I went to AC Moore and Michaels to look at the various dollhouse miniatures and accessories available. We also have Hobby Town and other smaller hobby shops, and I have a few decor items from when I started collecting for my miniature dollhouse (which is now for sale on Craigslist), and I was really surprised by the prices. The basic electricity kit is $99 and most of the lighting, ceiling lights and basic chandeliers, are around $49. Wallpaper is $9.99 per roll (only enough for one wall), carpet is $12.99 per roll, faux tile and faux linoleum $12.99 per roll, and shingles (get this) $49 for a bag, only enough for one side of the house's roof. So, naturally, the wheels started turning about what I could use "instead." Also, most of the scale in the dollhouse sections of craft stores will be for miniatures. Most of the Barbie scale items in toy stores will be bright pink and plastic. Again, per my last post, with the size of the Pullip head, you can use a lot of "normal" items for decorating. Since I like to redecorate from time to time (just like I do my house), I was interested in lesser expensive items that I won't feel guilty about throwing out, so $9.99 per roll wallpaper is out. A great solution: find a great selection of pay-per-piece scrapbooking paper. The textures, thickness and artwork is fantastic, and depending on the style, they are about 49 cents to $1.99 per piece (enough for one wall) and if you want to redecorate, toss it out with out guilt. Want to compare (go to www.dollhousecity.com)
I only have a few rooms, and since I already decided to use one of my American Girl-sized beds (the trundle drawer from a larger faux wrought-iro bed), the top floor is the bedroom, and the two middle floors will be the bathroom and kitchen. The bottom floor will be a living room. I want a pink retro-type theme for the kitchen, an Oriental theme for the bathroom, and for the bedroom, tones of brown and teal. I used $1.89/bottle craft paint for the bedroom, and I pieced together scrapbook papers for the walls. I affixed the paper with strong double-sided scrapbooking tape, strong enough to withstand things I want to hang on the walls but light enough to remove.
The scrapbooking section is fantastic for finding wall decor, too, and it's really about walking around the stores and looking at things from your doll's point of view. Think what the size of the item would look like in the room or on the wall from the size of a doll, and then compare the scale to how big it would be if it were "your" size in your room/house. Too big? Too small?
For flooring, I decided that there are some things that I don't want to compromise - one of them is appropriate scale. I could get a piece of linoleum cheaply at the hardware store, but the scale would be too big for what I wanted in the kitchen, so I decided to get the dollhouse one. Carpet, however, is manageable, and at my local fabric store, I found great upholstery remants by designer greats like Waverly, P. Kaufman and Robert Allen for $2 each. Again, look at the fabric and think about what it looks like to a doll - Berber? Sissal? Bamboo? If you can't find what you want in the remnants, you can typically by 1/4 or 1/3 yards, whatever you need. I affixed these with double-sided removeable 3M foamed tape. It would bunch, but I can remove or change it later.
Kitchen - Before
Bathroom - Before
I am still working on these two rooms. The floor of the bathroom is to simulate bamboo. A sushi roller, found in a grocery store, can be used, but be sure to glue the fibers before you cut, or you will have a pile of sticks. I haven't glued mine yet, because I am determining the size.
Scrapbooking stickers on vellum can mimic vinyl wall decals:
Use your imagination to design your walls and floors! Next, some decor..
