Chests for Mini Dolls:)

[courtneysunshine]

While we were at Michaels yesterday we noticed they have wooden chests that are the perfect size for the Mini-Dolls. They are unpainted, but have different decorations on them. They had one with additional wood on it that looked Southwestern, one with a floral inlay that would be perfect for Kirsten and one that would be perfect for Felicity. Also, they were only .$99.

We also noticed that a lot of the mini Christmas decorations they have in the stores now are perfect for the minis also.

Kim [img]smile.gif[/img]

[OSusannah]

Thanks, Kim. Were they in the unfinished wood section? I was wondering where I could go to get out of the house tomorrow. Also, I just realized that there is a doll store way on the other side of town from me. I'll post if I find anything exciting!

[moderator]

A quick note having to do with wood items from craft stores...

Stick with items where the findings, doors, etc. fit loosely. The wood used is low quality and it really soaks up whatever you use to finish it with (paint or varnish), making it swell. If the wood swells too much, the item will no longer close up.

I learned this the hard way! [img]wink.gif[/img]

[ag doll lover]

Wow thanks for the idea! You're so creative and observant. I never would have thought of that! [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] Thanks!

[moderator]

Oh, oh! I forgot...this is somewhat related so I thought crafters might find it interesting.

Craft stores have unfinished "cigar boxes" to use for making purses. Morrissey Dolls' website has a pattern to make an old-fashioned miniature doll and the cigar box is her bed. http://www.morrisseydolls.com/smbutton.html (bottom item)

I've seen cigar labels on the 'net that could be printed out and "Mod Podge"d on to the outside/inside top of the cigar box. It would be loads of fun to try and make something to look old, wouldn't it? (For anyone who tries, my mom has an old cigar box that she keeps curlers in! One thing I noticed is that it was stained but not varnished. After you finish the box off, you can "age"/wear the corners by taking a nail file to all the edges.) This might also be a fun idea for storing mini dolls. The stores where the cigar boxes are usually sell a choice of handles to add to the boxes.

I keep my mini collection accessories in a tin. I found the perfect tin in a dollar store. It's of a little girl having a tea party with her dolls! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ August 23, 2004 12:36 PM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>

[courtneysunshine]

Melissa What a great idea! You can actually purchase the real cigar boxes cheaper through a cigar store than through the craft stores. The real cigar boxes that are made of wood are made of fine quality and not balsa wood. I purchased a huge lot of cigar boxes of various sizes from a cigar shop in Tampa and even with the shipping they came to $2 a piece. We saw the boxes in Michaels the other day and they wanted $3.99 for one! They are real wood and some eve have the beautiful stickers or woodburnings that are desirable for makinig cigar box purses. I bought them to make a cigar box purses and liked them so much for storage that I have yet to make one purse [img]redface.gif[/img]

I never thought about using them for a doll bed. That is a great idea. I'll check out Morrissey right away. Thanks Melissa!

Kim [img]smile.gif[/img]