How to Make Free Miniature Furniture for a Dollhouse

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Things You'll Need

  • Scissors

  • Foil

  • School glue

  • Old towel

  • Tape measure

  • Spray can lids

  • Short pencil or toothpicks

  • Screw-on toothpaste lids

  • Prescription bottle lids

  • Mouthwash bottle lid

  • Scrap fabric

  • Needle and thread

  • Polyester fiberfill or batting

  • Spray can lids

  • Colorful stickers

  • Foam blocks and floral foam

  • Colorful felt

  • Wallpaper samples

  • Tongue depressors

  • Foam blocks

  • Cigar box

  • Ankle socks

  • 35mm film canisters

  • Bottle cap lids

A plush towel can be cut up for shag carpeting, rugs, curtains or bedding for a dollhouse.

Making free dollhouse furniture is uncomplicated if you use a bit of ingenuity and think small. Miniature furniture is necessary for every room of the dollhouse to make it look like a home for your child's dolls. This is an interesting way to inspire your children to recycle materials that would normally be tossed into the trash bin. Challenge them to think of ways to use common household supplies to create decorative dollhouse furniture.

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Step 1

Cut a square, rectangle or oval dollhouse mirror out of foil. Glue it to the wall of the dollhouse with regular school glue. This is useful for full length wall mirrors or mirrors in bathrooms or bedrooms.

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Step 2

Use an old towel for drapery, bedding, shag carpeting or rugs. Measure the length and width you will need with a tape measure and cut the towel in squares or rectangles to fit. Glue the towel to the floor of the dollhouse for shag carpeting. You can also cut a rectangle or oval shape out of the towel and trace the shape onto a piece of cardboard. Glue it onto the rug to use as backing and to keep it flat on the dollhouse floor.

Step 3

Glue a toothpick or short pencil that has the sharp ends broken or cut off to the interior of a screw-on toothpaste lid to form a lamp. Add a base to the lamp by gluing a lid from a prescription bottle onto the other end of the pencil or toothpick. If you want a larger lamp, use a mouthwash bottle lid.

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Step 4

Set around the dollhouse different size spray can lids with the open area facing down. These make effective end or coffee tables for the dolls. Add colorful stickers to the top of the lid to give it a funky, contemporary look.

Step 5

Cover foam blocks with colorful felt to use as chairs or sofas. Glue square pieces of cardboard covered with the felt to each end to use as arms and a chair back. Cut out a rectangle shape from the cardboard to use as a sofa back. You can pad the arms or back with polyester batting before covering them with felt.

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Step 6

Cut two rectangle or circle shapes out of scrap fabric or to form bed or throw pillows. Glue, staple or sew up the edges until there is only a 1/2 inch opening remaining. Stuff the pillows with cotton balls or scrap fabric. Seal the opening closed.

Step 7

Glue wallpaper samples to the wall for wall coverings.

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Step 8

Cut off the round ends of tongue depressors and glue them end to end on the floor to simulate hardwood floors. You can stain them beforehand if you have wood stain available.

Step 9

Use an old cigar box for a decorative bed for your dollhouse. Glue a piece of fabric scrap onto the box for the bedding.

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Step 10

Place thimbles or mouthwash lids around the dollhouse to use as planters by setting them down with the open end facing up. Fill them with dirt or floral foam. Glue tiny flowers cut out of felt to the ends of toothpicks to fill the dollhouse with floral decorations. Stick the other end of the toothpick into the soil or floral foam.

Tip

Use ankle socks that no longer have a mate or that are worn out for a sleeping bag for the dollhouse. Cut off the foot section. Sew up one end of the ankle section to use as the sleeping bag.

Save old 35 mm film canisters to use as wastebaskets in the dollhouse.

Bottle cap lids make effective plates for the dining room table.

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