Dollhouse

I’ve been so excited for this post! A few months ago, Don and I happened upon the sweetest dollhouse at our local thrift store. I tried to talk myself out of it, but in the end, it came home with us! I really didn’t need another project, but this house was SO charming (and only $35) so I said yes.

When I was little (probably 9), all I wanted for Christmas was a dollhouse. My mom worked for hours on it before giving it to me. The house was originally hers and it felt like such a special gift! We spent a bunch of time working on it together- and they are such happy memories to me!

So, this just felt right. And even though it’s not a typical “boy” toy, Don loves it! We’ve spent hours playing here. And he’s helped paint most of the furniture. We’re trying to make it look like our home- which has made the project even more fun! Ready to see how its looking now?

dollhouse progress

Here is Momma Cat working in the kitchen! I searched everywhere for dolls for the house, but thought they looked creepy. So we choose a Calico Critters Cat Family.

At first, I bought all of the dollhouse furniture from Hobby Lobby. That’s were the kitchen set (cabinets, fridge, oven) is from as well as the stool, pot, iced tea pitcher, succulent centerpiece, pink tray, dishes and silverware, and cookies. Don and I have had fun stopping by the store after Preschool and picking one thing out. We’ve been working on this for a few months and now have quite the collection!

ebay

Then, I figured out that eBay has REALLY cheap dollhouse stuff! Most everything I got was between $1 and $3 each- including shipping. The chairs (which I painted pink), pink plants, white pitcher, cloche, metal dessert stand, crock with utensils, shelves, and canisters are all from eBay!

Side note, I didn’t show it, but I got the CUTEST mini dollhouse off eBay for $2. It opens up and looks adorable. It’s available in blue or pink.

budget friendly dollhouse decor

Here’s a round up of my favorite items that I’ve found for my dollhouse for super cheap! All are under $3 and most are around $1. The beauty of decorating a dollhouse is that its really affordable!

1. Pink Pot / 2. Dessert Stand / 3. Crock with Utencils / 4. Canisters / 5. Cuckoo Clock / 6. Hydrangea in Blue Pot / 7. Dollhouse / 8. Plants in Pink Pot / 9. Welcome Mat

I’ll admit, I was a little nervous to order these items. They come straight from China and its hard to tell if they’re a good size online (even though they all say they’re 1:12 scale, which is what my house is). There are a few items that arrived that I wasn’t as excited about. But I am sharing the items I LOVE that were worth the $1.50 gamble ;). The items say they take up to 35 days to arrive. Most of mine arrived within 15-20 days.

I painted the cabinets and fridge with chalk paint to match ours. The best part about this is that I was able to work on the dollhouse while Don played with it- definitely a win, win situation! Behind the shelves, I installed doll backsplash that is supposed to look like tile. I love it! It is installed with liquid nails as are the shelves (and they seem to be staying up nicely).

I’ve been focusing on the kitchen, but the living room is coming along nicely too. The mint sofa and white occasional tables are both from Hobby Lobby. The round end table is from eBay. I need to add accessories, a rug, drapes, and replace the art. For the front door, it came with a cute one, but came detached, so that needs to be repaired.

wood floors

I wasn’t a fan of the mustard colored floors, so I decided to put down wood floors (that I purchased from Hobby Lobby with a coupon). The trickiest part of this was making a template and then cutting it out. To do that, I carefully measured and drew it out on the wood floors. Then I cut the wood with my Dremel Multi-Max and an exact-o knife. To install it, I out a bead of liquid nails on the floors and spread it out with a popsicle stick.

The wood floor is composed of tiny planks of wood. I installed the floor in 3 strips by cutting the floors along the seams. The wood does come with adhesive backing, but mine didn’t stick well so I opted to glue it down with Liquid Nails.

To really finish everything off, I added in tiny base boards! Can you even?! We also cut into the trim on the walls so that the kitchen cabinet could be built-in.

after- with the new wood floors

Ta da! Isn’t it looking even cuter?!

Don’t worry, the cat family has a Christmas Tree (and presents under it)!

I’ve had SO much fun working on this project! Each day, as I have time to make updates, I’ve been sharing them on Instagram Stories. As I’ve shared the progress (and how much fun Don and I have been having), I’ve received countless messages. I’m so, so happy this project has been fun for everyone!