a kitchen island

I have recently been really inspired by a blog about dollhouses.  I have a dollhouse that my Dad and I built years ago and am seriously considering a remodel job for it.  But for now I am knee-high in the Barbie house at the day care.  WARNING This particular blog will captivate you as it did me.  She offers some tutorials too which is where I found the directions and inspiration for my creation at the day care. 

 

The blog is called CinderellaMoments.  You can click the name there to be directed to her.  Her houses are amazing and she hand makes the majority of them all from inside to out.

 

HERE is a link to the tutorial I followed to make the following island/bar for the kitchen in the Barbie house.  Mine turned out better than I expected.  What I have learned is to not expect perfection.  I do the best I can and don't look at the flaws when I am finished.  It is the entire view and aspect in the end that matters.  Here is my process and mess.  I used cardboard instead of wood for the sides and shelves.  I used purchased Balsa wood for the countertop along with scrapbook paper to line the shelves, corrugated scrapbook paper for the outside, white cardstock, craft paint and hot glue to bind it all together.  It took me about an hour or a tad longer to make this during naptime last week at the day care.  I knew when I got up that morning that I was going to make something cool that day.  I think I succeeded at that!

 

I didn't start taking pictures until I felt the project was going to work well.  Plus I was a bit too excited to stop for photo shoots.

Mine is quite a bit bigger than the ones that she makes for the dollhouses.  I wanted it taller for my Barbies too.

 

 

I painted the inside white so it wouldn't be so dark.

Antiqued and rusty looking.  She explains how to do all this in detail.  Super easy.

I covered the edges with strips of cardstock.

The shelves offer lots of storage space for the fake breads and food I intend to make!

She uses a brown ink pad to get the worn wood effect.  I don't have one so I watered down paint and applied it with a paper towel by rubbing it on.

El Fin!  I haven't added the towel racks or towels yet.  I also didn't add the scalloped edge underneath the counter top.