My in-laws gifted them their own houses from Ikea and they have loved them so much. They're a little older now (5 and 7) and are more interested in decorating them and styling them the way their each want to. I'm trying to encourage them while letting them create their own homes they love.
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| acrylic heart tag heirloom theory & long live girl hood print june & joy |
It's been so fun for me to watch them play together and create little spaces within their houses. We started with adding wrapping paper and craft paper from Michaels to add some visual interest to their walls. We decided not to paint it, but leave the wood the way it was. Adding in the prints really transforms the house and makes it more fun. I love that we can easily swap out prints for different holidays easily. I used masking tape along the wall edges, and then added double sided tape on top of the masking tape. Then I added the paper to make it stick. This way, I can easily pull off the paper without damaging the walls. So easy.
We've been collecting doll furniture for many years now, and we've got a pretty good collection now. Most of them are from Calico Critters, Hape, amazon, and used pieces from facebook marketplace. We mix and match them all over the dollhouses and they have all been well loved. The girls definitely have their favorite pieces.
If you're starting out, I would recommend starting out slowly and adding to your collection as you can. Even though theyre tiny and small, everything adds up, and it can get expensive. Facebook Marketplace has been great for finding dollhouse items for inexpensive, and amazon has some sets that are more affordable. This set from amazon is my favorite to start off with as it some with SO many furniture pieces. You can slowly add room by room as you see fit. I also have some items saved on my amazon storefront if you're looking for any other dollhouse accessories.
For their Valentines Edition dollhouses, I added a few extra special items - all handmade. A labour of love!
I added felt garlands onto the front of their houses for a fun little touch. The girls helped me make clay cookies and treats from modelling clay (from the dollar store) shaped into hearts, cookie shapes, pretzels and cupcakes. They turned out so cute. I found small little pieces of wood and we placed them on like a tiny charchuterie board. I also added a few heart hangings - I cut out glitter paper/fabric and glued twine on the back so I could hang them from their bunk bed ladders and off handles of closets.
I made a few little signs by painting over scraps pieces of wood and then writing with a sharpie on it. It was so easy. Then I glued on small pieces of popsicle sticks/coffee stirers and toothpicks to make the frame. There are lot of adorable doll sized printables from Thread Mama as well, but I didnt have enough time to print them before sharing this post.
I added a few other things like heart shaped pillows, valentines bedsheets (just wrapped existing bedding with fabric and then stiching them closed). I made a few vases of flowers and greenery by taking wood beads and gluing the stems of the greens into them. All I did was snip extra pieces from artificial wreaths I have already in my home. You dont need much at all and they turned out really cute. Gold wreaths made from gold tinsel ribbon and then I added a bow at the bottom.
If you're looking for a close up video or more in depth details, head on over to my instagram to check for details in stories!
These little houses honestly encourage so much play! We love them and I hope this gives you a little inspiration to make your own tiny homes!
