A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores Cape Discovery summer crafting challenge. The kids and I are always up for crafting, so it seemed like a fun opportunity! They sent us a gift card to cover supplies and instructions to put our on spin on one of the projects from the catalog linked above. The kids and I decided to turn their bird houses into miniature doll houses!
We have made peg dolls in the past, but this time we decided to try a new version. First, we picked out wooden beads. We put hot glue on pipe cleaners and then threaded the pipe cleaner through the three different beads to build the people below. They were supposed to get some clothes, but the kids haven’t decided how to make those yet (if ever).
Next they set to work painting their bird houses:
Five-year-old Johnny is a big fan of policemen who catch robbers right now, so his is supposed to be a jail – the brown paint is the bars on the cage:
I think seven-year-old Emma’s may have been inspired by park pavilions:
Three-year-old Lily is our resident minimalist. She didn’t paint her house at all (apart from coating it in mod podge), but she did cut up some patterned felt to make blankets for her dolls!
Lily especially really loves her doll house – it’s so easy for her to carry around! She even took it to school for show and tell!
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Are you planning to do crafts with your kids this summer? Do you have a project you think we should try?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
I didn’t realize that they do crafts with kids at the store. The kids’ houses all look terrific and they seemed to have had a wonderful time! I love how they are so proud of them! You will have to take the little houses with you to California!!
The kids definitely plan to!
My daughter would love this! She also loves the felt dolls I made for her – http://www.getsnazzy.com/2012/11/felt-paper-dolls-quiet-activity-for-kids/ I’m following you on Pinterest :)
Your felt dolls are adorable. I pinned them!
BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE it!
Thanks, Christy!
These are lovely! What a fun craft!
What a great idea! They look like little gazebos!
What a great project! And I love the picture of Lily carrying hers around.
She is very fond of hers :)
I love your wooden dolls – they are the perfect fit for your doll houses and what a bonus that they are portable. Another great idea – so cute that Johnny made his a jail!
He was very proud of his jail :)
Great guide, will use it for sure. My daughter can’t wait :)
My kids would certainly love that, and Princess would also be cutting up felt for blankets.
Those turned out really cute! I’d recommend tp cars or catapults. They are easy to make out of things you have around the house, then you can recycle them when you’re done with them (before you move), and make more if you decide that you need that fun in your life again (after the move).
We definitely need to make catapults – we’ve never done that!