How to make a doll closet with your own hands

Modern parents underestimate the importance of role-playing game skills for a child. Having mastered it, the baby develops his memory, imagination, attention, learns to engage himself independently and masters the everyday processes of adult life. And for him to be interested, he needs accompanying toys, and not necessarily purchased ones. It is much more useful to do them together, because as Cat Matroskin said: “Working together unites!” Let's look at the example of a doll closet.

What can you make a doll closet from?

In any home, if desired, you can find a variety of materials suitable for creating doll furniture. They can be a strong box, a wicker basket, a plastic container, or even a metal tea chest with a beautiful design.

The main thing is to decide on the size of the future wardrobe, because maybe it will contain Baby Born suits, or maybe Barbie dresses or tiny doll outfits - LOL? You decide!

Materials and tools

Wood is considered one of the most durable materials, and if you involve the men of your family in the creation process, the result of such work can be a toy that will be passed on by inheritance.

ATTENTION! Wooden toy furniture looks stylish and practical, but it is quite massive and heavy.Small children should not be left to play with such items on their own.

To create a wardrobe from cardboard you will need:

• box or cardboard;
• glue “moment” or glue gun;
• scissors or stationery knife;
• pieces of wire.

To decorate the finished cabinet:

• acrylic paints (unlike gouache and watercolor, after drying they create a waterproof film, protecting the product);
• colored paper, decoupage napkins or cards;
• glitter, braid, foil, beads, beads and beautiful buttons.

Preparing parts

Determine where the closet will be located - on the floor or in the dollhouse? Based on the obtained dimensions, draw out the details, enlarging them to the required size.

IMPORTANT! If the cardboard is not too thick, you can cut out the parts in several copies and glue them together. It is better to dry such workpieces under pressure or securing them with a clamp.

Finish the edges of the parts; an old nail file or a piece of sandpaper is quite suitable for this. All parts must be smooth, without nicks or sharp corners. It is more convenient to decorate the inner surface of the parts in disassembled form, this way you can paint more thoroughly, and it will be easier to glue decoupage napkins.

DIY doll cabinet assembly

Such a cabinet is assembled according to the principle of a puzzle - one piece is inserted into another. For greater strength, we recommend taping each hole. First, a frame is assembled, consisting of a top, bottom, and side parts, all together fixed by the back wall. Afterwards, the shelves are inserted; they must be strictly horizontal so as not to spoil the symmetry and general appearance of the doll furniture.

Small shelves can be made retractable by inserting the inside of matchboxes into them.

ATTENTION! Having mastered the principle of such a connection, it is possible to create your own cabinet design - the dimensions and locations of the compartments will be individual!

If you decide to create a compartment for dresses, you will need to make a rod. A sushi stick or rolled into a tight roll and glued paper is suitable for it. The wardrobe can be made open, like a rack, and everything you need will be at hand.

But by stretching a thin line over the top, you can curtain it! And if necessary, secure the curtains with tapes or small clips.

The classic model requires doors. For furniture made of cardboard, it is enough to glue them with reliable glue. But it is better to hang wooden or plywood ones on small loops, the kind that are sold in craft supply stores.

Don't forget to glue the legs by cutting out rectangular or square pieces of cardboard or plywood.

How to decorate a doll closet

The most creative and exciting stage! Right now it is necessary to involve the child, let the choice of decor be his, and you will definitely appreciate and praise him! Paint the remaining parts with acrylic paints or cover with beautiful paper. Leftover wallpaper or brightly colored wrapping paper will do just fine.

Take charge of installing the door handles. Use a sharp awl to pierce a hole and insert a piece of wire into it. Bend the loop using narrow-nose pliers, and thread a bead or a beautiful button on the front side.

A hanger is a must in your closet! Twist them from wire using a tool. Be careful not to leave any sharp edges.

REFERENCE! Self-hardening or baked polymer clay can be an excellent material for making small parts.With a little practice, you can create molded decorative elements just like real furniture!

An original element will be a small mirror mounted on one of the walls of the cabinet. A “gilded frame” can be created using an acrylic outline. Simply create a pattern around the edge of the mirror and let dry.

The completion of a masterpiece can be lighting! Glue diode tape around the mirror, in the style of the dressing room of Hollywood stars, or stretch it around the perimeter of the entire closet! The baby will consider his mother a sorceress!

For those who are truly interested in the topic of creating small interiors, doll houses and the like, we recommend taking an interest in room boxes (from the English “room” - room, “box” - box), one of the fashionable hobbies of adults. Plus, you can get ideas and inspiration to create truly unique toys for your child! And now, it’s time to beautifully arrange the doll’s clothes and accessories!

Even if you spend more than one evening creating a doll's wardrobe, remember that you are not just making a toy, but spending time with your child, completely immersed in the creative process. After all, it is moments like these that most often remain in the memory of one of the warmest memories of childhood!