inner nut meat. This time, I painted the dehydrated nutmeat of this bur oak acorn.

Left, you can see the texture of the nut's outside skin looks just like blue Hubbard squash,
 once it has been painted over with a dry brush and several acrylic paint colors: a bluish
 green, tan, and a much lighter tinted tan color. Right are the rich golden insides of the
nut painted and sealed with several layers of Mod Podge.

A raw blue hubbard squash cut open. The
seeds and pulp must be removed before 
baking the squash in the oven.

      "Hubbard squash usually has a tear-drop shape and is often used as a replacement for pumpkins in cooking. According to one source, the name comes from Bela Hubbard, settler of Randolph Township, Ohio, in the Connecticut Western Reserve. Other sources conclude that this variety came to Marblehead, Massachusetts via Captain Knott Martin where Elizabeth Hubbard brought it to the attention of her neighbor, a seed trader named James J. H. Gregory. Gregory subsequently introduced it to the market using Hubbard as the eponym. Gregory later bred and released the Blue Hubbard, a variety with bluish-gray skin. Another variety, the Golden Hubbard, has a bright orange skin. Gregory advertisements for Hubbard squash had begun by 1859.The Hubbard squash, including questions regarding the name, is the subject of a children's ditty, "Raising Hubbard Squash in Vermont". More about Cultivar squashes here...

DIY Doll Farmer's Market Stand

Above is our families Farmer's Market Play Set. The rocker was handcrafted using cedar.
I do not know who made this; it was purchased at resale. At the stall is also a real mini
scale and doll sized calculator that we use to add up the cost of the produce.  

 

        I honestly think this doll market set is more adorable than those sold in toy stores today. Which is a good thing, given the prices toy companies charge for them. Most all of the fruits and veggies shown on this post  were made by hand using Sculpey and then painted using acrylics. The cast iron stand and rocker were purchased at a flee market.  

"An abundance and great variety of vegetables and fresh green lettuces are flooding our
 doll's farmer's market. Fine homegrown corn and peppers for roasting are just a few our
 featured vegetables on display."

"Soon a delectable crop of peaches will arrive and every doll knows how marvelous
these taste with homemade ice cream during the summer months."

"Don't forget our berries make the very best fruit preserves for canning and no doll's
breakfast table should lack for blue berries served on top of their morning cereal!"

Our dolls market stall made from recycled crates.

 

     I've included from our crafted vegetable and fruit selections, the typical food items sold at a Mid-Western farmer's market during the summer months of June, July and August in the United States.  If you live abroad or in a Southern state or on an island, the selections you might include in your own toy market could look quite different from ours!

Edible Family Groups at Our Farmer's Market: veggies, fruit, nuts, legumes, herbs, grains, etc...

1. Rose - Peach, Apricot, Nectarine, Apple, Pear
2. Mustard - Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels sprout, Cabbage, Bok choy, Radish, Turnip, Red cabbage, Mustard greens
3. Lily/Onion - Asparagus, Onion, Garlic, Leek, Green Onion
4. Nightshade/Potato - Tomato, Potato, Sweet potato, Peppers (all varieties)
5. Cucumber/Melon - Cucumber, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Squash, Chayote
6. Carrot - Carrots, Parsnips, Celery, Cilantro, Coriander, Fennel, Anise, Caraway
7. Sunflower/Daisy - Artichoke, Lettuce, Sunflower
8. Legume - Beans, Peas, Bean sprouts, Snow pea, Lentil, Jicama, Peanuts
9. Goosefoot/Beetroot - Swiss chard, Spinach, Beets
10. Palm (tags) - Coconut, Dates
11. Mallows - Okra
12. Zingiberaceae- Ginger root, Turmeric, Cardamon, Galangal
13. Rhubarb - Rhubarb root

Left, heritage tomatoes. Center, chip wood baskets full of berries etc... Right, fresh basil.

Left, the Swiss Chard, mushrooms and butternut squash. 
Center, three kinds of potatoes: sweet, red and Idaho.
Right are the giant shallots.

Left, details of pears. Right, details of cauliflowers.

Left, one of our larger doll crates made using big tongue depressors. Right,
the watermelons are painted wooden eggs.

Left the sign details up-close. Right, the back side of our market sign left unfinished
for now... Wew! we are tired!

 Additional Crafts for The Doll's Farmer's Market:

1. How to Craft Crates for a Doll's Farmer's Market Booth
2. Building an 18" Doll's Wooden Market Stall/Booth
3. Faux Chipwood Market Baskets for Fruits and Veggies
4. Antique honey jar labels for your farmer's market product...
5. Printable garden clip art for more signs if you need it....
6. Printable Garden Seed Packs for Dolls
7. Sculpting and painting a rainbow of farm fresh eggs!
8. Craft crates for your doll's market produce and make them look fuller with a crate lid transformation.

We had so many fruits and vegetables to play with that we needed extra tables! See
how to make the larger one in the back here.

  More Market Stalls for Dolls:

• DIY American Girl Farmers Market Stand
• Visit The Farmers Market (Our Mini Harvest) by Doll It Up
• Our Generation - farmer's market and hot chocolate review
• Lea's Fruit Stand Review
• Kit's new garden accessories from American Girl
• A review of American Girl's garden accessories for Kit by Rave & Review
• Doll Artichokes and many more veggies from My Sewing Kit 

What's cool about the farmers market? by Foodwise

More About Farmer's Markets:

• Healthy eating for kids by Oliver and Lucas
• From the field to the farmers market
• Food, Plants and You! - articles about food for kids

Watch more dolls go to market at YouTube:

• American Girl Doll Opens My Life As Farmers Market 

"On the way to our farmer's market."

Food Oils From Plants

Olive oil is a favorite in the West.

       You are familiar with odors from plants‚ the sweet fragrance of roses, the spicy odor of geranium leaves, and the strong odor of onions. Many of these plant odors are caused by oils in the plants, and some of these oils are important sources of foods.

       Throughout history all over the world vegetable oils have been removed from plants to serve in many ways. Many of the oils are important foods: for example, the oils that are used for cooking, for salad and vegetable dressings, and for packing canned fish. Some vegetable oils serve as medicines; many children know from experience the oil that comes from the castor bean. Some oils, including the few that cannot be eaten, are used in making soap, paint, perfume, fuel, and candles.

       The growing plant manufactures extra food, and some of this is stored as fats and oils. Oils are found in most parts of most plants, but certain fruits and seeds contain especially large amounts. Some of the world's most popular oils are from the seeds of the poppy, soybeans, corn, cotton, peanuts, coconuts, and olives.

       An old and crude method of removing oil from plants is to pile the parts containing the oils in the sun. The heat causes the oils to separate and run off. This method is still used in some parts of the world.

       In the western world the best-known and oldest vegetable oil is olive oil. In ancient times the olive was so important in the areas around the Mediterranean Sea that the olive branch became the symbol of peace and plenty. For many people olive oil still takes the place of butter and animal fats, as in Spain and Italy, which produce more olives than all the rest of the world.

       The coconut palm tree of the tropics has an almost endless number of uses. Copra, the dried coconut meat, is rich in oil. Undoubtedly as long as human beings have lived where the coconut palm grows, the oil has been extracted and used for food and body oils. In world commerce, coconut oil is used chiefly in manufacturing soap and margarine.

       Just as olive oil in the Mediterranean regions and coconut oil in the tropics are staple articles of diet, so are other vegetable oils elsewhere. Examples are soybean oil in Manchuria, palm oil in West Africa, and babassu oil in the jungles of Brazil.

       In the United States by far the largest source of vegetable oils is the cotton plant. Years ago seeds removed from the raw cotton were piled up in dumps until they became a health menace and laws had to be passed to have them destroyed. After a method was developed for extracting the oil from the seeds more and more uses were found for it, until now enough is made to supply over ten pounds of oil a year to every man, woman, and child in the country. The meal remaining after the oil is removed from the seeds is an important food for livestock. From peanuts, too, comes a useful oil. Peanut oil is used in shortening and other foods as well as for lubricating everything from fine watches to heavy tractor motors.

       We no longer have to travel around the world to see these oil-giving plants. Most of them have been introduced and are now grown in the United States.

Back To The Index

• Selecting the right cooking oil...
• 10 Best Cooking Oils for Good Health
• 6 Healthy Salad Dressings

Cereals Not Just For Breakfast

Romans harvesting grain with their horse or mule.

       In the summer a visitor to our great plains states marvels at the miles of golden grain fields gently rippling in the breeze. This is more than just a beautiful sight, for these acres and acres of grains are vital to people all over the world. The important grains are corn, wheat, rice, barley, rye, and oats. Cereal grains are used in countless products, but only a very small percentage of the world's supply of cereal grains is consumed as breakfast foods.

       Cereals are members of the large family of flowering plants that we call grasses. We eat the seeds, which have unusually high food values. Different cereals grow under many different soil and weather conditions. From the tropics to the Arctic Circle, from sea level to high mountains, different cereal grains have found suitable growing conditions and have become the major part of the local diet. Almost the only people of the world who now lack staple cereal grains are those of the islands of the Pacific. There the coconut palm and other tropical foods take the place of cereal grains on native menus.

       The most truly American cereal is corn, for it originated in the Americas, and most of it is raised in the Americas. The staples of the Indians and pioneers were foods prepared from corn‚hominy, corn-meal mush, corn pone, and others. The task of husking corn was accompanied with contests, games, and much fun, so that corn-husking became a community project of early United States.

       A few of the many kinds of corn are popcorn with its tough outer coat over the kernel, sweet corn that we eat on the cob or from the can, and the corn that is used as fodder. Most corn is used as food for livestock right on the farm where it is grown. The corn crop of the United States is greater in volume and value than the combined crops of wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice, and buckwheat. Corn is used in more products than any other cereal. Different parts of the plant are used for everything from corn meal to mattress stuffing and fuel.

       Wheat is the most important cereal of the Old World temperate regions today, just as it was in ancient times. White bread, the world's most popular bread, is made from wheat flour. Rice, the Asian ''staff of life,'' is the main food of more than half the world's population. However, because it is almost pure starch and not a complete food, the rice diet of the Asiatics is often supplemented with more nourishing soybeans.

       Barley, man's oldest cereal, is a very hardy plant. It is grown nearly to the Arctic Circle, and much of it is produced in countries like Russia. Centuries ago barley was the chief source of bread flour. Now its chief uses are as food for livestock, breakfast foods, and malt. Rye grows well in soils too poor and climates too cold for other cereals. Its black bread has long been the principal food of Central Europe.

       The cereal with the greatest food value is oats. Although it is made into oatmeal and other breakfast foods, most of it is used as food for livestock. Sorghum and millet are names used for a number of grains from different parts of the world. The sweet sorghum of southern United States is used for fodder and syrup.

Back To The Index

• How modern breakfast cereal was invented
• How Rice Becomes Rice Krispies
• From Oats to O's

Fruits and Vegetables

        Fruits, as well as vegetables, have been important in man's diet since the beginning of civilization. What is a fruit? Generally speaking, a fruit is that part of a plant that bears seeds. There are three kinds of fruits: (1) fleshy fruits, which have their seeds in the pulp (apples, oranges, cucumbers); (2) stone fruits, which contain pits or stones (plums, cherries, peaches); and (3) dry fruits (beans, nuts).

       Fruits are found growing all over the world. All fruits, however, are not used in the same way. To  the people of the tropics, the banana, fig, coconut, date, and breadfruit are staple articles of food. These fruits are nourishing because they contain much protein. They are used as substitutes for meat and other protein foods.

Produce market in Spain.

       The apple is the most popular of fruits and has been cultivated from prehistoric times. No other fruit is found growing over as great an area as the apple. The United States is the greatest apple-producing country of the world, with the state of Washington leading all other states in output. The apple tree is hardy. It is able to grow in many different climates and in many kinds of soil. Its fruit has good keeping qualities.

       Second to the apple in popularity is the orange, with its relatives, the lemon, lime, and grapefruit. These citrus fruits are tropical plants; yet the United States leads the world in citrus fruit production. All citrus fruits have thick oily rinds that are bright orange or yellow in color. Citrus fruits are extremely sensitive to frost. Vitamin C, found in all citrus fruits, is valuable in preventing and treating colds.

       What is a vegetable? Frequently we use the word vegetable‚ in place of the word plant‚ for example, vegetable kingdom. Vegetables may be any part of the plant: the leaf stalk (rhubarb, celery), the leaves (spinach, lettuce, cabbage), or the root (carrots, beets, radishes). The root vegetables are especially high in energy value.

       The onion is one of the most widely used of vegetables. Although it neither looks nor smells like the Easter lily, the onion is closely related to it. The people of ancient China and India enjoyed the onion's pungent taste just as we do today and served onions both raw and cooked. Closely related to the onion and used for the same purpose are garlic, leeks, shallots, and chives.

       Some plant parts, such as peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squashes, and avocados, are popularly known as vegetables although they are really true fruits. These fruit vegetables are used in salad dishes and main-course dishes. Probably the most popular of these foods is the tomato. Once known as the love apple, the tomato was long considered poisonous and was grown only for ornamental purposes. When people learned that the tomato was not poisonous it became very popular. Today, tomatoes are used in a greater variety of ways than any other vegetable.

       Vegetables are particularly nutritious because of their high vitamin and mineral content. Vitamins and minerals are substances found in many foods. They are necessary for the normal functioning of the body as well as for the development of sound teeth, bones, and other structures. The greater part of many vegetables is made up of water and much smaller amounts of sugar and starch. Because vegetables contain so much water they are sensitive to weather changes and tend to spoil easily.

       Fruits and green vegetables should have a place in every meal. Not only are these foods valuable in furnishing one's body with vitamins and minerals but they also give back much of the water lost through perspiration. 

Back To The Index

Fruits vs Veggies by 2 Minute Classroom.

How To Cook for A Doll

 

       Are you interested in crafting and collecting doll foods for your dolls? Well, a doll's got to eat doesn't she? Here you will find all kinds of posts about "cooking" that special breakfast, lunch or dinner for your dolls. This index is reserved for everyday cooking for the most part. Visit our holiday listings to find more dishes and doll foods for festive occasions. 

Prepared, Displayed Foods for Dolls: See groceries here. and Food, Plants and You! - articles about food for kids

1. Mini Breakfast Skillet for Dolls 10 - 12 inches - Made with a bottle cap and wooden tongue depressor.
2. Sew a Stack of Felt Pancakes - and attach them to a paper plate...
3. Craft Doll Sized Cookie Sheets and Sugar Cookies  - Every doll sized kitchen needs cookie sheets.
4. DIY Miniature Vegetable Salads - Easy to make using craft foam.
5. Make Miniature S'mores - For your doll's family fun night or a sleepover or camp...
6. DIY Movie Theater Popcorn for Dolls - Take your dolls to a movie and make them these cute little accessories to play with.
7. Doll Gingerbread Hornbook Craft  - A true Colonial craft made with faux gingerbread!
8. Craft a Foam Pumpkin Pie - made with craft foam
9. Scrap Fabric Pumpkin Pie - The whipped cream is made using old lace, the pie from layered fancy orange fabrics!
10. Oven Bake Clay Pumpkin Pie - This doll sized pie, plus individual wedges looks too good to eat!
11. DIY a Clay Pecan Pie for American Girl Dolls - For a sophisticated doll palette, eat this Southern, nutty treat any day of the week.
12. DIY Doll Sized Jiffy Pop - Looks just like real Jiffy Pop! AG size
13. Craft Spaghetti and Meatballs for Your Dolls - made with twine, beads and acrylic paints
14. Veggie, Chips and Cheese Trays for Doll Parties - two part craft for trays and appetizers
15. Craft oysters on the half-shell for a doll's party - make these raw and serve with lemon wedges or cooked with a colorful "Oysters Rockefeller Sauce" your dolls will love it!
16. Leafy Green Salads for AG Doll Dinners - Greek and Spinach varies made using oven bake clay
17. The doll's Full English breakfast... - Clay doll sized breakfast from England for American Girls dolls
18. Craft doll sized deviled eggs - serve up this unique food craft at a doll's party anytime! 
19. Dolls can grab a bagel to go - sculpt these whole or in halves, top them with avocado or cream cheese...
    
20. Sculpt French toast for a dolly's breakfast! - Just the right size for American Girl dolls, this French toast craft is topped with strawberry syrup and a served with a bowl of puff cereal on the side.
21. Our Top 10 Mini Pizzas for Dolls - Made using a variety of mixed media, these delectable pizzas look good enough to really eat!
22. English muffins for a delicious doll breakfast - Avocados, smoked salmon and one runny egg served in a stack along with a small dish of grape jelly and English muffins.
23. Craft an easy melon ball salad for your dolls... - cute watermelon bowl and mixed fruit salad from Styrofoam art materials
24. How to make Dutch Crunch Doll Bread - Learn to craft this unique bread loaf using papier-mâché and cork.
25. Make a lemon flavored Bunt cake - simply delectable looking!
26. How to make single servings of doll foods... - these servings may be individually plated
27. Sculpt Shish kebab for your doll's grill... - pineapple, lemon, tomato, jumbo shrimp
    
28. Paint a bur acorn to look like a blue Hubbard squash! - again, more to craft with bur acorns...

Prepared Beverages for Dolls:

1. Assemble Italian Spumone Sodas - using Communion cups and pom-poms
2. Coconut Milk Drinks for A Hawaiian Luau Party - You'll need walnut husks for this unique looking little doll accessory.
3. Craft Cups of Hot Cocoa - This version uses actual doll porcelain cups and saucers.
4. How to fill doll goblets with a permanent resin 'beverage...' - adult craft only
5. DIY 8 Malted Milkshakes for Dolls - printable malted milkshake display too!
6. How to craft a coffee maker, pot and grinder for your doll's kitchen

DIY Doll's Food Displays: 

1. Craft a Cupcake Stand Using Wooden Spools - A lovely way to display all those festive cupcakes your doll dreams of eating.
   
2. Transform a Curio Cabinet for Barbie - Feature your Barbie doll's favorite china in a curio display.
   
3. Distressing a Sideboard or Buffet for Barbie & Family - Furnish a Barbie dollhouse with a place for her to show off all her cooking skills!
   
4. Elegant Bird Printed China for Dolls - This set of bone china by K & A Krautheim Selb Bavaria Germany
5. Doll Sized Fruity Porcelain Plates - and hand sculpted porcelain bowl of fruit thus far...
6. Blue and White Chinaware for Dolls - plus printable Blue Willow Plates, including the legend about the printed transferware...
   
7. Crafting a Herb & Spice Collection for AG or other 18" Dolls - This includes a spice label printable for tiny jars.

Craft & Collect Your Doll's Dishes, Bakeware:

1. DIY Decoupage Dish Craft - Transform child size dishes using a decoupage technique.
2. Shape and Decoupage Coffee Mugs for Your Dolls - Made from cardboard tubes and fancy scrapbook papers.
3. Craft Jams & Jellies for A Pretend Kitchen - Save up tiny baby food jars to make these adorable, child size pantry goods.
4. DIY Cardboard Plates for 18" Dolls - Paper plates may be fashioned into any theme for doll holidays and special occasions.
5. Make Doll School Cafeteria Lunch Trays - It's back-to-school again with hot lunch trays for dolls.
6. Floral Printables for Dollhouse Dishes - Use this printable to decorate with decoupage or to make cardboard dishes from scratch!
7. Decoupage a Spool Canister Set - This version made from wooden spools for Our Generation Diner.
8. Cut, shape and paint doll sized silverware... - A cardboard version, for older children to craft, pattern included
9. Make a few trivets for a doll's kitchen - trivets to protect tables and counters from hot dishes in your doll's kitchen
10. Decoupage recycled coasters into dinner plates... - upcycled plastic coasters into 18" doll dinnerware
    
11. Learn to craft cooking pots, pans and skillets - for the doll's stove top
12. Pottery and cookware for pioneer doll kitchens
13. 3 Printable Doll Dish Patterns - Old European, Persian Rose, or Spinning Star Pattern
14. How to sculpt a doll piping bag for cake decorating...
15. DIY an AG doll outdoor grill... - made using a salt box and cute plastic compass
16. How to Craft 18" Doll Casserole Dishes - samples corn bread and brownies 
17. Craft a cake stand for a doll using a plastic wine glass... - adult supervision and/or help
18. Craft a vintage toaster to stand on your doll's kitchen counter or island - two style examples are shown
    
19. How to Make Utensils for Your Doll's Kitchen - includes: potato masher, whisk, types of spatulas, kitchen knives and tongs
20. Make a loaf pan for your doll's kitchen - She will need one to make lovely, shaped bread loaves for the dollhouse kitchen pantry and table...
    
21. Blue Rose China Pattern Printables - both large and small sizes for dinner plates and desert or salad plates
22. Paper mirrored serving trays for doll parties...

Interesting Video About Crafting Sampuru:

• Fake Food, Real Art: Crafting Display Delicacies
• Sampuru: The art of Japanese Food Replicas
• Japan's Fake Food by CNA Insider
• Japanese fake food samples!

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.

Fishermen and Farmers of Hawaii

Man with a Yoke Carrying Taro 
by Joseph Strong, oil on canvas board,
1880, Honolulu Museum of Art.
Taro, or Hawaiian kalo, was one of
the primary staples in Ancient Hawaii.

        Out of the southwest Pacific long ago sailed great wooden canoes carrying explorers and their families who had left their island homeland and were looking for new islands where they could live. The men paddled the big boats and the wind filled out the matting sails shaped like lobsters' claws.

       These explorers finally settled on a little group of islands which they named “Hawaii” after the land from which they had come. Their new home had high mountains with wooded slopes, and green valleys with clear streams. White-capped waves lapped on the beaches of sand and coral.

       The men and boys spent much time fishing. They used round nets with little stone weights around the edges, or sometimes they stood on the rocks and speared fish, or sat and dangled a line with a gleaming shell hook on the end. The octopus could be caught by poking a stick into its cave under the water. It would wrap its arms around the stick and then could be easily pulled from its den. These seafoods and the pigs and chickens that the people raised provided plenty of meat.

       The explorers had brought with them and planted seeds and roots of sweet potatoes, yams, taro, bananas, breadfruit, and coconuts. To make “poi,” the main food of the Hawaiians, taro roots were steamed until they were soft and then were pounded into a mash. This was fermented, thinned out with water, and served in a polished wooden bowl. The people dipped their fingers into the sticky “poi” and then neatly licked them clean. Breadfruit, roasted and peeled, tasted like fresh bread. The milk of coconuts made a refreshing drink, and the grated meat mixed with water was strained to make a creamy sauce for fish.

       The men cooked the food in big ovens dug in the ground. The meat or vegetables, wrapped in large green leaves, were put in the hole, covered with hot coals and earth, and left until they were well baked. The meal was served in wooden platters and bowls, or in dishes made of coconut shells or gourds. The people ate in the front yard, sitting on woven mats in front of a table of green leaves spread on the ground.

       The climate was so warm and sunny that they wore very few clothes, just loincloths or short skirts made of leaves or of tapa cloth. They made tapa from the inner bark of young paper mulberry trees, soaked until it was soft. With sticks they beat the bark into sheets and then painted designs on them. The chiefs and noble people wore wonderful mantles made of hundreds of yellow and red feathers. On the beaches were shells which could be strung into necklaces. Bright feathers or sweet-smelling flowers were made into bracelets and necklaces, called “leis.”

       The people were out of doors most of the day and the square one-room house was usually used just for a place to sleep. The walls and roof were covered with grass. There were no windows at all and the doorway was so small that grown people had to bend over to go through it. The one big room was quite bare except for a wooden platform on which woven mats were spread for beds. There was little light in the room, but often the people burned oily candle-nuts threaded on a string or a twig, or used stone lamps with candle-nut oil and tapa wicks.

       Everyone knew how to swim and often there were swimming races and fancy diving. One of the favorite sports was surfboard riding. The riders pushed their long thin boards out through the breaking waves, then, standing on the board, rode in to shore on the crest of a great breaker. Sometimes whole teams of riders raced to shore in this manner, or they had races in wooden dugout canoes. The Hawaiians liked to bowl with round stones and sometimes they slid down the grassy hills on wooden sleds.

       There were dances, called “hulas,” where trained dancers acted out stories, singing as they danced. These were the stories of long ago, of the gods and heroes, and of the origin of the people. The older people sat on the sidelines playing wooden or gourd drums and singing the chorus of the songs.

       But all this life has changed. Since 1778, when Captain Cook and his followers landed on the Hawaiian Islands, more and more people have gone there to live—Americans and English, Spanish and Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. All have brought their customs and ways of living to the islands and the Hawaiian natives have adopted many of these ways and given up some of their old ones. Elizabeth McM. Hambleton

Fishing and Eating Like Ancient Hawaiians.

Doll Groceries for Craft and Play

Just a few of the crafts included in our grocery index for doll play.

       A grocery store in North America, or a grocer or grocery shop in the United Kingdom, is a store primarily engaged in retailing a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, and is not used to refer to other types of stores that sell groceries. In the UK, shops that sell food are distinguished as grocers or grocery shops, though in everyday use, people usually use either the term "supermarket" or, for a smaller type of store that sells groceries, a "corner shop" or "convenience shop". 

       Under this index we will list both grocery items and playsets for your dolls. Some of these posts are of things we have collected and some are of things we have made. Grocery storage such as kitchen refrigerators and pantries, plus fruit/veggie stands are also included among our artifacts.

• Cooked Pretend Food Crafts are Located Here.
• Food, Plants and You! - articles about food for kids

Groceries for You To Craft or Collect For Your Dolls:

1. Sculpt Luncheon Meats and Cheese - These 18" doll trays are 3 dimensional and so fun to make they remind me of of the Lunchables our kids used to take to school...
2. Newsprint Cinnamon Buns - These delicious looking sweet buns made to fit our doll's oven; these also come with a recycled tin container.
3. Chenille Stem Lollipops - Kids love to bend these furry craft wires into all kinds of shapes. Here is an easy lollipop craft they can give to their American Girl dolls.
4. Make faux rock candy for your dolls...  - These doll treats are made using tribeads.
5. Soft Braided Pretzels - This salty treat looks to real! 
6. DIY Doll Sized Jiffy Pop! - A fun craft made with Dollar Store art supplies and tinfoil. 
7. DIY Durable Boxed Foods for Play - Learn to layer and paste cardboard to make doll food crafts that won't breakdown with rough play.
8. Sculpt Paper Mache Pumpkins - are easy to sculpt and paint for Fall
   
9. Coconut Drinks for 18" Dolls - made from walnut husks look just like real coconuts in miniature!
10. DIY Cotton Batting Carrots With Feather Tops - A very old-fashioned craft; your great grandmother probably made these for her Easter Egg Tree!
11. Craft Candy Bars for Your Dolls - More printable crafts for a doll's sweet tooth...
12. DIY Doll Sized Candy Apples - We made ours using turned wooden parts.
13. Craft Cotton Candy for A Doll - Be on the lookout for pastel shaded cotton for this craft. It is frequently sold at Dollar General during the Easter Holiday Season.
14. Craft contemporary doll groceries using ads and coupons - Hostess cakes, Snowballs, Twinkies, Bird's Eye frozen veggies, Chips Ahoy, Famous Amos Cookies etc...
15. DIY Basmati Rice for American Girl Dolls - recycle, cut and sew smaller versions of burlap rice bags for your doll's kitchen or restaurant.
16. Bread Loaves Sewn from Socks - learn to reverse applique for this project...
17. How to make pasta boxes for a doll pantry - These have tiny windows and sculpted, oven-bake pasta inside each one!
18. DIY Doll's Farmer's Market Stand - Fresh Summer fruits and vegetable for doll play and display. (These varieties are typically found in the Mid-Western U.S.)
19. How to craft white sugar bags for a doll's pantry or store shelves
    
20. DIY Doll Dairy for Play - See how I made milk containers, butter sticks and cheeses.

Doll Sized Grocery Related Playsets: Crafts and Reviews:

• How I Restored An "Our Generation Gourmet Kitchen Set"
• Build a Market Booth for Your 18" Dolls

Food Related Crafts for Child Sized Play Kitchens:

1. Craft Jams & Jellies For A Pretend Kitchen - You will need to collect baby food jars for this craft.
2. Papier-mâché Two Delicious Pretend Pies! - yum, these are so adorable.
3. Crafting burlap coffee bean bags and purchasing a burr mill... - an easy beginner sewing project
4. Crush and Craft Pretend Potatoes - a student's first introduction to paper mache craft...
5. How to sew a gathered canopy for a child's market stall - dressing the nursery furniture to match your child's decor
6. Chalkpaint a Wooden Slat Basket - very nostalgic and sweet chalkpaint project, you will need to acquire a wooden basket from resale or garage sales
7. Refinishing a Table and Chairs for a Child's Kitchen - how I refurbished unwanted childhood table and chairs for our playroom
8. How to Clean a Vintage Copper Coal Scuttle (for dramatic play) Learn something new about something really old...

Printables for DIY Doll Grocery Store Products:

1. Printable Candy Bar Wrappers by kathy grimm - candy wrapper covers duty free, in color for doll play
2. 30 Vintage Labels for Crafting Doll Foods - for making your own vintage doll play groceries in color
3. Soda Fountain Clip Art Pages (3) - DIY a 1950's Americana Retro Diner (or kitchen) for doll play, journal, or scrapbook pages
4. Bakery & Deli Food Clip Art - paste these on a shelf inside your doll's bakery!
5. Fancy Chocolates Clip Art Pages (4) - would be cute for Valentines or Mother's Day cards ect...
   
6. Strawberry, raspberries and bread graphics for games and number books - these are in greyscale and black/white
7. Pumpkin, pumpkin pie, and turkey graphics - for games and number books, all in black and white
8. Antique honey jar labels for your doll grocery collections...
9. Templates for Bakery Boxes - Both Barbie and American Girl sizes
   

Because the crafts here are multiplying, I have decided to move our new holiday/festival related food crafts to their own indices. I will also include literary selections and additional interesting materials from other websites under the following similar topics as well: Halloween, Thanksgiving , Christmas, New Year's Day, Saint Valentine's Day, Saint Patrick's Day, Easter and The U.S. American Federal Holidays (Visitors will need to check for current updates to these categories at each unique Index in the future.)

      I've included the cutest vintage grocers windows here for those of you who would like to design a food mart or grocery store for your dolls. Paste these on to the outside of a shoe box after wrapping it with white butcher paper. Then decorate the interior of the box with shelves of food. We have plenty of printables above for this. Don't forget to cut an opening for the entrance/exit inside of your doll shoebox.

Print these restored, vintage grocery store windows from 1930 for crafts.

 

Dramatic Play in The Grocery Store:

• Grocery Store Dramatic Play by Jamie White 
• How to set up a grocery store dramatic play area at Early Learning Ideas
• Grocery store supplies and ideas from Teachers Pay Teachers

Fun Doll Grocery Store Video at YouTube:

• Froggy makes a doll grocery store
• DIY: Miniature Grocery Store, made with a cereal box
• DIY Kids Play Grocery Store Marquee