Toby likes playing with wooden figures, so I know he'd love a dollhouse. The dollhouses on amazon are expensive, so I was PSYCHED to come across this tutorial for making a dollhouse out of any old bookcase. I love how they use wrapping paper for wallpaper. Thumbs up!P.S. Make your own racetrack.
As a girl, my Opa crafted many, many fancy dollhouses for me - which I loved - but I was always so afraid to play with them because they were *so* nice. A bookcase dollhouse is genius! Sometimes, simpler is better.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea! I'm not always the handiest, but this seems like something I could handle. I'll have to file this away for my twin sister's future kiddos.
ReplyDeleteThis looks fabulous, I love it!! Lots of flexibility with it too :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so cute...makes me want to be a kid again!!
ReplyDeleteIf a 30 years old woman puts something like that in her home, would it be weird???
ReplyDelete:)
Ha ha! No. You'd be surprised how many people think it's cool.
Deletewith no children, i mean...
ReplyDeleteThat is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to forward this to my cousin for her two little girls!
Plus, using this concept, I'm sure there are some great ways to use this for decorating!
-Kirsten
mylifetintedpink.blogspot.com
cute!
ReplyDeletei once painted a house behind two shelves:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kasia_hc/3190351053/
but it's gone now... we're SO over the pink period ;)
for the daughter #2 i found a real one, and it was really cheap, too.
http://lilanina.blogspot.com/2012/06/drewniany-domek-dla-lalek.html
Awesome idea. My dad made me a dolls house for my Sylvanians (small animal families) and I have so many happy memories of it. It even had working lights :)
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This is such a good idea. We have a cubed bookcase too, and it would look prefect turned into a doll house.
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I like it! I like, too, that you're not weirded out by Toby enjoying "girl" things. My 2 y.o. boy loves carrying around a baby doll and helping in the kitchen, which I think is just great! Boys should know these things too! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really nice :)
ReplyDeletegorgeous!
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ReplyDeleteOh I love this! I remember spending long hours making things for my dollhouse growing up. If you want more inspiration you should check out Emily Henderson's Design Dollhouse Challenge from last year.
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I think a ton of people joined in! ~Gaia
It's so refreshing to see people cross over the "gender appropriate" toy line :).
ReplyDeleteYou both are awesome, and Toby's a lucky guy!
So so glad you are getting your boy a doll house! I knew a little boy who absolutely loved Barbies, then he started going to preschool and the other boys shamed it out of him... So sad.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to teach boys empathy with dolls, and also to teach girls to be self-reliant and climb some trees. Down with gender limitations!
I love it! It's such a great idea. And when the child becomes disinterested in doll houses (which, for me, wasn't until I was about 10) (actually, I still secretly wish I had a doll house; then I'd outfit it the way I'd love to outfit my fictional pinterest house.....), you have a handy bookcase! So versatile :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea. I agree store bought toys are so expensive and when you can find a DIY version like this why not make it yourself. My niece hasn't started playing with dolls just yet but once she does I definitely will plan on passing this idea along. Thanks Jo.
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http://msmorgansrealitycheck.blogspot.com/2012/09/labor-day-giveaway.html
That's absolutely fantastic! Such a great cheaper option! You can pick those book cases up for super cheap!
ReplyDeleteWhaaaat??!! Coolest idea EVER!
ReplyDeleteSo creative! I have no children but love the idea of making one for my inner child ;)
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Whaaaat??!! Coolest idea EVER!
ReplyDeleteWhaaaat??!! Coolest idea EVER!
ReplyDeleteWhaaaat??!! Coolest idea EVER!
ReplyDeleteThis is way too amazing and a week too late! I just bought a $50 cheapy Barbie dollhouse for my daughter's birthday that doesn't even compare to this one! Maybe this will be a Christmas gift - LOVE LOVE it!!
ReplyDeletethis is amazing! i loved my doll house growing up
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ReplyDeleteMy mom did that wrapping/wall paper thing with me when i was little! we made shoe-box apartments :)
ReplyDeleteHere are my two cents, Jo, as a mom of 3 boys and (like you) with limited space: Get Toby a very simple, undecorated doll house, like this one we have from Ryan's Room (http://www.amazon.com/Ryans-Room-Home-Where-Heart/dp/B00008XL3S)
ReplyDeleteI know it's kind of expensive, but here's why it is so great: you can change it over and over again as his interests change! We got one when my oldest was two, and since then, it has housed many families, but it has also been a barn, a fire station, a castle, a super-hero hideout, a school and a hospital! At first, I wanted to put in wallpaper and cute little house details, but I am so glad that I didn't, because now it can be anything they imagine it to be.
That bookshelf house is super cute, too! I made something similar that you can see here: http://thebroodinghen.blogspot.com/2011/03/house-bookshelf.html
p.s. Remember this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEU8CjPIrpw
My dad got samples of both carpets and wallpaper to outfit my dollhouse when I was little!
ReplyDeleteI once saw a dollhouse-diy on the blog by Joel Henriques (http://madebyjoel.com/tag/doll-houses) and they are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteA bookcase seem to be an obvious choice for a dollhouse. In all my (failed) attempts to make a DIY dollhouse, I cannot believe it never once crossed my mind to use this method!
ReplyDeleteI posted about dollhouses in my blog, and this one was one of my favorites! So clever! I want to make a dollhouse for Daniela for her second birthday! And we also love wooden toys!
ReplyDeleteTHAT is such a gorgeous idea, thank you for sharing.. My little boy would love a dolls house too. And this even looks cool!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I had this idea when I was 6 years old and turned my bookshelf into an apartment complex for Barbies. :) (Though my house was not nearly as pimped out as this one).
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea -- also I LOVE that you aren't discouraging your boy from playing with dolls.
When my daughter was 4 we gave her a dolls house - it had belonged to my sister in law, we remodeled it and made it look like the first house we lived in. She loved it so much it will need remodeling before the next owner gets it
ReplyDeleteI definitely had one of those 'why didn't i think of this moment'. This is such a genius idea.
ReplyDeleteI love it!!! it's so cute!!
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That's fantastic! You find the coolest things!
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I love this idea SO much!!! And if you coordinate the color of the shelves and the "wallpaper" to your child's room, even if they get tired of using it as a dollhouse, it's still a functional bookcase. :-)
ReplyDeleteWow , great idea.
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That's brilliant.
ReplyDeleteOMG, this is such a cute idea. Love the tutorial. So creative and simple to make. Thanks for sharing it Joanna!
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ReplyDeleteSuper creative and cute! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat to know for my future daughter (son not so into dolls or things like that yet).
-Tara
http://madmaxandfamily.blogspot.com
http://blog.chron.com/madabouttown/
I've been meaning to make this for my 3 year old. such a good idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea. THANK YOU for finding and sharing. I think I'd like this more than a bought one as you can completely tailor make it. Toby will love one. I hope you show us his when/if you do it. Jx
ReplyDeleteAnother option for walls, decor, and fabulous dollhouse creating -- buy the wooden room kits, where you glue the little balsa wood pieces together & get to paint them fun colors -- simple, family fun! Scrapbook paper makes GREAT wallpaper in doll houses -- and carpet samples from carpet stores or home improvement places are perfect for carpeting your house! :) Happy house hunting!
ReplyDeleteadorable. In similar whimsy, my husband's company just made this piano shelf for a child's room: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=425798587455651&set=a.393436757358501.83550.391192864249557&type=1&theater
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea!!
ReplyDeleteyay! I knew you could DIY one! You can do it! And when he's old enough to know, he will think you are the coolest handmade mama ever, even if you just add wallpaper to an Ikea Expedit bookcase:)
ReplyDeleteI've got my eye on this for when my own little Lamb is ready. I love the reinventability! And that, when that kind of play is over, it can be a plain ol' bookcase again.
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What a clever idea. And great to have open license to create however you want. I know my daughter would love this. :)
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