My girl has discovered the wonderful world of Barbies. It was kind of by accident, and started after she got a Barbie-sized Princess Anna doll. Soon after, she received word that there may or may not be a treasure chest of my old Barbies in my parents' attic (there is, but shhhh, don't tell her yet). Then when Chad's mom and sister were visiting last month we went to the toy store and her aunt bought her a Barbie bathroom set and doll that she
had to have.
The decision between the bathroom set and the bedroom set was a bit complicated, and while she certainly didn't have buyer's remorse she pretty much has not stopped talking about the Barbie bed ever since. She regularly reminds me that she would like Santa Claus to bring her the bed for Christmas.
Well, Santa Claus did a little research and quickly discovered that the Barbie bed (and any related knock offs) were, not surprisingly, overpriced. As in, to the tune of $30--granted, this included a dresser and lamp, but still. That's too much money for a bed for a 12" doll. So I took matters into my own hands and made one out of a shoebox and some fabric scraps. Behold.
I started with an empty women's shoe box and lid (perfect size for Barbie), some fabric pieces large enough to cover the outsides of the box and the lid (coordinating prints), and a stapler. Yep, I just stapled the fabric right to the box and did a little creative folding to cover the staples.
I covered the outside of the box and stapled the fabric in place to the top inside edge--folding the fabric around it like gift wrap. I did the same for the lid, except I put a layer of stuffing on top first before covering with the fabric, to give Barbie a little bit of a softer mattress. After covering and stapling the fabric to the lid, I put the lid on the box--which covered the staples. This way the lid can still be taken off and used for storing any of Barbies clothes or accessories.
It still needed something, so I decided to add a headboard. I cut off the flap of a cardboard box I found in our recycling bin (I was determined to keep this a no cost project) and then cut rounded corners at the top. I covered it with the same pink gingham fabric as the "mattress" and then stapled the whole thing directly onto the box. You can see staples on this piece, but they're on the back so I'm not too worried about it. Charlotte won't care, and if it ends up going inside a dollhouse that part will be against a wall anyway.
The next step was more fun: bedding! Barbie needed a comforter and some pillows, naturally. I cut two pieces of fabric 15"X12" and sewed them right sides together, leaving a small opening, turned it right side out and then top stitched. Then I made two pillows out of the gingham (cut 4 rectangles 4.5"X3.5", sew, turn, stuff with a small amount of fiberfill, stitch closed) and one larger, decorative pillow out of another scrap. Does Barbie need a decorative pillow on her bed? No. But I was having fun making pillows so there you have it.
Not to brag, but I think this looks way better than any plastic bed that I could have bought her in the store. She will be a very happy little girl on Christmas morning. And the best part? It was free. Free, and very fun to make! I might tackle living room furniture next...
~Stacy
