Sew Super Sweet Sleeping Bags for 18inch Dolls

American Girl Dolls camping out in our garden.

       To sew sleeping bags like these, you will first need to purchase candy novelty fabric from an online shop or a sewing store near you. My fabric came from a Joanne's sewing shop. I also lined my doll's sleeping bags to help prevent the stitching from unraveling over time. 

       I chose to quilt the top of my chocolate box, printed sleeping bag with straight machine stitches. You will need to purchase quilt batting to give this top stitching some additional dimension. Otherwise, you could line the inside of the sleeping bag with felt instead of quilt batting.
       I used inexpensive cotton felt to line the bubble gum quilt. Then I tied the lining and the printed fabric together instead of quilting it. This version of my alternative doll sleeping bag was far quicker and less expensive to craft.
       You will need approximately  20"x 6 1/2", novelty fabric to sew the outer portions of the sleeping bags. Also add an additional 1/2" seam allowance to that estimation. I lined my doll's sleeping bags with solid coordinating fabrics using the same measurements of fabric.
       To make your own versions of this kind of sleeping bag simply pin the right sides of the fabric print together and sew a straight seam around one long side and one end of the fabric, plus 2/3 of the way up the second longer half. Do the same for your cotton batting sheet or felt and the inside fabric as well. Insert the batting and interior fabric lining into the sleeping bag and then hand sew using a whipping stitch or invisible stitch to turn in 1/2" seam along the unfinished edges of the sleeping bag.
       I've included several links below to nice doll sleeping bag tutorials from the web. There are plenty of creative folks who have given more details about how to accomplish this popular doll craft already!
        I just wanted to show how the fabric may be chosen to include pillows that can match a theme when designing a doll's bedding or in this case doll sleeping bags.

Left, I chose a chocolate box candy cotton print for one sleeping bag and a bright, bold print of Double Bubble
chewing gum for the other. Right, I also chose to do a bit of machine quilt stitching on the top of the chocolate
box print, just for fun.

Left, close up of the Dubble Bubble novelty fabric. Right, I stitched a fleece pillow with matching colors and theme.

Included here are a large heart shaped pillow and a giant chocolate candy pillow with white icing made from soft twine.
Each pillow is designed to mimic the design elements of the novelty prints.

One of our American Girl Dolls is getting drowsy resting in a bed of Spring flowers.

Our Josefina doll has already fallen fast asleep. She is tucked inside a cozy bubble gum themed sleeping bag.
Here pillow is designed to look like a giant, wrapped piece of bubble gum!

More Doll Sized Sleeping Bags:

• American Girl Doll Sleeping Bag DIY by makelifelovely
• How to Sew a Toy Sleeping Bag by Melanie Ham
• American Girls DIY Camping Set by MadeByMarzipan
• See how we made candy bar pillows . . . 

DIY Christmas Tree Letter Art

       Make a joyful sign from cardboard text, scrapbook paper, and magazine clippings for your doll's Christmas decor this coming holiday season. You can copy my contemporary version below using similar supplies or use this same idea to craft the words of your own favorite Christmas hymn.

Above you can see that I used pre-cut cardboard letters for my "joy"
On the right is the finished letter art for a dollhouse wall.

Supply List:

• Christmas scrapbook paper
• pre-cut cardboard letters (optional)
• recyclable magazines 
• cardboard
• white school glue
• hot glue and hot glue gun (optional)
• wire or ribbon for hanging
• Christmas tree cookie cutter (optional)
• tracing paper (optional)
• Mod Podge

       For this craft you will need to cut the word "joy" from cardboard and then paste a decorative paper onto the word to make it 3 dimensional. (use Mod Podge in layers) I've included some Roman alphabet letters below for those of you who would like to draw or trace your own letter versions on cardboard and then cut them out.

       Print and cut out the tree template from below and cover it with Christmas scrapbook paper. Mount the word joy onto the tree with hot glue. Or, if you have a tree cookie cutter at home, you could trace around it's shape onto cardboard alternatively.

       Layer words and letters, "to the world the LORD has come" cut from recycled magazine text with Mod Podge below the "joy" letters.

       Bend and attach a wire or hook for hanging on the backside of the tree with glue or tape.

       Hang this contemporary letter art on the wall of your American Girl Doll house for Christmas.

Christmas tree template by kathy grimm for the "Joy to the world" text art.

lower case Roman letters: a - m, for tracing

lower case Roman letters: n - z, for tracing

Bethal Music Kids for a Christmas Party - 

fun for young teens and kids too!

Restoring An 18inch Doll's Desk

       Many of you may recognize this popular doll's desk once sold by Walmart. I believe it is still available online at Amazon. I discovered it at resale for $2.99. All that was left of the doll desk can be seen below on the far left. The desk is was not terribly expensive to begin with, however, I enjoy restoring most of what I can get my hands on, irregardless of monetary value.

Left, the My Generation Doll Desk purchased from resale. The drawers are missing as well as all the accessories
 and chair. Center, my restored version of this desk. I've added drawers, wall paper, memo board, desk set, a tape
 dispenser, journals, paper weight, pencils, paint brushes, wooden chair and tiny erasers. Far Right, you can see that
 the chair fits neatly beneath the desk with plenty of room for a doll to sit on it.

       The original fourteen pieces that came with this desk set included: one white plastic desk, a battery operated lamp, one fashion magazine, calendar, map, paper journal, lap top computer, wall paper, birthday card, sleepover invitation, two sticker sheets, a fuzzy fur covered desk chair and a small fluffy pink rug.

Construct a cardboard box for each opening. Test these for correct size by moving them in and out before finishing
them with white paper and glue. I used masking tape during this process so that I could get an accurate fit for
each drawer.

I covered these panels with decorative
scrapbook papers and Mod Podged
the outside surfaces to keep them clean.

Supply List: Drawer Repair, Faux Leather Desk Set and Ribbon Memo Board:

1. cardboard (medium weight)
2. masking tape
3. coordinating decorative papers
4. white tacky glue
5. hot glue and hot glue gun
6. faux leather (recycled purse)
7. blue spray paint (for the chair)
8. one toilet paper tube
9. white typing paper
10. thin red ribbon (2 yds. at least)
11. ruler 
12. Mod Podge

Steps for Restoring the Missing Drawers:

1. Measure to fit a new set of drawers into the interior drawer spaces left open in the desk.
2. Construct a cardboard box for each opening. Test these for correct size by moving them in and out before finishing them with white paper and glue. 
3. I used masking tape during this process so that I could get an accurate fit for each drawer. (see photo above)
4. The outside panel of my drawers is a bit larger in it's profile in order to cover the openings for the drawers to match the profile of the desk cabinet. 
5. After covering the drawers with white glue and white typing paper. I added secondary panels to the front of the drawers with pulls. I made the pulls from cardboard but you could use beads alternatively. 
6. I covered these panels with decorative scrapbook papers and Mod Podged the outside surfaces to keep them clean.
   

Left, Measure to fit a new set of drawers into the interior drawer spaces left open in the desk. Center, I
measured and fit a cardboard rectangle for: the back wall paper for the desk interior, the ribbon memo board,
 and the desk blotter. I taped these up to make sure they would fit and look nice together before covering
them with decorative scrapbooking papers. Right, although the drawers looked like they were the same size,
I soon discovered that each needed to be cut and fitted to their own openings. The drawer on the bottom needed
an additional sheet of cardboard applied to it's bottom in order for it to fit properly inside the cavity.

This doll's ribbon board is not tufted, however the ribbons are interwoven and tacked on top of a bright
stripped, decorative scrapbooking paper. On the left, you can see that I have secured the ribbons to the back
 side of the cardboard memo board with masking tape. On the right is the finished ribbon memo board. I glued
 the memo board directly to the new wall paper that I cut and pasted to an additional cardboard piece. Both wall
 mounted decorations: the background and memo board, may be removed from the backing of the desk if desired.
 These fit snug against the inside wall of our doll's desk but are not permanently attached.

Doll faux leather desk set.

Steps For Making The Ribbon Memo Board:

1. For the ribbon memo board, cut a piece of cardboard 6 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.
2. Cover the front side with a decorative scrapbook paper. 
3. I chose to lay my ribbons in a square woven pattern across the front of the memo board. Most memo boards have ribbons that weave together in a diamond pattern but, I felt the square pattern better suited my stripped paper. You can choose to weave in squares or diamonds it makes no difference in the end. 
4. Make sure that there is 1/2inch ribbon to wrap around the edges of your cardboard so that you can glue these down neatly with hot glue as you go.
5. When you have finished weaving the ribbon, use masking tape to seal the back side of the cardboard. 
6. Use a bit of white glue to tack down the ribbons in the front at the places where the ribbons cross over each other.
7. Now you can attach your memo board to the back wallpaper in the interior of the desk with glue or sticky tape.
   

Steps To Make The Faux Leather Desk Set: office desk caddy, blotter and box for holding paper

1. For the desk caddy, you will need one toilet paper funnel. Cut this in half length wise. 
2. Now cut the half piece in three sections. Make each section a different length.
3. Roll the sections into tiny funnels and tape each one together. 
4. Now cover each funnel with faux leather and/or decorative paper. Use white glue to stick the papers and fabrics together neatly. Set these aside to dry.
5. Print out the template below. And cut the oval base out for the caddy. 
6. Trace around it onto cardboard and cut out the shape. 
7. Cover this oval with paper on one side and faux leather on the other using hot glue. 
8. Hot glue the funnel shapes directly onto the oval base. 
9. Now cut out the two templates for the covered paper box holder. Below are photographs of how this box is lined on the inside with paper and on it's outside with the faux leather. Use hot glue to assemble the box.
10. Cut white typing paper to fill it up.
11. Now cut a piece of cardboard 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.
12. Cover this on one side with decorative paper.
13. Then cut long narrow 3/4" strips of faux leather to wrap the corner with. Trim the leather off at the back as you go. 
14. Cut a backing for the blotter from the faux leather and hot glue this to the backside of the blotter to create a finished looking piece.

Step-by-Step photos for how the box for writing papers is assembled.

Click directly on the image to download the largest file size.
 Drag the png. into a Word Doc software program and use your
cursor to drag the image right until you see the templates
measure approximately 6 inches across, then select print. If
you want to make a set for a Barbie shrink all the measure-
ments by half. (50%)

The faux leather desk set is finished. There is one large blotter, a box for paper and a caddy
for paint brushes, pens, pencils, erasers etc...

Above you can see that I spray painted the desk chair blue. I found this 18inch doll's chair at resale for only
a few dollars. It is made out of wood and very detailed. I prefer wooden chairs like this one because it will
 hold the doll's weight without toppling over.

See More Doll's Desk Reviews and Crafts:

• DIY Office Supply for A Doll's Desk - Crafts for pencils, pink erasers, journals, paper weights and tape dispenser!
• My Life As A Doll's Desk Review by Cupcaketastic Queen

Craft a Watering Can For Your Doll's Garden

A finished sample of a paper mache watering can for our
American Girl Dolls to add to their garden supplies.

    You can craft your own watering can from recycled materials found at home. This one, however, is just for show, not for actual use!

 Supply List:

• green spray paint or green acrylic paint
• decorative floral or veggie themed paper (optional)
• Mod Podge
• frozen juice can 
• plastic funnel shape
• paper toilet role tube
• masking tape
• paper wrapped wire from coffee bean bag
• permanent black ink pen or black acrylic paint
• cardboard from a discarded cereal box 
• hot glue gun and hot glue

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Cut a frozen juice can down to 2 1/2 inches. Cover it with masking tape.
2. Cut from a piece of cardboard cereal box the top opening of your watering can and attach it to the recycled juice container with masking tape. While you do this, you might wish to bend this flimsy material in a slight arc. Many watering cans com with this dome shape. (see photos below)
3. Now cut the toilet paper tube in half lengthwise and tape it into a funnel form. Cut and clip it down to the approximate size you would like for the watering can's spout. Mine measures three inches. 
4. Attach the spout with masking tape.
5. Use hot to attach the plastic funnel to the tip of the spout.
6. Cut out a piece of circular cardboard to close the spout's end. Attach this with hot glue.
7. Use you glue gun again to attach the handle to the backside of the watering can. I used a covered wire found ordinarily on coffee bean bags. These make sturdy handles for doll mache projects.
8. Cover your doll's watering can with masking tape. See below.
9. I then chose to spray paint the watering can. You could paint this using whatever paint you have on hand.
10. Then I cut out some decorative scrap paper to decoupage on top of the painted can.
11. I also used the tip end of a toothpick to add tiny black dots to my watering can's spout. 
12. Make sure to use Mod Podge or similar clear drying glue to then seal all the surfaces of your doll's new garden tool.

The watering can is assembled from recycled pieces of plastic caps and paper tubes.

Big Clothing Haul for Our Dolls!

       This past weekend I made a trip to resale to see if I could purchase used doll clothing. I was very pleased with what I found there! Take a peek below to see if you can recognize some of the clothing your doll may have been originally sold with. 

       Much of what I was able to purchase was intended for Bratz dolls, baby dolls and American Girl Dolls. I discarded very little of it; so I imagine you will see some of these clothing separates worked over for our dolls on this blog in the near future.

Bag number one, full of Bratz Doll clothes.

       Take a look into the first bag of doll clothing above and see if you can see what I see? Why do you think this may be a good bag to purchase? You can turn the bags over and move some of the clothes around a bit through the plastic, however, shopkeepers do not allow anyone to open the bags before purchasing them. In order to save your cash, it is very important to become a discerning customer!
      What I see are clothes that are well made. The brown doll slacks are made from some kind of swede fabric and these have fancy top stitching as well. The clothes are small but I have many sizes of dolls that need dressing so I am unconcerned with the sizes for now. I think this is a good buy, how about you? Now look below to see what was in bag number one.

The contents of bag one impressed.

Bag number two mostly full of Bratz Doll clothes, there are few Barbie things, plus what I call "filler."

        Now bag number two has a bit of "filler." This is a word I've made up to refer to the things that resale companies try to get rid of by concealing them inside grab bags. This filler usually serves little purpose other than to make the bag heavier or make the items in the bag look colorful to the eyes of a child. The hot pink filler in this bag turned out to be just random fabric scraps that had no relation to the rest of the doll clothes. Sometimes I can make use of filler but in this case I threw it away.
       As you can see below, the quality of the clothing below was excellent, so I was quite unconcerned with the filler.

Bag number two had many valuable clothing items for tiny Bratz dolls.

Bag number three is full of doll clothes and crochet filler.

        Bag number three was more expensive but not necessarily more valuable. However, there are two items made by American Girl Doll company included and one piece of Build-a-Bear workshop clothing. Build-a-Bear clothing is easy to alter to fit 18inch dolls and I love the details included on it.
        I tossed the old crochet. In leaner years I would have unraveled it all for the yarn but I no longer knit and my hands have grown old and tired.

I tossed the knit items and plastic cording. This bag would not have tempted me but it just so happened,
I needed pink  18inch doll shirts.

Bag number four contains some difficult to find items. Little girls frequently loose fashionable handbags long
before their dolls are broken or doll body parts go missing. I was lucky that this bag contained several.

          I spied the doll shoulder bags, a pink fur coat, a silk ball gown and tiny skirts. This bag was all good before I even bothered to open it up.

Ha! there is even a tiny camouflage canteen!

Bag number 5 stuffed with the doll clothes little girls dream of from American Girl Doll company.

        Bag number five had just the items I was looking for, so I snatched it up without a second glance. What do you think I saw? American Girl Doll labels and I spied a set of matching shoes! I knew that the items inside would exceed $3.99 if purchased new.

       I also felt the dog food bowl and a kitchen item through the plastic bag and the horse saddle bags were in excellent condition as well. 

I was pleased as punch with the American Girl Doll riding hat and the additional baby doll things too!
The Build-a-Bear shorts will alter easily for our 18inch boy dolls and thankfully the stains in the hot pink,
peace sign shirt washed right out!

Bag number 6 stuffed with filler mostly and 18inch doll clothes.

       Although there was much filler in this bag, I noticed there were also 18inch doll clothes so I decided to take a chance on the bag anyway, plus I can usually find a craft or two to use the flannel for. The bonnet at the top is a real infant bonnet. I'll probably cut it down for a baby doll. The pajamas are for a baby doll not an 18inch. Fortunately, I have so many undressed dolls that anything will come in handy at this time.

The pink doll corduroy pants, purple footed pajamas and hot pink, long sleeved tee made this purchase worthwhile.

Bag number 7 stuffed with American Girl Doll clothes and Build-a-Bear workshop clothing.

       Bag number seven was by far one of the nicest collections of doll clothes to be discovered on this outing! It contained a lovely Bitty Baby dress with pink ruffles and grey slippers to match it. The penguin night gown and additional pants/shorts were also very nice. Two of the shorts on the lower left hand corner are from Build-a-Bear workshop.

       There were four shoes without matching pairs! I never purchase these bags for shoes unless I can clearly see a set. Most children toss doll shoes because they do not have matching pairs. The plastic diapers and mangled faux fur, I tossed.

I will need to alter the glittery shorts and the jeans shorts because they were designed for teddy bears.
Each have a whole in the backside for a furry little tail to stick through and the hips are too generous
 for our 18inch dolls.

Bag number 8 filled with Build-a-Bear clothing and American Girl Doll Clothes.

       This bag contained some strange filler, a very large velvet-like pirate's hat of some sort. I could see some nicely made American Girl Doll clothes through the plastic bag so I took a chance.

In this package, I found a very nice 18inch doll trench coat. You can see it, upper right corner. It's blue.
The black and white checkered blouse is American Girl Doll. The Build-a-Bear shirts will alter nicely for the
18inch dolls. The baby toy will be relegated to a doll cradle in the nursery; I'm sure.

Bag number 9 packed with Bratz Doll clothes and accessories.

       You are probably wondering by now why I chose to purchase yet another bag of Bratz doll clothing. The reasoning is simple really.
        I began to suspect that these doll clothes were not from a child's collection but from a shop where the packages had been opened, therefore making them difficult to sale. I noticed that so many of the pieces actually had transparent packaging still attached to them. "Like new" doll clothes are better than used. 

      I also thought that sets or outfits might be found divided into different bags given the circumstances and after opening the bags I found this to be true as well.

"Like new" doll clothing, still very clean and perfect for our photo shoots.

       After everything was laundered and pressed with an iron, I counted 17 pieces of American Girl Doll clothes for the entire purchase of $27 that included a discount at the register.  I paid less than two dollars for each item made for American Girl Dolls. . . what a deal. Of course, the other pieces of doll clothing are a big bonus, given their excellent condition.

• Huge American Girl Doll Clothing Haul - opening Etsy clothes from Elite Doll World
• Huge Etsy Haul for American Girl Dolls!
• Etsy Doll Clothing Haul for my American Girl Dolls

Craft a Knitting Basket for A Doll

       This easy doll craft is perfect for displaying in your doll's home, especially if that doll is a character doll from earlier times such as the Pioneer Era. For hundreds of years all sorts of people have knit or woven their own clothing instead of purchasing it from a store. 

       Today many modern people keep knitting baskets in their homes because they enjoy crafting their own sweaters. A basket of homespun knitting looks cozy and is comforting for those of us who love this traditional occupation.

       This knitting basket is just the right size for our 18inch dolls. You will need the following materials to make one similar to the one shown in the photos above: white cotton balls, toothpicks, wooden beads, multiple colors of yarn, white school glue, matching threads, a needle, grey paint, and a small basket, suitable for a doll to carry or display in her doll house.
       To make the miniature balls of yarn, start by wrapping any length of yarn around a ball of cotton. Wrap the yarn in all directions until you have covered the white cotton ball completely. Now clip of the yarn and tuck the end of it inside the ball. Thread a needle with a color of thread similar to the yarn and neatly sew through the ball of yarn over and over with tiny stitches. This will prevent your yarn from unraveling.
       To make the knitting needles, simply paint a pair of toothpicks grey and glue on a pair of beads to the flat end of each toothpick.

Gwen Handler creates a scarf from her flock of

Leicester Longwool sheep.

More About Knitting:

• Jolena and Mandy knit on the front porch and talk about "Reading Things"
• How to teach your 4 and 5 year old to knit
• Finger knitting with children by Sunday with Sarah
• DIY knitting doll

Papier-Mâché a Doll Blow Dryer

The finished doll blow drier is perfect for our American Girl Doll Salon!

       This little hair drier for a doll may be crafted for a doll's bathroom or a American Girl Doll Salon if you'd like. It is made using a simple paper mache technique and once you've mastered this process, you will find yourself capable of crafting a great many things!

The doll blow dryer is masked with tape and ready for a layer of white
typing paper and Mod Podge. 

 Supply List:

• white typing paper
• Mod Podge
• purple acrylic paint
• purple and black
• craft foam sheet
• two tooth picks
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• black puff paint
• covered black wire
• two beads, one red and one green
• baking foil
• masking tape 
• old pop bottle caps 
• old pen cap
• funnel shaped cap or lid
• thin cardboard

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Look up pictures of blow driers online if you do not have one to look at from your home. It is very helpful to observe the thing that you wish to reproduce closely before attempting to make it. Note the shapes and how these relate to one another. Observe the sizes of attachments. Collect recyclable items from around your home like: bottle caps, old pens, cardboard shapes that you can glue together in order to mimic a hair blow drier. 
2. I glued together a couple of pop bottle caps and a small funnel shape made of plastic to form the upper part of my doll's blow drier.
3. Then I hot glued a discarded pen cap to the base of the blow dryer to act as a handle. 
4. I also wrapped  baking foil around the handle to give it a smooth surface in and around the handle. 
5. After this, use masking tape to wrap the entire surface, making it one solid object visually.
6. Take a small nail and push it into the bottom of the handle to create a cavity for a wire. Insert both the glue and wire into this cavity. This will make the blow drier look as though it even has and electrical cord. 
7. I clipped off the ends of two toothpicks, glue them side-by-side and attached these to the end of the wire with glue. Then I wrapped a small piece of black craft foam around their ends to mimic a two prong plug, securing this to the wire. (see photos above)
8. Be sure to paint the wooden toothpick points black so that the electrical cord looks realistic.
9. Use white school glue or Mod Podge to cover surface areas of the blow drier that look a bit lumpy. Let all the surfaces dry before painting the doll appliance.
10. Use masking tape to cover the cord temporarily while spray painting the blow drier purple. You don't need to use spray paint. Layer the blow drier with acrylic paints if that is what you have on hand.
11. I hot glued some purple craft foam to the doll hair drier to give it added dimension and used black puff paint to add some grill details to the back end of the blow drier. My real blow drier at home has this feature too.
12. Now you can hot glue a green bead for "on" and a red one for "off" onto the handle of your doll's blow drier if you would like it to look more like the sample craft above.
13. Once you get the hang of it, you can make all kinds of salon supplies for your dolls from this simple paper mache technique!  

Make More Blow Driers for Your Dolls:

• Skymagenta makes miniature doll hair dryers from beads

Printable Blinds and Shutters for Doll Houses

Single Blinds and Shutters.

        Select from three different types of blinds and shutters for your next doll house project. Print them out on colored papers for professional looking results.

Double Blinds and Shutters.

Four Folds Blinds and Shutters.

More Retro Kitchens from The 1950s

Above is a kitchen perfect for those dolls who love blue.

        More retro kitchens for the doll house printables from the 1950s, mostly primary color palettes. Print out bright, playful and fun kitchens for your tiny dolls or paper dolls. Paste these inside on the walls of a shoe box or onto an accordion shaped doll house. Click directly on each png. to download the largest available file.

A cheerful yellow kitchen from the 1950s. This one comes with
a yellow linoleum floor and gingerbread trim around the ceiling.

A red, white and blue contemporary retro kitchen for dolls.

This white kitchen trimmed out with a red canary
 motif for that unique paper doll kitchen!

Printable Clock Faces

Free clock faces with either Roman Numerals or regular number symbols.

       These printable clock faces may be used for clocks and watches, depending upon the crafts you are making. You will need to mark the center of the face and poke a hole through each print to insert clock hands or you can just draw these on if you prefer.