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Design•DIY

DIY DOLLHOUSE MAKEOVER

December 24, 2020

What’s better than a room makeover?  A whole (miniature) home makeover!

Now, truthfully, this was supposed to be a Christmas present for my 2.75-year-old daughter, but, it may have been for me too.  Just a little bit. 

Last summer I found a dollhouse on Facebook Marketplace that looked really intriguing.  I picked it up and realized how good of a find it was.  It’s the Plan Toys First Dollhouse (affiliate link / non-affiliate link) and normally retails for around $150.  So finding it for $20 felt like an absolute steal! 

plan toys my first dollhouse plan toys dollhouse pre makeover

We played with the house as-is before realizing my daughter was just too young to really enjoy it.  Knowing that she would eventually grow into it we stashed it away for a year before it finally came back out.  This time, I was ready to give it a makeover!   

But why paint it?

The house was in pretty good shape, minus a bit of water staining on the wallpaper.  I toyed with the idea of leaving it as is, but I have this strange drive to paint perfectly good toys just for kicks.  I just love giving things a personal spin! 

water stained walls plan toys dollhouse

If you are looking to give a fixer-upper dollhouse a new lease on life, here’s the process I followed:

This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

SUPPLIES

Rust-Oleum Chalked in Charcoal

Peel and stick wallpaper

Cutting mat and blade

Polycrylic

STEP 1: Disassemble and Paint 

Remove all screws and place them in a labeled bag.  Wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth to remove any dust and dirt.  Let dry. 

disassembled dollhouse

Choose your paint.  I decided to use dark grey spray chalk paint because 1) it’s what I had on hand and 2) I didn’t need to sand before painting.  

Rust-oleum chalked charcoal

Spray the pieces using many, many light coats with plenty of time to dry in between. 

dollhouse mid spray paint

STEP 2: Wallpaper

After painting and drying, use contact paper or wallpaper to line the walls.  I used a gold and white geometric peel and stick wallpaper to give the walls a fun pop against the dark grey.  

geometric gold and white wallpaper for dollhouse

I left the floorboards alone.  The natural light brown finish looked nice with the dark grey and the gold and white.

line the dollhouse walls with peel and stick wallpaper

I found it helpful to make a template from plain white paper first.  Then I was able to trace the final shape onto the paper before using a crafting knife to cut.  

dollhouse wall lined with wallpaper

It’s amazing what a change paint makes!

dollhouse pre polycrylic

STEP 3: Clear Coat

Consider finishing with 1-2 coats of a clear coat of your choice.  While I loved the color and the matte finish of the chalk paint, I was really worried about how it would hold up to a toddler.  

Thus, I ended up putting two coats of polycrylic over the top.  I think this was the right move from a durability standpoint, but my can was really goopy and (I think it was old?) and made the finish look streaky.  I’m not thrilled with the final result, but it’s only really noticeable in bright light.  Live and learn.  

goopy polycrylic

STEP 4: Furnishings!

Now for the best part – all the things that go inside the house!  Wood dollhouse furniture can be easily found on Amazon or even used on Facebook Marketplace.  

This set from Amazon is really cute.

And this one is great too – it even includes bunk beds!

painted plan toys first dollhouse

Our set is from Crate and Kids (formerly Land of Nod) and was purchased on major clearance over a year ago.  I think I paid $50 including shipping for the whole box of mid-century goodness.  

Land of Nod A-Frame doll furniture set

I’ve been hoarding this away under my bed for a year, waiting for the perfect time to give this to my daughter.  And this is the year!  She’s already seen the dollhouse, but the furniture and new dollhouse families we purchased will be a surprise for her on Christmas morning.

painted dollhouse with furniture

Of course, I had to style it out while she was napping.  For science. 

dollhouse with kitchen and bath

Top floor bathroom and bottom floor kitchen.  The gold hardware gives me all the feels.

plan toys dollhouse living room and bedroom

Acrylic bunk beds, gold lamps, pink sectional, AND a mid-century fireplace?  Yes, please.

mid century dollhouse living roomplan toys painted dollhouse makeover

I think she’s going to love it.  And I’ll enjoy playing with it just as much as she will.

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!

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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!
⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K. I’m in sho ⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K.  I’m in shock. ⠀
⠀
I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who chose to follow my account and watch me organize my smallish home. ⠀
⠀
My goal has always been to share my love of organization and design - while hopefully inspiring others to show their own home some love. ⠀
⠀
No matter how small or large your space may be, I hope you are able to walk away with a few ideas of ways to maximize the space you have.⠀
⠀
In the meantime, I’ll keep working space by space in my own home, adding functionality and order that fits the needs of my family and the space that I have.⠀
⠀
I’d love to know what you would all like to see more of - let me know in the comments what you’d like to see me tackle next!⠀
⠀
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#10k #10kfollowers #organizationmotivation #motivation #simplifylife #simplify #organizedmom #organizing #homeorganization #declutter #diyorganizer #diyorganization #smallhomeliving #getorganized #stayorganized #letsgetorganized  #tidyhome #mysmallishhome #lessismore
⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do ⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do is drink mugs of hot tea nonstop.  But tea can be a tricky item to store!⠀
⠀
When it’s in the box, you never know how many tea bags are left.  But take them out of the box and they slide all over the shelf!⠀
⠀
Using some sort of small, clear, lidded container keeps the bags together and helps you see when it’s time to restock.  Bonus points if the containers can stack, allowing you to store multiple varieties in a small space. ⠀
⠀
These containers are from Target, but any food storage container will work. Even the cheap plastic food storage containers from the grocery store. ⠀
⠀
What is your favorite variety of tea?  I’m a big fan of English Breakfast if I need a little caffeine boost (which I’m definitely in need of today!)
⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t g ⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t get back on track?⠀
⠀
Where you feel tired, and all you see is work that needs to get done?⠀
⠀
It can be hard to figure out where to start.⠀
⠀
I’ve been struggling to get myself moving the last few weeks after experiencing a family emergency that knocked the wind out of my sails. ⠀
⠀
But I know it’s time to turn things around.  Here are my go-to steps for getting back on track: ⠀
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1️⃣Get those machines working for me.  I always get the dishwasher running and then start a load of laundry.  It makes me feel productive and gets the momentum going for the rest of the day.⠀
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2️⃣Grab a pen and a notebook, plus either a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and sit down.⠀
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3️⃣Take everything in my head and write it down.  Everything that needs to be done, everything that needs to be bought, every card that needs to be written, bills that need to be paid, people I need to message back.  I write it down so it isn’t in my head.⠀
 ⠀
4️⃣Circle one thing that I can do now and finish.  Maybe I only have 10 minutes, but in those 10 minutes I can pick up a room, put away laundry, or go through a stack of paperwork.  Anything that will make progress on my list but Isn’t too big of a project that I can’t finish.⠀
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5️⃣Once I’ve done just one thing, I try to reward myself with some sort of self care.  It can be anything that makes me feel good - going for a walk, stopping in at a store, looking at a magazine, or maybe just scrolling on my phone for a few minutes.⠀
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6️⃣Then, I look back at my list and prioritize in order of importance.  I’ll choose the task with the highest priority and start working down. ⠀
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While this process works, it sometimes takes a few days.  I just keep repeating it over and over until things start clicking again. ⠀
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Getting outside helps too.  Fresh air and movement seem to do a world of good.⠀
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How have you been feeling lately?  Are you crushing that to-do list or are you feeling like you need like 3 clones of yourself in order to get it all done?⠀
.⠀
.⠀
Photo by @callimechemphotography

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