Over the holidays, Santa brought our princess the beloved American Girl Doll she had been wishing for. Chelsea as she was lovingly named has quickly become a part of the family. So much so, that she too has her things scattered all over the house. Today we had the chance to go shopping and pick up a few more accessories, and my daughter decided Chelsea needed hangers for her clothes. What a great idea, but we didn’t have a closet or armoire for to hang them in. So, I decided to make her a simple doll closet with the box she came in!
Now that we had hangers and a few outfits, I started researching doll armoires online and was surprised to find that they were actually quite expensive. Probably something I’d consider getting for my daughter for her birthday or the holidays. I started putting all the outfits and accessories into the original box Chelsea came in and an idea struck me. I could turn her box into a mini wardrobe closet.
What you need:
- Doll Box
- A Wooden Dowel
- Scissors
- Something to cut dowel – scissors, saw
- Ruler or measuring tape (optional)
- Wrapping paper
I grabbed the supplies I needed and got to work. First, I took the wooden dowel and measured out how much I needed. Then I grabbed my husband’s pvc pipe cutters and attempted to cut the wooden dowel. I managed to put a few grooves in the wood dowel making it easer to snap in half. With sand paper, I smoothed out the rough edges and it was ready to go.
Next, I took a pair of scissors and made a small hole in the side of Chelsea’s box. I kept spinning the scissors in the hole to make it bigger so that the wooden dowel would fit through. You can use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the sides to make sure the holes are even, or eyeball it like I did. Once your holes are complete, slide the dowel through.
To decorate the inside of the simple doll closet you can use wrapping paper to glue to the inside walls. Another option would be to let your child color the inside of the box.
TIP: Make sure your dowel is thick enough it won’t snap when your child is using it.
Really, it’s quite simple and is a great alternative for a quick doll closet. A great way to reuse and recycle the box she came in. And now that I’m thinking about it, that box can also be turned into a great bed with a few blankets and a home made pillow. So many great ideas! Please share your fabulous doll accessories and organization techniques.
Genius!!! I need to make this once we open all those clothes we ordered.