Extreme Makeover: Doll Edition!

[Katie from IL]

Ok, Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover H.E. people are going to build you a new house, and they want to build either a seperate room for your dolls or make your room all about American Girl. When you walk in, it's a dream come true for you. What does it look like? What does it have in it? What doll stuff did ABC buy you to put you in your room...

Bus Driver...MOVE THAT BUS!

[Jeanette M.]

Oh, I have thought about this so much (making a whole big doll room, that is; not about Ty building it for me [img]wink.gif[/img] )! I would have a huge room - we're talking about 600-800 or so square feet - lined on all sides with built-in doll "rooms." Each individual room would be two feet tall, two feet deep, and four/five feet long (some of each). These rooms would be stacked two rooms tall - remember, I'm a short person; and there would be a drawer under each room. Each dolly room would be decorated according to the historical time period of the doll inhabiting it - paint, wall paper, floor and window coverings, etc. My today girls would have several school classrooms, two or three kitchens, several dormitory bunkrooms, several living areas. In the middle of the big room, there would need to be a dolly park with a skating/biking path, a bridal path, a playground, and a water park/swimming pool.

And of course, ABC would provide this dolly room with all the AG furniture and indoor/outdoor accessories ever made by AG!

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 30, 2006 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Jeanette M. ]</font>

[bgeurtz]

"DITTO" [img]wink.gif[/img]

[3castles]

Well........FIRST, Ty Pennington at MY house!!!!
[img]tongue.gif[/img] I would totally flip out! Hmmmm...he'd probalbly have to move in for a month (or year)or so,that way I could hang out with him! Yeah, he's great looking and is funny too, but WOW I could learn LOADS from him! LOL
My mother and I (Ladylindal) love woodworking and power tools! DD always says,"You go Amy Wynn!" Anyway, Ty being here would totally ROCK!!!! [img]cool.gif[/img]
He could tear off the front of my house and the roof. Then rebuild the front section and make a huge great room there with cabinets built in the hall all the way down one side. Large Cubbies above the cabinets to display the dolls in with glass doors. Then Add the second floor where the attic is now and add 2 bedrooms, a doll room and a craft/sewing/school room for our homeschool.
The doll room would have the entire walls as doll house rooms. (like the Barbie doll house room he did that time!) The corners could have cabinets with lazy susan clothes closets in them!
Middle of the floor to carpeted to look like grass for the dolls to play 'outside'. Right in the center of the floor a doll sized tree house made out of a fake tree like at Disney World!

Pretty much I could keep him busy forever so he'd never be able to leave! [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 30, 2006 11:23 PM: Message edited by: 3castles ]</font>

[supernonamegirl]

I have a deep-rooted fear that my family will be on this show. People we know say we should apply and we should go on it and I just don't understand. It is *possible* due to our situation, but highly unlikely and there are totally people that *need* it whereas we definitely don't. Also, in short, it'd feel a little like criticism, that our house wasn't good enough or something. And it totally is.

Anyway, one day friend once told me as a joke (that I totally deserved at the time) she'd submit me and that night I had a dream that she did and we were chosen. I then sent them a letter saying how they should unchoose us, but that only made them choose us even more *and* Ty chose my room as his special room and got rid of all my action figures and dolls and video games and superhero paraphenalia, painted the purple walls white and made it an "adult room" knowing, full well, that I didn't want that, but trying to force me to want that. In the dream I flew at him in violence but then just started crying. It was bizarre(there was also other stuff, like them leaving me at school while they went on the trip and it was timed like a dream and I think there was some other weird dream stuff going on). I woke up and was like, wha....?
It also has made my aforementioned fear evolve. It's nothing against the show really, just me being weird.

As for my dream doll room though, I'd have one entire wall divided into rectangles (but not even ones for that crazy touch) large enough for rooms. These rooms would be able to be changed so that it wasn't the same thing all time. removable carpets and wallpapers and stuff. It'd come with furniture and stuff though, as I don't have any.

There would also be an armoire for clothes and such, and, I think I'd combine it with a sewing room, because I need more of a purpose, and all the stuff that would mean, like a work table, more stoage, etc. I think I'd keep my current sewing machine though, as I love it even if it is older than I am.

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 31, 2006 01:03 AM: Message edited by: supernonamegirl ]</font>

[becnicjamsar]

Well, it would have to be a suite. One room would be a library...one of the old fashioned ones with bookcases from floor to ceiling and one of those ladders that rolls around to get at the top ones. It would have a huge fireplace, big comfy chairs and a great stereo system. There would be a reading nook with a window seat.

Now for the doll room...I love the idea of a park, so I might have to steal that. I would also have an ocean scene and a forest scene for Laurel (Stardust Classics fairy). I'd have a bunch of houses. There would be a castle for Princess Alissa and any other dolls that decide to be princesses for the day. There would also be a huge house with multiple rooms for each of the AG historic dolls and a stable for the horses. There would be a separate house for the JLY dolls with a kitchen, bathroom, etc. I would also have rooms for my Madame Alexander Little Women Journals dolls. I would also have the school, theater and town with shops. There would also be the travel rooms. One room would have the trunk and mirror for the Magic Attic dolls and one would be Kat's (stardust) bedroom. The rest of the rooms would be the travel rooms. I'd have Ancient Greece, Persia, Venice, China, etc.
Of course, in addition to the complete collection of AG (including retired items), they would need to get someone who is good at sewing AG items (any volunteers?) to make an entire wardrobe for my dolls. I would want different ethnic costumes for their world travels. I would also need a bunch of costumes for the theater...Shakespeare, etc.
Also, they would have some artisans make me AG sized OOAK items...a unicorn, dragon, swans for the swan pond in the park (and maybe a swan boat), a sailboat for the ocean scene, a couple of cars (a 55 Oldsmobile and a corvette, maybe) and maybe a few surprises.
Of course, my doll room is probably going to have to be 10,000 square feet just by itself...
My husband and I are thinking of building a house at some point in the future. Do you think he'll let me include this?
Sarah

[muppetquilter]

Okay, after he doubles the size of my kitchen and builds a linen closet he can attack the doll room.

I want a walk-in closet fully outfitted a la California Closets with cabinets and drawers with glass doors (it has to be easy to find everything). I want doll wardrobes (again with the glass doors-- no dust on any of our lovely dolly things) on wheels so we can wheel them out into the room for easy play. We have high ceilings so I need one of those ladders on a track to go around the closet. Up near the ceiling will be all those AG boxes.

In the room, there will be a few huge doll houses. On the bottom will be drawers. Then doll rooms complete with doors and windows. We're talking real door knobs and molding and glass in the windows. The windows on the edges (as opposed to the ones on the back that are against the real wall) will open and close. The back windows will have slots with backgrounds that can slide in and out-- sunny day, rainy day, snowy day, different seasons, night. There will be two doll houses. The main floors will be kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms, maybe a study. The second and third floors will have bedrooms, playrooms, bathes. Then there will be an attic. Nice Victorian style homes with porches on the sides.

Then there will be a third doll "house." This one will have a general store on the main floor, an ice cream parlor and hair salon. The upper floors will be classrooms. A modern classroom and at least three historical classrooms. And on the top floor will be a theater stage with a movie screen.

There will be an outdoor area for the dolls as well with playground equipment (slide is a must), bike pathes large enough to accomodate a carriage and horse drawn sleigh.... There will also be a good sized stable with stalls for at least four horses.

One more doll house will be sized and furnished for the Hopscotch Hill dolls (and our Betsy McCalls who are a similar size). The main floor will have a kitchen, dining room and living room again. Upstairs there will be three bedrooms, a bath and a playroom. Next door will be the Hopscotch Hill School with school yard.

There will be a nice big bookcase (maybe something antique) to hold all the AG books. There will be comfy swivel chairs on wheels so we can sit while we play.

There will be a Bitty Baby nursery with two cribs, changing table, dresser, etc. This will be decorated like a real nursery and there will be false windows with curtains hung at a height to compliment the BB furniture. And a really cute little rug and child sized glider so DDs can rock their babies to sleep. There will also be a baby outdoor play area for the sled, walks in the stoller, etc.

There will be another section of the room for miniatures and Ty will have built the Victorian row house kit I've had for ten years as well as the Victorian mansion Santa brought 25 years ago that has never been built. These would be on cabinets (again with the storage) with lazy susan type things so the houses can be turned.

Around the entire room will be two high shelves. These will hold display dolls and other neat things. (And there will be another ladder on a track for easy access)

Finally, the room will have a nice comfy love seat and chair with a small coffee table, a wall mounted TV (gotta be able to watch the AG movies and doll hair DVD) and a mini fridge-- we can't be leaving the room every time we need something to drink.

ABC would supply the missing BB furniture-- changing table, two BB cribs (my girls have non-AG cribs) with mobiles, the retired BT stroller and teeter totter and all the cabinetry. For the 18" and HHS dolls they would supply a ton of furniture and accessories. They would provide the horses for the stable, the carriage and sleigh.... And, naturally, two complete wardrobes-- everything we're missing to have two of every outfit AG ever made for the 18" girls, HHS and BB/ONB. And I think they should throw in two complete wardrobes of all the Betsy McCall clothes too. I think a complete set of the historical dolls needs to be on that display shelf as well as the LE dolls. Both my girls need Lindseys NIB.

There. I now have the two most over indulged children in the world. [img]smile.gif[/img]

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 31, 2006 12:59 AM: Message edited by: MuppetQuilter ]</font>

[Jeanette M.]

Originally posted by becnicjamsar:
The rest of the rooms would be the travel rooms. I'd have Ancient Greece, Persia, Venice, China, etc.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ooh-h-h, I love this idea!

[MaryCarly]

When I first read the title of this thread, I thought you meant makeover for a doll. lol
While the thread was loading, I thought how nice it would be to be able to go to the AG hospital and get a new body . . . for me! LOL [img]wink.gif[/img]

Then I saw that you were talking about a makeover of my house. Darn!

I don't think I would want anyone to do that. Having a carpenter in to build me some shelves would be awesome, but I wouldn't want anyone doing anything else with or for my dolls. Half the fun for me is slowly building my collection including setting up scenes for my dolls. If it was all done for me, I don't think that I would play with my dolls as much and they wouldn't feel as much like my own.

I am used to sharing pretty much everything I have, but the dolls are mine alone. I chose them just because I liked them, not because they were practical or on sale or good for the house or for my kids. I spent my childhood catering to my parents, then sharing with roommates. Once I was married, my husband and I were putting every spare penny into fixing up our home. When the kids came along, there weren't any spare pennies and all of my attention went to them. It wasn't until my kids became teens that I found myself with some free time and some free money. My dolls are a result of that so I am not anxious to share.

Does anyone understand what I am saying? Possibly feel this way too???

[Jeanette M.]

Originally posted by MaryCarly:
I am used to sharing pretty much everything I have, but the dolls are mine alone.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOL, Mary, I so identify with this! Like you, I have spent my whole life taking care of others and trying to make do on barely enough money to meet others' needs. Then when my kids were grown and gone and we had a little money to "spare," Jack practically ordered me to get things for myself, and the dolls grew out of that. I didn't realize how much I felt they were mine alone, till Jack asked me a few weeks ago how I would feel if he got a few dolls to join the family that would be "his." I had to tell him that I was sorry, but these dolls are mine to gather in, even though he is welcome to play with us anytime!