I have an American Girl Doll...girl. She is 11 and adores dolls. Being 11 means she is also capable of managing a craft of her own choosing without making a ginormous mess. I have been waiting for this day to come...
She was perusing the internet for all things American Girl, and came across a couple of websites and YouTube channels. The YouTube videos show gigantic handmade, ceiling to floor and wall to wall doll houses, with 10+ rooms and full of furniture that the dolls can stand in and actually use. It was seriously impressive.
Here are a couple of those videos.
I'm left to wonder, why oh why didn't I think of this???
The DIY website she found is called "American Girl Ideas" and you can find it here at americangirlideas.com.
The project she picked, after HOURS of debate, was "Julie's Table & Chairs". Julie is the doll from 1974, so her furniture reflects that time period.
The list of supplies is longish, but you probably have most of the items on hand, which is a large factor in whether or not we do crafts around here.
Everything can be cut with scissors, and this is another big bonus.
This is our mid-project photo, the table is assembled, and the chair and base still needed to be glued together. We chose two spray paint colors we had on hand, and blessedly Girl #3 was please with this option. $ saved.
The finished product was darling, and the dolls could actually sit, albeit not very comfortably. As AGD's knees don't bend, this makes sitting awkward.
The hot glue lasted about two days on the chairs with the torque the dolls place on the joint as they sit. I'm not sure how to fix this without melting the chair plastic. I also would like to figure out a heavier base for the chair than the 2.5" steel washer that we glued under the round base.
Photo Cred: Girl #3
She also made the "Hot Lunch" food set from the printable she found on the same website, because obviously there must be something on the table when dolls sit down at it. Without a color printer it was a little lack-luster but she was thrilled, which is all I ask for. Cutest video ever, it's long, but it's her perspective.
All in all it was successful, my daughter was proud of her accomplishment and played for hours with the set. I was probably a little more involved in the process than I needed to be, but my inner perfectionist wouldn't let go. Girl #3 is totally capable of spraying furniture, although my trust in her ability to NOT spray the porch was low.
Have fun with your kids and let them be in charge sometimes!
Lily is asking for an AG doll this year. I am beyond cheap and love to make things myself so this post was quite helpful! We will go name brand for the doll, of course, but I'm excited to make her some clothes and bedding and such.
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