DIY Captain's Caps for Doll Mardi Gras

A purple version of this captain's cap has both ribbons and a
pearl-like button to finish it's surface.

My green doll cap is trimmed with silk petals and floral ribbon.

The gold cap is trimmed with gems, metallic paper and ribbon.

         "A captain's cap is in fact a peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover, or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organizations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It derives its name from its short visor, or peak, which was historically made of polished leather but increasingly is made of a cheaper synthetic substitute." Wikipedia.

       To make doll versions of Mardi Gras captains hats you will need the following craft supplies: clean and recycled toilet paper tubes, extra cereal box cardboard, masking tape, acrylic paints, hot glue gun and hot glue, tacky white craft glue, colorful yellow, green and purple scrap papers, trims like: acrylic gems, jewelry parts, buckles, laces, fancy ribbons.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Make the basic captain's cap using cardboard tubes. The size of the tube should be dictated by the size of your doll's head. Even though I've used a toilet roll tube for the example caps shown here; crafters may just as easily use larger tubes for larger 14'' or 18'' dolls etc...
2. Cut the tube lengthwise so that it may be cut properly before tapping it back together with masking tape. The cap must be shaped equally on either side of the slight peak in its middle. This is made a much easier task of the tube is temporarily flattened as you cut.
3. After taping the sides back together, trace around the little caps outside walls to transfer the shape needed for it's top.
4. Cut the top from scrap cardboard and tape it in place. Seal up all the cracks with tape on the outside.
5. Turn the cap over and glue along the seams using white tacky glue. Let dry.
6. Cut a cap brim to shade the doll's eyes. Attach it to the bottom edge like a visor using tape.
7. Using the white glue cover the entire surface of the cap with colorful papers. This will give the cap strength and cover all of the flaws.
8. Now you can decorate the Mardi Gras captain's hat with all kinds of fancy trim. I've included my versions above. If you have adult supervision, us a hot glue gun to make your attachments quicker and easier.

Left, recycled toilet paper tubes, center, tubes cut horizontally and right, sides reattached using
masking tape. The top of the cap has been traced and is ready for cutting out.

Left, the brims for the caps are cut out. Center, every surface is masked for strength. 
Right, the inside of the caps are shown as well.

What the little doll caps look like after these have been covered with colorful construction paper.

How to Craft a Mouse Size Pot-Bellied Stove

Craft a pot-belly stove with a working tea light. Slip it out from the open back to turn it on and off
or to replace the batteries when these run down.

       There is nothing like the warmth and soft glowing light radiating from a pot-belly stove. This keeps our tiny country mouse kitchen cozy during the chilly spring and frigid winter months. And an acorn kettle brews coffee or tea on the stove top burner day and night. Our mice dollies can here it whistle away...

       To make the pot-bellied stove for your dollhouse or mouse house you will need the following supplies: black acrylic paint, black braid, egg carton, masking tape, white tacky glue, flickering orange tea light, hot glue and a cardboard toilet tube.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut away to egg cup parts from the egg carton and a 3 1/2 inch by 1 inch strip of cardboard to curl between the two cups. 
2. Cut a grill window from the center of the cardboard strip for the 'flame' to peek through from the battery operated tea light.
3. Make sure that the tea light can be seen through the grill and that it will fit snug inside the stove. 
4. Cut also down the length of a recycled, paper toilet roll and curl this tightly into a stove pipe for the top of the egg carton wood burner. Shape shown below. 
5. Insert the stove pipe at the top, off to the back side, using both glue and tape to hold it in place.
6. Leave enough surface on top to also have one burner for the stove.
7. Cover the surfaces with masking tape to hold the little pot belly stove together.
8. Paint all the surfaces both inside and out with a flat black acrylic paint.
9. Hot glue the ornate black and copper braid around the outside of the top of the stove.

Above you can see the parts of the egg carton and toilet paper tube are glued and masked 
together. Make sure the tea light fits inside through the back of the stove. Next you will need
to paint all of the parts black.

       To make an acorn tea kettle too you will need to collect a tall acorn without a cap, a loose cap, some masking tape, the top of a large snap, cotton batting and white school glue. 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. To craft the tiny silver kettle, hot glue the cap in place on the stove top.
2. Then glue in the acorn, narrow side up.
3. Glue on the top of a silver snape to act as the kettle lid.
4. Shape the handle and the spout of the kettle from masking tape.
5. Glue a bit of cotton inside the kettle's spout for steam.
6. Carefully, using a tiny brush, layer silver acrylic paint onto all surfaces.

Left the acorn kettle before painting. Right, the acorn kettle finished with bright silver surface and
fake cotton steam!

• Back through the mousehole . . . 

How to Craft Baba Yaga's Fairytale Hut

       I handcrafted this Baba Yaga hut for my younger child. She has always loved Slavic folktales and collects some unique paraphernalia around themes found in these stories. 
       Baba Yaga is a common witch caricature associated with these foreign folktales. Sometimes she plays the villain, sometimes the hero, depending upon the author, time of harvest, culture or country where she is found. Her hut is always trying to run from her and any persons who might try to enter it's curious enchanted rooms. 

Baba Yaga's reluctant hut, from Russian folk tales. This is a home that
deeply resents it's own keeper! Some of us are all too aware of that 
scenario in real life . . . That's o.k. little house you just keep on runnin'!

Supply List:

• scrap cardboard, both thick and thin
  
• one small recycled box for the lower half of the hut
• one large, recycled Quaker Oats paper can  or a salt box for the upper tower half of the hut
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• acrylic paints - browns, white, yellows, black, grey and green
• chenille stems (for chain)
• 2 identical blocks of wood for stand
• two identical dowel rods
• masking tape
• faux wooden scrapbook paper
• dismantled pine cone scales for the chicken legs
  
• giant lotus pod for the roof
• paper mache pulp
• one nail
• one paper, recycled toilet paper tube
• Mod Podge
• wood glue
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut two identical wooden blocks for the base of this project. The wood should be heavy.
2. Drill holes in the same locations on both blocks, large enough to insert two identical wooden dowels several inches apart.
3. Insert the dowels using wood glue and let this stand dry overnight. (see photo below)
4. Now tape and glue a small box on top of this platform. 
5. The top part of this box should have it's upper flaps ''peaked'' using masking tape and glue to form a simple ''V'' shaped roof line.
6. Cut the bottom of a large Quaker Oat can to fit snugly over the peaked roof top. This should be in a ''U'' shape. 
7. Glue an up-side-down, dried lotus pod to the top of the can to assemble a unique roof shape for this old fairytale folk hut.
8. Crush masking tape in an eyeball shape for the window attachment to the tower. Stick this on tight and shape/glue a window frame from light weight cardboard to frame around the eyeball.
9. Smooth and fill in this window to the soul of the enchanted hut using paper mache pulp. Save the remaining pulp to shape the ''chicken feet'' of the hut at the hut's platform base. Wait for the pulp to harden and dry completely before painting these crazy features of Baba Yaga's home.
10. Next cut the window frames and door from scrap cardboard and attach these to the hut with glue.
    
11. Move on to cutting the shingles for the roof and sides of the hut walls and glue these firmly in place.
12. Cut a hole into the side of the hut for the chimney flu using the recycled toilet paper tube, masking tape and several types of glue. You can assemble the larger elements of the hut using hot glue but then save the white glue for the finer details excluding the pine cone shingles; these must be applied with hot glue and adult supervision.
    
13. At this point in the project you will need to prepare the work area to use a hot glue gun in order to make the faux stone tower. Apply the hot glue in small random lumps about the tower's surface. Let dry.
14. Shape a large bulky chain using the chenille stems. Wrap white glue and paper about the surfaces of the stems to make these smoother and thicker. Make and attach a cuff from cardboard and attach the chain to a large nail hammered into the base of the base and also to one of the chicken legs on the hut.
15. Hot glue the pine cone seed scales to form both the small arbor over the door and also the upper feather-like parts of the chicken legs. These scales are torn from the peduncle of the pine cone using pliers and strength. 
16. Now you may paint the entire cardboard home for Baba Yaga using natural, weathered-looking acrylic paints. I applied thin washes of brown, green and gray on the shingles and roof.
17. I painted the hut's eyeball green and also the platform. 
18. Use warm yellows and orange to paint the chicken legs too.
19. Paste faux wooden papers on the window frames and door the make these look more realistic.
20. I painted the interior of the window flat black and grey. Later I made a bone shaped handle for the door knob at my daughter's request. However, you don't need to attach one if you wish, Baba's hut is always trying to keep both her and any visitors from entering the house anyway...
21. Paint the stonework about the tower grey.
22. Mod Podge every surface to seal the finished hut.
    

Left, the beginning of a Baba Yaga hut craft for an eccentric daughter with a passion for
everything Russian folklore. Where are you gonna buy it? Well, I can't so I guess I'll just have
 to make my own gifts for her? Right, door and window details.

Left, the painted details of the roof's wavy patterned shingles are painted in shades of brown. Right,
 the ''witchy'' stone tower has an eyeball window! Who knows what this pathetic, unhappy hut used
to be at one time, a person or a chicken, or both . . .

Left, the back of the hut. Center, details of the hut's shingled walls. Right, see the rickety stove
pipe sticking out from the side of the house.

Left, see the hut in it's basic parts. Center, the chicken's feathered legs are made using pine cone
scales and a hot glue gun. Right, the roof top is an inverted lotus pod!

Left, the hut's chicken legs are always moving the hut about the fairyland forest, so these must
 be chained down so that Baba can find her home at least some of the time anyway... Right, Baba's
 home is done and ready to be gifted to my younger daughter; she is crazy about Slavic folk tales.

• Make a doll cradle using a recycled Quaker Oats can...

Maui Souvenirs and Snacks Shack

           As we recreate our own version of a Hawaiian family market, we will post pictures, instructions and links to product crafts and furnishings included in our Maui Souvenirs and Snacks Shack here.

Hawaii General Store and Souvenirs:

• DIY your own leis for dolls - Nothing says ''Aloha'' like a lovely leis!
• Craft burlap rice bags for a dolly marketplace - Rice is one of several food staples on the Hawaiian Islands.
• Paper money printables for 18 inch dolls - tourists need a way to pay for gifts and snacks
• Learn how to make produce crates - practical storage stacked inside the gift shop
• DIY a doll size, freestanding water cooler... - to quench the thirst of tired tourists...
• How to craft pineapples using pinecones - a clever way to use pinecones
• Craft Fashionable Doll Flip-Flops! - styled to compliment a variety of beach fashions  practical protection from hot sandy beaches
• Make fun, easy beach balls - for fun in the Summer sun!
• DIY Boogie Boards and Surfboards for Dolls - made for 14 - 18'' dolls

Tropical themed, window seat display

 

       To make this window display, acquire a box measuring approximately 19'' x 13'' x5'' deep. Cut a grid from additional light weight cardboard for the window and paste it to the back of the box. Cut also a from a thicker cardboard, a ''seat'' to glue inside the box 4 1/2'' from the base of the open box. I then cut additional pieces of cardboard to support the seat from underneath and make a short wall. 

       Then decoupage the inside grid ''window'' using an outdoors scene. A decorative paper of clouds or a view from a magazine (page) are easy to find and paste carefully between the mullions or panes of a window to make it look like a real window. Also decorate the interior walls of the window display using tropically themed wrapping papers and faux wooden papers on the exterior. Press on tiny hooks where you think it best to hang merchandise.

• See printable of diamond shaped mullions you can print out for a shop or dollhouse
• See similar ways to craft windows for a dollhouse or shop
  

This grocery counter is made from a recycled desk supply catty and box ''stand'' beneath.

        Above and below are detailed photos of another display counter included in this doll shop playset. I decoupaged the large front shelf using a cheerful printed lemon paper, the exterior sides of the box stand using a textured woven canvas and finally the interior of the stand using a Shabby Chic wooden paper print. This is where our dolls display tropical fruits to sale inside the snack shack.

The top opens up for more storage and the bottom box ''stand'' can be easily removed.

The spinning eyeglass display case on and off stand.

       To craft this ''spinning'' display stand for sunglasses, you will need a tall spool (thread cone) with a stand combined. Plus a toilet paper cardboard roll and an additional large, recycled cap off of a juice carton. Cut sunglasses or sunshades from fashion magazines and also purchase tiny, white head stick-pins to fit beneath the nose piece under each pair of eyeglasses on the carousel display.

       It is important to make the carousel display one uniform color at the top and bottom. You could paint these components if you can not find them in the same color. Mine were already originally green. The toilet paper tube may be any color. I needed to cut the tube lengthwise in order to fit it snugly up inside the cap at the top. I then secured it with tape and additional glue.

       Glue the sunglasses or eyeglasses directly onto the tube, equally spaced. Stick the tiny pins at the nose piece for each pair of eye-wear to look like these are balanced on ''hooks.''

       The top tube piece is not permanently attached to the serger spool so that when it is put over the cone it may be easily to spin the display by the attached cap. Now your dolls can pretend to purchase twelve different  styles of eye-wear if they choose.

''fresh'' silk flowers, you-pick from old crayon catty

Dollar store wash clothes make easy beach towels.

''Aloha'' dollar store sign

Bolts of Hawaiian print fabrics wrapped around cardboard
cut-outs, 6 1/2'' x2 1/2 inches. These were made to fit into
a merchandise cabinet display.

More Related Content:

• Craft a farmer's market for your dolls
• Hunt for more grocery crafts on this blog

Make a doll's camp lantern that really lights up!

The finished doll sized lantern turns
blue, green, yellow, red, and then
purple!

       Crafting a working camp lantern for twelve to eighteen inch dolls is not a new idea. It is what I would refer to as a 'traditional doll camp craft.' There have been variations on this craft by many people on the web ever since small inexpensive 'tea lights' have been made available in dollar stores. I will link to some of their versions below. My version of this doll sized lantern utilizes a recycled, large ribbon spool. 

• American Girl Doll Lantern Tutorial
• The OMag camp light craft video 
  

Supply List:

• scrap cardboard
• toilet tissue paper rolls
• masking tape
• white school glue
• purchased tea light (the one above changes color)
• plastic, recycled ribbon spool
  
• wire for the handle
• tacky white craft glue
  

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

1. Originally, the plastic ribbon spool had a cardboard disk at each end in order to keep the ribbon from slipping off of it. I took both ends of these cardboard disks off and cut them down to fit the exact size of the ribbon spool and then reattached these in order to make the spool look more like a lantern. If you are working with one of these spools to recycle you can see that the attachment is held in place with a small plastic disk at both the top and bottom. (see photo below)
2. To get the correct size of the cardboard top and bottom simply position the plastic spool on top of the cardboard and draw around it's parameter with a pen or pencil and cut this down.
3. While you are making this readjustment, poke holes opposite each other using the tip of a pair of scissors to thread a wire through. Twist the ends and glue this handle in place. Then attach the lid back in place.
4. Using a cardboard toilet roll, adjust it's size both width and height, to fit around the lower end of the ribbon spool using tacky craft glue and masking tape to hold it in place. You may find a better cardboard tube to make this adjustment with if you prefer.
5. Cut and adjust a second tube for the interior of the tube extension on the bottom. Glue this tube in place so that a battery operated tea light may be fitted securely inside of the larger tube. 
6. Crush newsprint to fill the narrow space between these two tubes inside the lantern. Do not seal off the bottom; leave it open so that you may replace the tea light when the battery runs down. (see photo below) The battery operated light shines through the interior plastic spool and casts an eerie glow.
   
7. Paint the cardboard surfaces only using a color of your own liking. I chose to paint mine green.
   

Left, draw around it's parameter with a pen or pencil and cut this down. Center, poke holes
opposite each other using the tip of a pair of scissors to thread a wire through. Twist
the ends and glue this handle in place. Right, paint the cardboard surfaces only using
a color of your own liking. I chose to paint mine green.

Crush newsprint to fill the narrow space
between these two tubes inside the lantern.
Do not seal off the bottom; leave it open
so that you may replace the tea light once
the battery runs down.

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

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

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

Supply List for Rolling Pin & Sugar Cookie Dough:

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

Step-by-Step Instructions:

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

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

See how I made other cookie sets for our dolls:

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

Craft Camouflage Binoculars for 18" Dolls

Camouflage binoculars made from cardboard, 3"x2"

       Craft this cool pair of camouflage binoculars for any 18" doll to take camping this summer. These pretend binoculars are perfect for bird watching, spying on wildlife and planning where to set up a tent in the pretend wilderness.

       You can paint a colorful camouflage design on the binoculars too. This pattern will help your doll hide from view in the shrubs so, birds will not detect their presence. 

Supply List: 

• Thin scrap cardboard (cereal boxes or toilet paper tubes)
• white school glue
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• acrylic paints: black and many greens
• cord to hang about your doll's neck
• Mod Podge
• two sets of beads, one for the focus dials and the other for the eyepieces

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Roll two identical tubes, three inches long and approximately 1/2 inch wide. 
2. Roll 1 1/2 inch long tube a bit narrower, and glue it between the longer, identical tubes, leaving longer ends on one side.
3. Now roll around each of these two ends, using white school glue the objective lenses.
4. Hot glue two identical beads on either end of the center tube to make the focusing wheel and adjustment dial.
5. Hot glue the two identical eyepieces on the top of the binoculars.
6. Use acrylic paints to randomly brush on different green colors for the camouflage pattern.
7. Paint black inside the openings of the objectives.
8. Poke holes in the underside of the cardboard binoculars for the cord. 
9. Hot glue the cord in place giving enough length to slide the binoculars over your doll's head.
10. Seal the painted toy with Mod Podge.

Front and back beginning to assemble.

Adding more details to both ends.

How to play with this craft?

• Take your doll sized binoculars with you on a Safari trip to spy on wildlife...
• Use the same binoculars to view an excellent campsite by a river...
• Every doll needs binoculars to birdwatch too!

How to make a lunch pail for a Pioneer doll...

       The Pioneer school children did not have access to kitchen workspaces or refrigeration, so their meals were simple and had to be carried inside of a simple pail. This lunch pail could be made of wood or of tin which seemed to be preferred - because it was light weight. Some children might have simply carried their lunch items wrapped in a large kerchief or inside a small basket as well.

Finished lunch pails for pioneer dolls.

Supply List: tin looking lunch pail

• toilet roll, cardboard tube
• chenille stem or scrap wire
• white school glue
• extra cardboard (perhaps)
• recycled tin lid from dinner roll packaging (optional)
• scrap fabric or decorative paper for the pail lining
• masking tape
• acrylic paints: grey or metal look
• twine or yarn

Step-by-Step Instructions for The Tin Lunch Pail:

1. Cut the paper tube the size that you would prefer your doll's lunch pail to be. Mine is approximately two inches tall.
2. You may need to layer this cardboard tube if you feel it is not strong enough for play. Use white school glue between layers of cardboard.
3. Use masking tape to cover a tin lid from a dinner roll tube and then glue this to the bottom of the lunch pail. If  you have a second lid this may be used for a lid. However, this is optional. (Cardboard covered in masking tape works well enough for this step if you lack the recycled tin lid.)
4. Cover the rest of the tube with masking tape to make it more durable for play.
5. Glue on twin around the center of the outer sides to give the pail a bit of texture and ridging. 
6. Paint the doll's tin pail using pewter colored acrylic paints.
7. Poke holes directly across from each other on either side of the pail.
8. Loop and bend a wire handle for the doll to carry her lunch pail with.
9. Paint the wire to match the pail.
10. Layer white school glue and decorative check paper on the inside of the lunch pail. Let dry and then cut a bit of calico to use for wrapping the lunch items to stick inside the pail.

       The foods pioneer children might have carried in their lunch pail to eat at school included: apples and other seasonal fruits, corn muffins or sometimes called Johnnycakes, baked potatoes, hard boiled eggs, sliced homemade bread, a pickle, dried fruit, simple sandwiches, and salt cured meats. These items would be wrapped in a fabric napkin to keep the insects from landing on the food while it sat in the lunch pail until the time for eating. I made some of these food items with clay and painted them. 

 

Lunch foods for pioneer children. Left, simple sandwiches with jam, johnny-cakes and roll.
 Right, potatoes, tomatoes and radishes. Ruby talks about her school lunch long ago.

 

       To make the wooden pail you will need: small clothes pins, a toilet paper tube, hot glue, white school glue, brown acrylic paint, wire and scrap paper or fabric for the inside finishing of the wooden lunch pail. 

Step-by-Step Instructions for The Wooden Lunch Pail:

1. Cut the paper tube to size, approx. 2"
2. Take apart the clothes pins, these small pails are made with these half sides.
3. Glue the pins around the paper tube using hot glue. Try to space these out evenly if you can.
4. Hot Glue a shaped wire handle to the inside of the pale.
5. Glue a bottom to the bucket cut from cardboard.
6. Paint the wooden lunch pail brown.
7. You may glue a wire around the outside of the bucket to further bind the wooden clothespins together.
8. Cover the inside of the wooden pale with layers of glue and scrap fabric/paper to finish off the surfaces.

Left, bottoms of each pail, the wooden one has a paper bottom painted with silver acrylic and
 sides made using dismantled clothespins, stained a brown color. The tin pail has a real tin bottom
(lid). It's sides are painted toilet paper tubing. Right, see the blue and white checkerd paper lining
 inside each bucket; this is decoupaged. When the lunch pails are packed the food is also wrapped
 in gingham or calico fabric napkins.

How Mary and Laura made butter...

CC license for wooden butter churn
diagram. This is a fancier churn that 
shows and additional bucket exten-
sion. But there were also versions of
this model without the bucket 
attached. See our water barrel to 
observe how these look and are
made in real-life.

       The most historically prominent types of butter churns are the plunge churn, which is a container, usually made out of wood, where the butter-making action is created by moving in a vertical motion a staff that is inserted into the top.  The staff used in the churn is known as the dash, dasher-staff, churn-staff, churning-stick, plunger, plumper, or kirn-staff.

       In the first Little House book, Little House in The Big Woods, we read about how Laura and Mary helped their Ma make homemade butter inside of a churn. Here, I've included a wooden butter churn craft for your Pioneer dolls to play house with. Don't forget to add a shredded carrot to the butter in order to turn it extra yellow!

Supply List:

• Popsicle sticks
• natural looking twine 
• wire (optional)
• brown acrylic paints
• paper-mache pulp (for butter inside the churn)
• chop stick or dowel rod
• white school glue
• hot glue and hot glue gun (optional)
• scrap cardboard
• paper towel tube or toilet paper tube

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. I used a toilet paper tube for the following craft and made it a bit sturdier by laying several of these tubes together with glue. However, you may use any cardboard tube you have on hand for your doll's butter churn and some tubes are sturdy enough not to layer them together. If you want your churn to have similar proportions to mine it will measure 5 1/2 inches tall with a opening that is 2 inches circumference. 
2. Attach the wooden craft sticks lengthwise to make the wooden slats of the doll butter churn look authentic. You can do this with white school glue and then wrap the sticks temporarily with the masking tape in order to hold the wooden sticks in place white these dry. Then you can remove the tape later. Alternatively, you may prefer to hot glue the sticks in place so that your project goes quickly.
3. I also wrapped the churn with additional thin cardboard pieces around the craft sticks and painted these to look like metal bands. 
4. Don't forget to plug the bottom of the churn with a round piece of cardboard and glue. Just trace around the faux churn with a pencil on top of cardboard to get the exact shape of the opening before cutting the bottom out. Attach it with glue.
5. You can see from the photos that I cut a dowel rod to act as the churning stick. If you are teaching this craft to a larger group of kids, chop sticks are better alternatives because these can be recycled and they are already cut.
6. The dowel fits through a faux wooden lid. This was cut from cardboard to fit the inner circumference of the tube. It doesn't fall inside at an awkward tilt because I took a narrow, sturdy strip of cardboard and attached this about 1/2 inch from the lip of the tube's opening. Do this with glue and masking tape. You can see this slightly lifted edge in the center photo just below. 
7. You will also need to cut a hole in the lid for the churning stick to fit through. This is an elaboration that is unnecessary when teaching little ones in a crowd. Ultimately, they will probably loose detailed pieces like these during play and the churn is a cute craft without all of the additional details anyway. 
8. I chose to further alter the surface of this butter churn toy with more painting on the outside. If you have wood print papers these may also be used to decorate the toy.
9. Apply lumps of paper mache pulp smeared to the inside surface of the tube and paint this surface yellow in order to fashion a churn with processed butter included. If you do this, do not glue an "agitator" to the end of your churning stick or "dash." Because the paper pulp will inevitably be chipped away by over-active imaginations. I chose to include butter details because our doll churn is put on display in the doll house. But it would be much more efficient to exclude this detail when children wish to play house with it instead.

Left, you can see the toy butter churn finished without further painting and it looks very cute

 at this stage. Some of you may choose to go no further in the altering of the surface. 

Center, here I am showing the interior of my doll' butter churn. You can see the raised 

edge just  inside the tube. This is made in order to keep the lid from being plunged 

further down the  tube while kids mimic the churning process, pumping the churn dash up 

and down to make  butter, of course. Right, the bottom of the churn is made of cardboard.

Left, the dash or churning stick balanced on the edge of the churn prior to painting.
Center, painted paper mache pulp was used to add faux butter to the interior lining.
Right, our dash doesn't include an agitator at it's bottom so that the stick may still
be moved up and down during play.

Dairy Day Butter Making from the Littleton Museum...

 

 

Woman from 1904 churning butter on her back porch, see old freezer.

 

Make a strawberry, heart shaped doll cake...

This doll's strawberry, heart-shaped cake has faux,
edible lace for decoration.

       Heart-shaped cakes don't always need to be make for Valentine's Day. This doll is celebrating her birthday with a lovely chocolate cake topped with ruby red strawberries. She can't wait to share it with all of her doll and teddy bear friends! 

Left, is the unpainted doll cake. Right, the strawberries
 and cake walls have been painted.

 

Supply List:

• scrap cardboard
• masking tape
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• Sculpey
• brown and red acrylic paints
• Mod Podge
• white school glue
• dark brown felt
• scrap white laces
• 1-2 recycled toilet paper roles

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut the size and shape of a heart, twice, that you would prefer for your doll's cake from a piece of scratch cardboard.
2. Cut a recycled toilet paper roll once, lengthwise. This cardboard will become the walls of the cake. Toilet paper roles are very easy to shape to the outer edges of cardboard shapes and this is why I use them instead of stiffer cardboard. You will not need the cake to be as long as a standard cardboard toilet roll. Cut this one down to approx. two inches.
3. Use masking paper and white glue to hold the shape of the cake walls in place about the circumference of one of the heart shapes.
4. Next, glue and tape on the second heart on the opposite end of the cake. When you are done; you should have a cardboard tube shaped like a heart.
5. Mask the entire surface.
6. Using Sculpey or your favorite air dry clay, make enough strawberry shaped fruits to top of the heart shaped cake. See photo below. 
7. Let these clay strawberries harden or bake them in the oven, if these are made with oven-bake clay.
8. Glue the strawberries to the top of the cake.
9. Paint the strawberries red.
10. Paint the cake sides a deep, chocolate brown color.
11. Cut the brown felt to fit the bottom of the cake and glue it on.
12. Now hot glue white scraps of lace to the outer sides of the cake making a pattern. The dramatic color contrast between the lace and the cake color makes this doll cake stand-out from all the rest!

Left, the strawberry pattern seen from above is shaped like a
 heart. Right, the lace glued to the surface mimics edible
lace often used in decorating fancy cakes!

Susie is only 2 years old and she can bake

 a chocolate cake! Kids can do so much if

they just try...

Visit dolls, Mariah and Billy to see what their

cooking in the kitchen!

DIY A Rainbow Candy Surprise Cake for Dolls!

This rainbow sponge cake has been sliced open to reveal doll sized candies at it's center!

       This rainbow sponge cake stuffed with doll sized candies would make an awesome cake for an A G doll Birthday or maybe even an excellent desert accessory for a doll's St. Patrick's Day party! However, I didn't use actual sponges to craft the layers with; I made it with cardboard instead. It is definitely not the easiest doll cake that I have ever made. I suggest this DIY to an older sibling or parent to make.

Supply List:

• two cardboard tubes, one larger than the other
• Styro foam beads, multi-colored
• cotton balls (maybe two)
• white school glue
• masking tape
• corrugated scrap cardboard
• acrylic paints in all the colors of the rainbow
• decorative paper
• lid for the cake plate stand
• large rubber bands
• white lace for the cake's top icing 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. To construct this unique rainbow colored cake you will first need to acquire two cardboard tubes. I made this cake using a bread crumb container and a toilet role tube. Cut down the bread crumb tube to approximately 3 1/2" in height. 
2. I used a circle measuring 4" across for the lid to this outer tube. I cut away, approximately two inches wide, a pie shaped opening from this lid, so that my cake would look as though two pieces had been cut from it already. Of course the excess sides of the outer cake needed to be trimmed off so that the outside edges would reflect a corresponding opening to the lid.
   
3. Then I glued and taped this outter tube to a masked and decoupaged lid representing the cake stand in this case.
4. The next step was to insert a narrower tube of the same height inside the opening. I crushed newsprint to fill the open space around the inner and outer gap between the two shapes and then masked the opening between the two to form flat walls on either side. These walls became the cake layers.
5. The inner tube should have glue applied to it's upper and lower walls where the top and bottom of the insides meet between the tube and the lid and cake stand. Let this dry.
6. I unraveled a cotton ball and layered it onto the walls to with white school glue to give the cake layers some added texture. 
7. I cut another wall from corrugated cardboard to glue onto the outside of my cake. Corrugated cardboard having three separate pieces may be dismantled to reveal an interesting linear texture if you carefully remove one half of the wall. You can see from the photo below that I had to wrap two large rubber bands around the cake to hold this corrugated cardboard against the sides of the larger outside tube while it dried. I wanted this unique texture on my cake, but if you feel it is two complex to attempt, smoother walls will look nice too.
8. Next, you will need to pool the white glue and add plenty of the Styro-foam beads to the interior of this faux cake. These tiny beads may be purchased from a family dollar store.
9. I painted the layers of this doll cake with rainbow colors: green, pink, purple, blue and orange. Be careful to separate your layers with white icing between!
10. Then I also painted the outside of my cake with those same colors.
11. I used a hot glue gun and stick to attach rows upon rows of lace to the lid of the cake top and then used white glue to paste on a few Styro-foam beads for the finish.
    

Left, here you can see that I used rubber bands to hold layers of the cake form together while it dried
 hard enough for me to proceed further. Right, the backside of the cake will have rainbow stripes
with texture as well. This cardboard siding comes from the interior of a corrugated cardboard piece.

Left, the cake seen from above. I have yet to paint the layers of the sponge. Right I glued on the white
lace icing before painting the cake actually, but this should be done last for cleaner results, if you are
not an experienced painter. I glued on the tiny Styrofoam balls with white school glue. You do not want
to glue these using hot glue, they will melt! Pool the white glue in the inner tube, add the fake candy
and lay the faux cake on it's side to dry overnight. When it is done drying, the cake should look like
it's just been sliced and the candy has tumbled out.

Above are three views of the rainbow cake taken at different angles.

Cynthia Vera made this real awesome rainbow surprise cake! 

Visit her YouTube channel to see even more recipes