Upholstered American Girls Doll Bed Plans

Aloha!

What do you do when it's Friday night, and your 4-year-old has a birthday party to attend the next day, and you REALLY don't want to make a trip to Wal-mart with all your kids--and your husband is busy (longest sentence ever)?  :)

You sort through  your scraps and build something, of course! 

I had both a 1x6 scrap and a 1x8 scrap, so I thought they would make the perfect headboard and footboard for an upholstered American Girls doll bed.

CUT LIST:

1x6 - 1@ 8" long for footboard

1x8 - 1@ 8" long for headboard

1x2 - 2@ 9" long for headboard posts

       - 2@ 7.25" long for footboard posts

       - 5@ 9.5" long for slats

1x3 - 2@ 19" long for side rails

Step 1)  Attach headboard posts to headboard by either using pocket screws and a jig or using 2.5" screws and glue (like I did)

Step 2)  Do the same for the footboard pieces

Step 3)  Build your base using 1.5" nails and wood glue. I chose to do 1x3's on the siderails, so the mattress sits down inside the rails a bit.

Step 4) Upholster the headboard and footboard, but as you can see from this pic below, I was careful not to staple along the bottom quite yet since you will need to lift it up to attach them to the base. And upholster your side rails.

Step 5) Use 1.5" screws and attach the headboard and footboard to your base. I think I did 5 screws on each end.

Since it was for my daughter's friend, I let her dig through all my fabric and choose the upholstery, pillow fabrics, and bedding fabrics. I wasn't loving all the black and white, but she insisted that's what she wanted. And she chose just a basic soft felt fabric for the comforter and wouldn't let me even put any trim on it! I had to practically beg her to let me give it the pink accent pillow. Ha!

You can see that as I was in a hurry to build, I didn't measure my headboard and footboard pieces correctly, so my side rails are slightly inset. I like the look of the flush side rails, so that is how the plans are.

I'm happy to report that the bed was the hit of the party, and it's become a favorite toy already. Can't beat that! And it helped use up some of my scrap stash, and that always makes my husband happy!  Double win!

I wish I had a picture with the dolls, so you can see the size, but this it large. It's built to fit an American Girl 18" doll! So fun to give handmade gifts!

Here are the final dimensions:

Here are links to my doll bedding tutorials and other doll beds:

DIY Canopy Doll Bed
Doll Bedding - Jelly Roll Pillow
Doll Bedding - Small Button Pillow
Cheater Version - Farmhouse Doll Bed
How to Sew Boxed Cushions and Doll Mattresses

Aloha,

Charlie

I'm a Craft Hoarder, and I Know It... GIVEAWAY!

Okay, friends. Here's the skinny. I'm trying to clean out and organize my craft stuff, and it's just ridiculously embarrassing. My husband is sick of all my crap, and I have duplicates of many things, SOOOOO...some other bloggers and I have joined forces to bring you an amazing giveaway!

Amy at A Nest For All Seasons, Charlie at Attempting Aloha, Sarah at Craft Quickies, Carissa at Creative Green Living,

Heidi, Kari, Lesley, Kelley & Jessica at Eight By Five, McKenzie at Girl Loves Glam, Malia at Yesterday on Tuesday,

Carrie at Making Lemonade, Sara at Mom Endeavors, Heidi at Mom's Crafty Space, Kari at Newlyweds on a Budget,

Vanessa at Our Thrifty Ideas, Kristen at Pearl Gateway, Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts, Summer at Summer Scraps,

Angie at The Country Chic Cottage, Michele at The Scrap Shoppe, Karah at The Space Between, and Meredith at Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home.

We're also joined by our friends from the newly launched site, Looksi, a carefully curated collection of crafts and DIY ideas.

All of these amazing people have offered up a box full of goodies from their unused stash of craft supplies, and SEVEN lucky readers are each going to walk away with three of these incredible goodie boxes! Be sure to click on the links above to visit all of the blogs to catch a sneak peek at what's inside some of our boxes!

Because we're shipping in USPS flat rate boxes, this giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

RAFFLECOPTER: a Rafflecopter giveaway


Sweet, right?  So there will be 7 lucky people to each receive three boxes of stuff! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to see my box of stuff that I'll post tomorrow. :)

Aloha,

Charlie

You Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em...

Aloha!


While I realize this is a DIY blog, and I pride myself on my DIY skills, sometimes it doesn't always pay to do something yourself.  This is an important lesson to learn, and sometimes it takes swallowing a little bit of pride when you know you could make something perfectly fine yourself!

Today I thought I'd give you an example, along with some fun pics of my beautiful little guy (one of my top 4 DIY projects of all time).  ;)

In my HANDMADE GIFTS FOR BOYS post, I showed a pic of a baby Onesie(R)that was designed to look like a little football. I LOVED it. So cute. And while I was still pregnant, I started scouring the Internet and retail stores to find a little brown Onesie to use.

I also wanted to do a Clark Kent/Superman one, so a blue one was also on my list. The problem was, I couldn't find any! It was really hard to find them solid-colored. The ones I did find were around $12 each PLUS shipping. Boo.

But then I accidentally stumbled across an Etsy shop called Custom Twosies that sells a huge variety of baby bodysuits/Onesies for $20 for a pair! They had BOTH the football one AND the superman one! I was so excited that I emailed them immediately. They were so nice and friendly and asked me what customization I wanted. I chose to have the football laces printed on the back rather than the front like I've seen since I knew I wanted him to be curled up in a little ball.

Isn't he a doll?!  Cutest little BYU Football fan E.V.E.R!

They turned out exactly like I had envisioned!

They also offered to make a custom letter in the Superman logo, but I like the traditional S.

This one just cracks me up! "To the RESCUE!!"

For anyone wondering where I bought the glasses...they were actually lime green baby sunglasses that I found at Target. I popped out the lenses and took a black Sharpie to them. ;)

Being a super hero is exhausting.

So if you've been wanting to DIY these Onesies for your little guy (or as a gift), might I recommend saving yourself some time and money by visiting Custom Twosies?  You can thank me later. :)

Have you ever had a DIY project that ended up costing more than if you had just purchased it to begin with?


Aloha,

Charlie


A BIG THANK YOU to my friend, Cari, for taking most of these beautiful pictures!!

I did decide to make my own Onesies for the monthly pictures I'm taking of him, though, and you can find the free printable for boy AND girl versions HERE.

The Little Rocking Chair that Could

Aloha!

Here's a little story about a persistent 3-year-old who likes to ride with me in the car when I check out "curb alerts" I see on Craigslist.

One evening I saw a post on Craigslist for free lumber, and it was near my house. As I jumped in the car, my daughter begged to go with me, so I happily strapped her in her carseat, and we were off on our adventure. When we got there, the promised lumber was waiting, and there was also this little hideous well-loved rocking chair.  We'll call the chair "Pat".

As soon as my sweet 3-year-old laid eyes on Pat, she had to have it. I told her it was garbage and that mommy couldn't fix those slats on the seat. It was just too old and beat up. ((seriously...LOOK at that damage))

But she cried and begged, and flattered me by saying, "You fix everything, mommy."  And the challenge was on. So I threw it in my car, and we were on our way.

At first, I had visions of gluing the slats and sanding them down really well. FAIL.
Then I thought I might cut new slats. FAIL. (the curves in them made it way too awkward)

But I had removed all the other slats and sanded it down as much as my poor arms could handle.

And then inspiration struck, and I decided to just make one single seat and then upholster it!

I measured out the seat and cut out my piece with a jig saw.

Then I cut out some left-over foam padding from the doll bed mattresses I had made.

Then used an old blanket as the batting that I used in THIS project.

And the final step was to let my daughter shop in my fabric closet. Also, somewhere along the lines I painted it white. ;)

Quick recap:  Free chair + left-over wood, padding, batting, paint, and fabric + 1 hour of mom's life = the most delighted 3-year-old ever and one proud mama.

Not bad at all.


Aloha,

Charlie

DIY Baby Monthly Onesies and Free Printables

Aloha,

I'll keep today's post short and sweet! I made these monthly Onesies (R)  as a baby shower gift for a friend of mine and then did some more for my own little guy and thought I'd share the printable here with you.

The printables are for months 1-12, and I just used iron-on transfer paper. The printables are facing the normal direction, but remember that they need to be printed in reverse. Look through  your printer options to do that. My printer has "iron-on paper" as one of the paper settings, and it automatically flips it. Test it out on a regular sheet of paper to make sure it's printing right, so you don't waste your transfer paper. :)

The hardest part about this project is finding enough Onesies in the right sizes without breaking the bank. They usually come in packs of 4-6, and I had a hard time finding the sizes I needed. Ugh! I think I ended up paying about $22, and I had a couple left over. Different brands have different sizes, too, so I think I had a pack of 3-6 month that I used for months 4-6 and then a 3-9 month that I used for 7-9.

Aren't they cute?!

I like giving practical packaging instead of the standard gift bags. I bought this little bin at Dollar Tree and lined it with tissue paper. Then I folded each of the sides in on each Onesie and rolled them up, so the month was showing. I actually put the bigger months on the bottom and months 1-6 on the top.

Such a fun gift!  Now let's just hope the baby isn't a chunker. ;)   I have my little guy's all printed out but am waiting to iron them on one month at a time since he's big! That 2 month pic (right on his 2 month bday) he's actually in a 3-6 month size! Ha!!

HERE is the link for the girl version.

HERE is the link for the boy version.

I'd love to hear or see pics if you decide to make these. Please comment or share a pic on my Facebook page if you do.

Aloha,

Charlie

Angel Costume - Halo Tutorial

In the past week, my kids have needed angel costumes on two different occasions. The first one was for our church's nativity scene. I hadn't given much thought to it and ended up Googling angel halo diy that day (yes, I'm a slacker) and eventually just making one out of a paper plate and aluminum foil that rested on their heads. Very homemade. Kinda embarrassing for a die-hard crafter. lol

My friend, Cari, and I were trying to come up with another angel costume but this time for a dance recital...

As I was browsing Dollar Tree, I came across this gold tinsel garland, and the lights clicked on!

For only $3 and with 15 minutes, you can easily make 4+ halos.

SUPPLIES:

Gold tinsel garland (about 5 feet per halo, and it comes in a 50 foot roll)
Craft pipe cleaners (need 2 per halo)
Headbands (4 pack for $1)


STEP 1: Wrap one pipe cleaner around the headband, starting in the center. I think I wrapped mine around two or three times on each side.

STEP 2: Make a circle out of the other pipe cleaner and twist the ends together.

STEP 3: Place the two prongs of the pipe cleaner through the center of the circle until they are about 1 - 1.5" high, and then wrap excess around the circle to attach.

STEP 4: Wrap the garland around the circle until it is completely filled in and no white is showing. I found it was easiest to use about 1.5' pieces at a time, and I think I used about 3. It has a very small wire in it, so it stays attached on its own. You don't even need glue for this one! Easy peasy. ;)

Happy holidays!

Aloha,

Charlie

10-minute Snowflake Ornament "Wreath"

I have a confession...my front door was naked last Christmas. Yep. No wreath. I made new stockings for us and new ornaments and tons of homemade gifts for my kids, and I sort of skipped that part. 

Honestly, I didn't even miss is much!

But this year I used most of the same decorations, so I didn't have that much Christmas crafting to do and have been feeling like I need to do something. So I invented a "wreath". 

I had no idea exactly what I was setting out to accomplish when I went to the Dollar Tree. I just kind of threw stuff in my cart that looked snowflakey and fun. 

I bought these three different kinds of ornaments. One set was foam with some solid white and some with glitter. One set was a hard plastic with glitter, and the last set was white plastic with some tinsel-like, fuzzy stuff on it.

And here's how I made my 10-minute "wreath".

STEP 1:

Cut a circle out of a piece of foam board. I used a dinner plate to trace mine. ;)

STEP 2: Layer your snowflake ornaments and hot glue on. I did the solid white foamies first.

Then glitter foamies.

Then the plastic glitter ones, and then the feathery ones on top.

STEP 3: Find white ribbon laying around (if you're a craft hoarder like me) and tie a bow on it and call it a day. ;)

Super easy!

I didn't mean to make it look like an ornament, but once I got it on the door, I realized that's what it looks like. It's cute! And you can't beat a 10-minute project that only uses Dollar Tree items. Ha!

Isn't the red door all festive? I didn't paint it, but I love it!

Aloha,

Charlie