Scout's Doll house

In looking back through my photographs I realize that I did not necessarily blog about Christmas per se. We celebrated, a lot, and were sick, a lot, but one thing I did want to go back and highlight was the gift that Steve made for Scout.

For some time we knew we wanted to gift her a handmade doll house (if I'm honest from the moment she was born), but weren’t sure whether it would be a Christmas gift or a birthday gift. When we had trouble coming up with ideas for Christmas for her, we decided the doll house would be her gift.

I showed Steve a few inspiration pictures (here and here) and we decided the simpler the better. Within the week he had it finished and ready for me to decorate. 

I purchased a lot of vintage plastic furniture off of Ebay and then had Steve spray paint them in much more vibrant and modern hues.  I found small trinkets at Michael’s that could be incorporated into the doll house (the wagon, fabricated potted pIant, mirror, and picket fence) and then bought scrapbook paper for the wall coverings. My tired pregnant brain could not handle aligning the gaps in size in the paper. Steve stepped in and took over the gluing and hanging of the wallpaper and from there I arranged and placed the painted furniture, knowing full well it was not going to stay where I envisioned it. I made rugs out of some remnants of scrapbook paper I had in my stash. 

Searching for dolls and/or people for the doll house proved quite disheartening. So much of what I found was cheap, scary, overpriced, or too big. I hadn’t planned to follow suit in such dramatic form with YHL, but really the dearth of available dolls practically made that decision for me. I bought Olivia’s family with car included, knowing that the car alone would be enough to entertain Scout. She is her brother’s sister through and through. These figurines had the added bonus of folding to sit, so it was a win overall for me (as I repeatedly reminded myself as I clung to the package waiting in line at Toys R Us during one of the busiest shopping days of the year). 

Cutter was gifted quite a few Playmobil sets from his grandmother that we found on Craigslist, and for the Christmas morning reveal we had them set up in the middle of a fire rescue. Both kids were thrilled beyond belief with that discovery.

She has really enjoyed playing with the doll house. I was a little skeptical that she may have been too young to fully enjoy it but she dispelled that myth almost immediately. She continues to engage with it regularly and as expected, one of her favorite things to do is put all of Olivia’s family into the car and drive them around – and then park them in the converted garage (that would be the room I envisioned as the dining room).

It is a treasure to be sure, and I’m thankful we were able to craft it for her. 

Her Daddy loves her a whole awful lot.