Like I mentioned in my introductory post, I furnished the entire dollhouse with things I found around my own house. Junk, recyclables, scraps and other random pieces. Here are the details.
The couch and pillows were made from fabric and batting scraps. I sewed them but also used a bit of hot glue to get the back of the couch to stay upright. The coffee table is a plastic cap from a bottle of orange juice and a metal frozen juice can lid. The end table is one of those takeout pizza protector things painted and with another metal lid on top. The rug is a FLOR carpet sample.
The TV is a small silver photo frame with the glass removed. It’s sort of hard to see in the photos above, but I inserted a printed picture of The Muppets (one of Elise’s favorite movies). The TV unit is a wooden block.
When I found the house at the thrift store, there were a few stairs missing. I repaired them by gluing some small pieces of a yardstick in place. Surprisingly, they seem pretty sturdy.
The dining room table is made from a couple of wooden blocks (from an incomplete brainteaser-type puzzle) and a white countertop sample. The artwork is a 4×6 inch photo print mounted onto some cardboard with Mod Podge, and then I hot glued onto the wall.
I should have known that the laptop would be the first thing Elise would go for when she saw the house for the first time. I started with a tiny hinged plastic case for a camera memory card and then took some buttons from a broken calculator and glued those in. For the screen, I printed a snapshot from Miyazaki’s Ponyo (another one of our favorite films) and used Mod Podge to glue it in place.
The black chairs were made from L-shaped plastic bracket covers and a couple of pieces of scrap wood for the legs.
See all the dollhouse posts
Before photos >>
Part 1: Part 1: Whole house after photos >>
Part 2: Living Room / Dining Room >>
Part 3: Kitchen >>
Part 4: Landing / Sitting Room >>
Part 5: Bedroom >>
Part 6: Bathroom >>
This is all extremely well done. Lots of good ideas for my daughter’s two doll houses, thank you! Lots of greetings from Norway.
Thanks so much! Greetings from St. Louis, US!
Adorable!
Thanks!
This is awesome. You are a genius.
Thanks, Melody!
This is one of the most amazingly creative things I’ve ever seen!!! Plus, it’s exactly what I was looking for! I’m trying to decorate the inside of my childrens’ dollhouse for free, especially since they are twin 3 yr olds, a 5 yr old and a 7 yr old. They break everything. I’m hitting our recycle bin and my husband’s workshop in the garage! Thank you!!!!!!! 🙂
Aw, thank you! Good luck on your dollhouse. It was a lot of fun!
You are so creative! Looking for ideas for dollhouse furniture that I won’t care if my great nieces break. I have mine from when I was little over 50 years ago and don’t want to have it broken. So this would fit the bill.
Great! Hope you can use some of these ideas!
Thank You So Much, you are so smart and clever with recycling materials that are just lying around. The kids always bring home weird things they find like wood pencil and eraser bits. Very innovative, thanks again.
Thank you! Maybe you and your kids can make something from their treasures!
After years of wanting, including letters to Santa, I am at last gettinbg a dolls house for Christmas, and can’t wait to start furnishing it. I too do not want to spend oodles on ready made furniture, and want to make all my own, from odds and ends found around the house. I’m a crafter and crafty.
Your tips have started the creative juices flowing. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Have fun with your new house!