Monday, July 30, 2012

You can make this for Christmas Day 7- Somewhere to sit

 Last Christmas I made so many of these chairs as gifts I have lost count, but this pattern from Doll Tag Design is my most favorite pattern! Like all Liberty Jane Patterns this pattern is offered at $3.99 and has great step by step photos on how to create your own chair. Click here for the pattern site
Also offered from Doll Tag Designs are the Round Chair and


The Patchy Bean Bag


If you are looking to make your own wooden place to sit the amazing Ana White has a great wood working pattern for you her Fiona's Doll Adirondack Chair pattern can be found here

To my brother in law JD this is what I want for Christmas Ana White's Picnic Table  the pattern can be found here

I made my dolls their own couch with a great pattern I got from Creations by Deevee's Etsy shop 

For my 6 inch doll lovers who could forget the wonderful furniture for the 6 inch dolls Denise created a pattern for, click here for that listing.

I hope you have enjoyed this week long "You Can make This"  suggestions and that you have been inspired to create for your own doll loving friends and family for the up coming holiday season.

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Sunday, July 29, 2012

You can make this for Christmas Day 6-Blankets, Quilts and Sleeping Bags

I want so badly to learn to make this pattern, I am currently all thumbs with a hook but this blanket is just like the one my Great Grandmother made for me in the 1970's. This Pixeldust Design from Stacy and Stella is a FREE pattern on the Liberty Jane Pattern site

If you are looking to make your doll lover some doll blankets and are not handy with a hook or a needle, I posted this no sew throw blanket craft when I was early in my blogging career. Click here for the tutorial.
This incredibly easy sleeping bag and pillow set was so much fun to make.
I made mine using the tutorial I found on www.100directions.com

You can make a 6 inch doll one similar to this one using my tutorial from Doll Diaries by clicking 
here

If you want to try your hand at quilting (on my list for next year) give this tutorial a try from Sew, Mama Sew

 

If you are more advanced try this tutorial from Peas in A Pod by Clicking Here

The PDF instructions for this quilt can be down loaded  by clicking here
I love the look of this quilt! Click here for Film in the Fridge tutorial

I hope you have enjoyed today's links!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Saturday, July 28, 2012

You can make this for Christmas Day 5-Holiday Dresses

The holiday season is filled with parties and excuses to dress in your finest clothes, you can make the doll lover in your life a great holiday dress like the ones shown here. Even if you are new to sewing do not shy away from these dresses!
Click here for the Midnight Gala Dress listing on the Liberty Jane Pattern site offered at $3.99
I enjoyed making this dress last holiday season and think you will too. Click here for the listing for the Colorblock & Corsage Dress.
I love the look of the Aspen Party Dress and know this will be a holiday favorite for the 2012 holiday season. Click here for the pattern site offered at $3.99
I have purchased this pattern to make for this year, I think the name of the dress is what got me! Now I just need to find the perfect material to create my own Frozen Hot Chocolate dress for the doll lovers of my life. Click here for the pattern listing

A non- Liberty Jane pattern that has also caught my eye for this season is the Holiday dress
From Strictly Homeade and is a $2.50 pattern! Click here for listing!

Even if you are new to sewing with a little practice and some inexpensive fabric you can create a doll wardrobe the doll lover in your life you can be proud of!  I began sewing doll clothes in October of 2010 and with practice and the use of patterns that are step by step from Liberty Jane I gained confidence and skills that allowed me to create my nieces doll clothes they just loved! I found out for myself that when I tired a new pattern it took me 3 tries to perfect the sewing and I felt really proud of myself for not giving up! So if you are thinking of giving it a try go for it! You can email me your questions and I will see if I can help you out if you get stuck!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Friday, July 27, 2012

You can make this for Christmas Day 4- Doll Food

Today I wanted to show you how easy it is to create doll food for your holiday advent calendar or for fun gift giving sets!
Click here to see how I made the foam food shown above.

Even if you are not very crafty you can create wonderful doll food using magazines and advertizements from your local paper and flyer inserts. To see my post from Doll Diaries click here
Guest blogger Brandy has created some amazing doll food creations click here to see how she made her doll food waffle maker and waffles.

Brandy's Easter Fest can easily be made into a winter holiday feast click here to see how she created this wonderful holiday feast
Don't forget that foam stickers can make the best holiday doll cookies!

There are so many wonderful ways you can make doll food! Try creating baked items with salt dough, like the items in the photo above.

Or polymer clay food and cakes like the ones I made in an earlier post by clicking here 

You can also make holiday napkins and place settings like the ones I made last year for Christmas by clicking here
I hope you have enjoyed today's post and that you are inspired to create for your dolls, or the doll lover in your life.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com


Thursday, July 26, 2012

You can make this for Christmas Day 3- Holiday Sweaters


No holiday is complete with out a Holiday Sweater and here are some of my favorite's.
From the Liberty Jane Pattern site you can order Pixeldust Design's Holiday Sweater pattern, I THINK THIS WOULD LOOK AMAZING IN BLUE! HINT HINT If you are my Secret Santa! Click here to order your own PDF pattern

Another of my favorite Holiday sweater patterns is from Jacknits Etsy Shop offered at $4.50 for the pattern!

Here is a free pattern for the knit holiday sweater  and hat shown above.
This set is adorable and offered on the Liberty Jane Pattern site click here for this pattern offered at $3.99

If you are a beginning knitter like myself try this pattern, which when finished would make wonderful additions to the advent calendar!


The Winter accessories pattern that is FREE you can find is on Liberty Jane's pattern site click here for this pattern

I hope you enjoyed today's post, I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

You can make this for Christmas -Day 2 Beds


Nothing is more wonderful then having a place to lay your head and doll beds are a great addition to every doll play collection. Here are some wonderful resources for making your own doll beds for the doll lovers in your life.

If you are a woodworker take a look at the Farm House Bed in the first photo from Ana White. My brother in law made these for my nieces for Christmas in 2011 and he started them December 23rd. They were a huge hit Christmas morning! I got mine in January! Click Here for the Ana White Farm House Bed Tutorial which is FREE

My friend Denise from Creations by Deevee's Etsy shop offers a wonderful pattern complete with bed side table and clock instructions and this is a dolly double bed! Click here to visit her Etsy shop

Over on the Liberty Jane pattern site page you can order your own PDF pattern for $5.99. Click here for the Liberty Jane Pattern Site. 
*Pattern includes how to make the bedding and the wooden bed frame from Stacy and Stella, pixeldust designs
Our very own contributing blogger NikiG has a great easy to make craft doll bed you can make from mailing boxes. Click here for the FREE tutorial 

I love this doll bed made by a very creative lady over at Make something Cathie and Steve a great way to make a doll bed and up-cycle items you may have on hand to create a wonderful doll bed.
I love this easy to make doll bed and now is the perfect time to find what you need to create your own version of this bed. Click here to go to the tutorial on doll clothes patterns.net

I hope you have enjoyed day 2 of you can make this for Christmas!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

You can make this for Christmas...Day 1 Advent Calendar


I thought that I would show case wonderful doll items that you can start making now for the up coming Holiday gift giving season. I believe in giving gifts from the heart and handmade items. With a little planning you can create a handmade Christmas for the doll lover in your life.
Now maybe you are not a wood worker but know how to knit, or sew that is okay but I recommend you form a team. Creating for the holidays is more then just making something it is about being creative. So if you can gather a group of crafty Mom /Dad/friends with different talents who can work together to help  you to create a holiday to remember for the young doll lovers in a group.
That being said let's start with an Advent Calendar

The easiest way to a fun advent calendar filled with doll play fun is to start with a 24 pocket over the door shoe holder.  You can find them easily at Target and home decor/organizing stores under $15. Filling the pocket doesn't need to cost a fortune either. The best part is that after the holiday's your calendar provides wonderful doll play storage.

 Items I recommend for the pockets are items you can find in party shops, dollar stores, yard sales or hand make.

* small erasers that resemble doll sized food/toys or tooth brushes
* doll shoes or socks (make yourself, shop for on Etsy, or on line)
* doll clothes (see up coming posts, try Liberty Jane for wonderful free patterns and reasonably priced patterns you can print in secret and sew)
* AG books, check your local thrift shops for all the wonderful pocket books, how to and self help books that AG offers, I picked up mine starting at 29 cents from Good Will. or Check on line for great no shipping offers from The Book Depository ( I order regularly from them and they are often less expensive then Amazon)

* a Mini AG doll, You can find these wonderful dolls for under $20 on line Amazon, The Book Depository and in store AG locations are less expensive then Americangirl.com

* hair supplies for your dolls. Check your dollar stores, big box and party shops for hair ties, barrettes, bobby pins and more!

* Pick up some of the American girl doll DVD's, check for second hand on Ebay as well. I love the doll hairstyling DVD and recommend it if you can find it!

If you are a Christian person you can also down load and print passages to include in your pockets.
You are not a Christian Person but an Advent or count down too... calendar is apart of your celebration you can add bits of Holiday History, or information on how the winter holidays are celebrated by girls your child's age from around the world.

I look forward to sharing more holiday ideas with you in the coming days. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Monday, July 23, 2012

Doll Pet love Brandy Style



My sister purchased the Payne Street Doll Boutique Vet Center for my niece's
birthday.  I was in charge of the accessories.
 The doctor scrubs and stethoscope were found on ebay.

  I was fortunate that she had several pets...I only added the bird (thanks to
Karen) and the little fish.  It is a cute set and all set up is very
adorable. 
The bird cage is also a candle holder with a dollar store bird in it.


The fish bowl is a candle holder with a little Pet Shop fish in it.





The file folder is a craft box spray painted pink.  The file folders are
made out of card stock paper.  Each file has printouts of a different
picture of an animal in it.




The clip board is made from a laminate sample with a binder clip attached.



Once again made pencils out of toothpicks and used a hairspray cap as the
pencil-holder.

Used some dollar store balls as pet toys.




Found a mini canister set at Target...made pet biscuits/treats for
one...used white pom-poms for cotton balls for another...used gauze wrap for
bandages in the last one.I found mini bottle shaped erasers to use as shampoo/medicine.





I found metal ramekin dishes at Walmart...made great larger pet food dishes.
I used water bottle caps for the smaller pet food dishes.  I took a dried
out blue sponge and cut to size of dish for water.  I used tan pipe cleaners
and cut/rolled into small circles for the food.




The bath accessories were recycled from the AG tube set....I think white
packaging peanuts would also make great bath bubbles.


I love this set that Brandy put together for her niece and I am thrilled that Char over at Doll Diaries made some great printables that will help you create your own doll pet spa! Click here for the Doll Diaries post and the link to the free PDF print out is yours to be enjoyed!


A huge thank you to Brandy for sharing her creations with us and if you would like to see the wonderful furniture that Payne Street offers click here for their Etsy shop