Friday, May 10, 2013

A Pretty Girly DollHouse - Part 1



When I was a child - about 7 years old, one of our school craft projects was to make a dollhouse using a shoebox. It was a pretty straightforward creation - one room with a little furniture but it is the one school project that has remained with me so many years later. I've always wanted to try that again but this time I took it to a larger scale. I used a large discarded carton and went to town converting it to a dollhouse that any little girl would LOVE.


Dr Sonia of Cards and School Projects did a Shadow Box for this blog a couple of months ago and it was so cute that her daughter converted it into a dollhouse. I used the same principle to create my dollhouse. I started with a fairly large carton which was lying around the house. I cut out the closing flaps to make it an open carton. I turned it on the side and this became the front of the house. I used the flaps to create an upper level and walls such that I had a four room dollhouse. I used some additional carton scraps to create the roof and voila, the shell of the house was done!


Then I had some fun embellishing it. I first covered the roof with some red corrugated sheets from Itsy Bitsy and then proceeded to the inside. I chose a different colour scheme for each room and choose appropriate papers from the DCVW Fresh Floral Stack to cover the walls and flowers. Finally to cover the ugly edges of the carton, I used loads of Itsy Bitsy self-adhesive paper frills and this suddenly made the house look so girly and pretty!


I also had some fun with the windows. I didn't attempt to cut out window holes from the carton as it was really tough cardboard and I was sure I would destroy it. So I just created an illusion of windows by cutting out the shape on some white card stock using my paper cutter. I made an outside view of hillsides and blue sky using some blue and green punch paper and on top of that I created drapes. I found some lace in my stash and used it to make frilly little curtain for each room. I even used a strip of grosgrain ribbon to create a little pelmet. Cute isn't it! 



Now on to the outer facade. For this, I used regular white card stock which I cut to size and glued to the side of the box to create the 2 large doors. This time I made real windows as the card was easy to work with and for the window frame I used Pearl Pink Card Stock. I created the creeper effect using some green fillers all over the 2 corners of the house and added a few pretty roses for added appeal. 



I made the front door again using pink pearl card stock and I embossed some vellum to create some panels in the door. And how do you like my door knobs! They're pearl brads from Itsy Bitsy! A thin strip of ribbon keeps the door locked 


Whew, my dollhouse was ready! I just LOVE how it turned out. I did have my doubts in the beginning, but the final outcome is everything I imagined. The next step will be furnishing the house so look out for 2 more posts in the coming weeks where I will create furniture for each of the rooms of this little house. Such FUN!!!

Hope you also enjoyed my pretty dollhouse. Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions and if you've tried this, leave a link and I will surely stop by!

Supplies Used

33 comments:

  1. oh wow... this is so amazing... love the subtle color tone and the gorgeous lace you have used... you never fail to amaze me sunehra...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow thanks Khush, this one has amazed me too, can't tell you how pathetic it was looking early on.

      Delete
  2. wow so beautiful... lovely window doors .. gorgeous

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whackily Crazy and awesome!!! Love love the lace curtains and the pretty papers!! I never had a doll house, but surely would have loved one like this!!

    P.s. just one request, the white blur that you apply around your photos (probably a filter effect) takes away from the sharpness of the photos..could you try changing that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Tejal, thanks so much, I wish I had a dollhouse like this too!
      Regs the photos, thanks for the feedback, I truly appreciate it. Have to admit I went a little overboard with the frost edge.. thanks again

      Delete
  4. This is awesome! Love the colors, the frills and the papers !

    ReplyDelete
  5. I too loved the lace curtains and the pretty papers....superb...!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the lace curtains are my mom's influence, she's had them in our home all our lives.

      Delete
  6. Superb,, I feel like making one myself and re-live my childhood..it's too too cute and somehow I agree with Tejal, the blurring does steal the beauty !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha - wish I had one like this to relive! Thanks for the feedback on the photos, will keep in mind for the future.

      Delete
  7. Aww.This is so adorable.I always wanted a doll house of my own and I still want it.I love the little curtains and the door.I am sure this took a lot of time and effort.Can't wait to see the funrniture you make.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG, you have no idea. It was looking so pathetic so I couldn't sleep. Was up till 3am making it look like this. Thanks so much. You know even I still want one! Haha

      Delete
  8. this is sooo sooo gorgeous!! any girl would love it... all the embellishing is so very pretty...thanks for sharing the idea... would definitely try it sometime...:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yesss! You must, it wasn't that tough, a fun delightful hobby!

      Delete
  9. wow...absolutely stunning sunehra!! will surely make a one for my princesses :) tx for inspiring !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Princesses? Really wow! had no idea Shivani. then you must make one and do share the photos... would love to see your spin on it!

      Delete
  10. WOw ! What an lovely doll house and I loved the up-cycling of carton box.The windows with pretty curtains look fab !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hey Pooja - I knew you'd love the recycling element! Thanks so much!

      Delete
  11. so beautiful sunehra.loved the curtains

    ReplyDelete
  12. Replies
    1. Hey Deepthi, thanks a lot, so glad you liked it.

      Delete
  13. What a lovely Doll house, Sunehra...!!! I really loved the transformation of a discarded carton to something so adorable.....!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hey thanks a lot Prachi, you won't believe it, this my 3rd attempt. Finally had the patience to see it through and so happy with the result!

      Delete
  14. Sunehra,this doll house is absolutely amazing!...Everything a little girl dreams of for sure! :)...What a transformation you have done from a plain carton to this beautifully finished doll-house..Waiting to see the part 2 quite eagerly I must say!..My god the the things that you come up with..i am totally floored :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. what a fabulous transformation Sunehra!! looking forward to the next...
    http://www.kalasirjana.blogspot.in/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow!! Beautiful!! I need one Sunehra.. :D

    ReplyDelete
  17. hey sunehra thats wonderful ..those curtains are too pretty...waiting for your next post...http://twistyquilllingcreations.blogspot.in/

    ReplyDelete
  18. The front of the house is equally beautiful Sunehra..loved the trees outside the house..brilliant one and hats off to you.

    ReplyDelete