DIY Barbie House from a shelf

Confession time: I played Barbies until I was like 14.

So when my daughter started playing with them (she skipped the baby stage and headed straight for the barbie) I was so proud. I decided she needed a barbie house (I had a barbie MANSION homemade by mom and dad...i'll have to get some pictures cause it was AWESOME!)

I found a barbie house at target. $70. I bought it. Started to assemble it and realized that the barbie's wouldn't even fit. So I packed it back up, took it back to Target and got my money back.

And since I was at Target....I might as well go shopping. I came across the shelves. On Sale. (I love sales) and I thought...a barbie would fit on this shelf. So I bought it.

and started decorating it.

Which brings us here:

Let's start with the bedroom (bottom):

When my husband was in construction I snagged a bunch of extra carpet leftovers.  The armoire I got at the thrift store and recovered the doors. I *hot glued the mirrors on the wall and painted around them and painted the

headboard and added a sticker (B for Barbie)

The Bed: I covered a shoe box in fabric. For the top I hot glued all the sides except one and then stuffed it with cotton batting then hot glued the last side down. I put the lid on and measured where to put the bed skirt (lace) and hot glued that around.  I use the bed to store extra pillows or extra barbie odds and ends (like all those little shoes!)

The side table (there's also one in the kitchen) I bought a package of 1 inch by 3 inch wood tabs in the craft aisle at Walmart. Don't know what there original purpose is for...just hot glued them together to make a little table, painted it and put on a tablecloth.

The rug is just a piece of fabric leftover from the couch.

The Living Room

I "wallpapered" it with 4 pages of 12 by 12 scrapbook paper. The TV center is another thrift store find. The rug is a burp cloth. The shelf is two of the side table pieces glued together.

 

The picture frames are sticks found in that same section at walmart (you got to love walmart) I actually posed all the barbies and took pictures of them to frame. My daughter helped me make them...so they are a bit imperfect but I love that about them. We decorated them with glitter and flowers.

The throw pillows are actually all leftover fabric from the pillows on Jordan's bed...we like things to match. The coffee table Jordan got from her grandma but the original one we made was using a little box (I used the ones my checks come in...it was perfect...and more storage! Jordan now uses it as a bed for her baby barbies)

The couch and chair is one of my favorite projects. I remembered seeing some way to make them out of a kleenex box, (from a FAMILY FUN magazine) so I dug through my filecabinet and found (thank goodness for my craft hoardness!) I did find it online Click here for couch and chair instructions

The potted plant is a little terra cotta pot, painted. I put in some foam...stuck in a stick and hot glued some leaves on. I added some spanish moss and all done.

Kitchen:(you still with me?)

All the furniture are thrift store finds...

Just a little spray paint touch up to make it match a little better.

I painted the back wall and added flower stickers.

The floor is just two pieces of tiles (you can get them at Home Depot for about a buck a piece) they actually have some that looks like hard wood floor in case you don't want carpet. (jordan wanted the one with a big purple rose in the middle. cringe)

I painted a clock on a wood flower...but I thought it would be cute if you put a real watch face on the wall.

The windows:

I bought a piece of scrapbook paper that was blue with sparkles. I took the picture frame sticks made a window frame...added the paper behind and hot glued some curtains on the top. You could get a dowel and make some real working curtains...but we have a lot of little hands at our house. I just hot glued the windows and picture frames right to the wall.

phew. I'm done. I'm going to take a nap. 

wait..

I found this great post over at slippery soup showing how to make some cute cute barbie stuff...

(bed frames!)

go HERE to see it all!

and this cute etsy shop sells fun barbie stuff:

and this fun video on making a washer and dryer from poptart boxes:

and this is one of the most fun and easy ways to make a doll bed...the pencil bedposts are just genius! and using tape..easy peasy!


and i'm totally loving this barbie house  --folds up into a box!

edited to add.....

i thought it would be fun to show you updated pictures of the barbie house. my daughter loves decorating it and redecorating so here is how it looks currently

and i just recently added THIS post

and we added some tape stripes

here at at agaagg..we love barbies...

so here's some other barbie crap you might like as well...

like this easy peasy barbie tent

or you can purchase my pattern and make a barbie tent out of fabric

and if you have hoards of barbies..make  a personlized over the door organizer!