Dollhouse Book for Paper Dolls - A Doll's Dream House

Cover

I grew up playing with paper dolls. Often overnight trips to Grandma's (or other family) meant a new book of paper dolls and a shoe box to store them. I had a variety over the years from Princess Di to various Barbie and all sorts of others involving family vacations, weddings, and career. I would play for hours separating the dolls from the books, settings them up, trying on their various outfits, and then using plain paper with crayons or colored pencils to make my own clothes for them. I was never great at drawing, but I tried and I got a certain sort of satisfaction out of it. As I got older and nostalgic started to set in, I realized that paper dolls are really hard to find, not like the shelves of them I remember from when I was a kid. I thought about drawing my own, but I know my artistic limits. Still my nostalgia for all things doll has continued. In this quest I came up with this Dollhouse Book for Paper Dolls made from ads & magazine pictures collage-pieced together to create rooms the right size for dolls I made from magazine cut outs glued to card stock.

Supplies: Paper, Card Stock, Mod Podge, Clear Tape, Scissors, Old Magazines and Ads.

The Dolls

I started with finding pictures of people to use that were about the same size and included a view of head to feet (this was important).  Using Mod Podge I attached the pictures to card stock and trimmed the edges, then sealed them in with more Mod Podge. Going through my stack of magazine and using the first doll as a guide I tore out pictures for the rooms that were the appropriate size. I used paper folded in half with a cardstock cover to make a book.

The Front Garden

Using the pictures torn from the magazines and ads I pieced together pictures to create rooms for the dolls to inhabit starting with a front garden full of flowers and plants, a living room, a dining room with a table and outside patio view, a kitchen with cabinets and a refridgerator that had doors that opened to reveal groceries and kitchen items, and a bedroom with wallpaper and bedroom furniture.

I cut slits throughout each scene to fit the paper dolls to stand behind items such as flowers, a table, or chair. Then for the kitchen I cut doors that opened and cut items for placement inside these openings. I took these openings in mind carefully as I glued the pages and collages to the book I made to house this paperdoll world. Everything was secured with Mod Podge. I used clear tape around edges including the outside where the pages connected as well as slits and openings.

For those who might want to try a paperdoll house book for yourself or just enjoy paper dolls in your own way I found some great (and free) paper dolls that you can print at home from your home computer. (Or do your own search, you never know what you might find.)

http://marilee.us/paperdolls3.html#Printadults

http://proudmommy.tripod.com/paperdolls.html

http://www.deadmilkmen.com/punkrockgirlprint.html

http://www.ss42.com/paperdolls.html

If you are more talented than me (which means you can draw pretty much anything that comes out looking more like a person or animal than a stick figure), you might even try drawing your own.

This may be my first attempt, but I doubt it will be my last. I already have a list of ideas to play out next.

Check out here to: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/dollhouse-book-for-paperdolls .