Ask me what books I’ve read lately, or what I’ve needlepionted, or what workout class I’ve been to, and I’ll just stare at you blankly. Not just because life feels very full {two little kids,…

Spread the loveCreating a personalized American Girl doll house can be an incredibly fun and rewarding project for parents and kids alike. With just a few supplies and some creativity, you can create a space that your child’s favorite American Girl doll will be happy to call home. Here is our step-by-step guide on how to make your own American Girl doll house. 1. Choose the right size and structure: First, determine the size of the dollhouse based on the scale of your American Girl dolls, which are typically 18 inches tall. You’ll want to ensure that there’s enough space […]

Z's Desk Set was introduced to Z's Collection in 2017 and retired in 2018. Retail cost was $125. Wooden shelving unit with pop-out desk. Two doors open in front with purple and silver handles. The first door reveals three shelves, a silver magnetic board, and a fold-down desk. It has a black faux chalkboard on the front of the door. The silver magnetic board has a plastic shelf at the bottom that can hold small items. Desk has white plastic table with blue supports; desk entirely folds into shel

I have a lot of historical dolls as you all know by now, but what I don’t share often is my modern dolls. I thoroughly love my historical dollhouses, but sometimes it’s fun to work with current styles and design. This summer my husband and I started a five-room dollhouse for the Truly Me dolls of my collection. In my post American Girl Place Chicago you all got to meet Ella and Emma. They are my two Truly Me 61's that I dress as twins. The modern dollhouse is to be Ella and Emma’s home and has two floors. The top floor consists of three rooms: Emma’s Bedroom, Ella’s Bedroom and a shared Walk-In Closet. This house is the first of my houses to feature real doorways leading into other rooms. All of my historical rooms are complete without any sort of pass through. As I started designing the twin’s bedrooms, I wanted them to have very different themes and personalities. I chose to create a personality for Emma’s room as a girl who is trendy, smart and loves to read. Her room is simple and clean, but has her favorite things near. Emma’s bookshelves are filled with her favorite American Girl books, camera and a real working Etch A Sketch. In the corner sits her Julie doll and on the bed a giant chair pillow to relax on with a book. [gallery ids=1163,1164 type=rectangular] I am completely hooked on buffalo plaid! I tend to choose it in my own home decor and my wardrobe. As we started the modern dollhouse, I knew one room must be designed around buffalo plaid. 😀 When I mentioned it to my husband, he suggested we do a feature wall in the room with shiplap and here we are! The house shell is an IKEA Pax cabinet, but larger than the usual one we use. This particular one is 93” tall, but it is laying on its side, so we get a house that is nearly 8 feet long. I bought two add-on shelves to be the rooms walls and they are nailed into place since the normal brackets aren’t made to hold them in this position. Before installing them, hubby cut doorways into them. The doorway leads into the walk-in closet and continues on to Ella’s room. Emma’s room is 28” tall x 29” wide x 22 1/2” deep. The bed is the American Girl Canopy Bed. I painted it black and added Emma’s name to the foot board. I bought two buffalo plaid tea towels for the fabric. I couldn’t find what I wanted in the fabric section (imagine that), but these are perfect. One towel is the bedspread, the other towel I cut up and made two pillow cases and an accent pillow for the chair. The chair originally was blue and went with Girl of the Year 2008 Mia’s bedroom desk. I painted it with a gold metallic paint and really was impressed with the result. [gallery ids=1157,1155,1165,1156 type=rectangular] On the wall I wanted to get the look of an old barn window. The “window” is an empty picture frame and the wreath is garland hung with twine. I bought three gold glitter picture frames and printed out pictures of animals wearing glasses for two of them 🤓 and used the third one on the nightstand. The nightstand is a craft box I painted and added pulls to. The working lamp is from the dollar store but I painted the ugly shade gold. [gallery ids=1151,1160 type=rectangular] I used Cricut vinyl gray paper for the wall covering to mimic gray paint. The vinyl is very easy to work with and doesn’t run or puddle like paint would. Hubby cut lattice to be the shiplap and I painted it lightly with white craft paint. I didn’t want any form of gloss so it would keep a casual, rustic feeling. The wood is glued onto a piece of foam board that we cut to the appropriate size. We did this because it is much easier to keep the shiplap in straight lines and didn’t require as many nails. We used finishing nails to attach the shiplap wall to the back wall of the Pax. [gallery ids=1161,1159,1156 type=rectangular] I found the antelope head at Target. It was perfect just the way it was! The house shaped shelf was white and I painted it gray. The pineapple (which I decorate with in my own home) is a pepper shaker. The Rubiks Cube and Etch A Sketch are real working miniature toys. The succulent plant is from Target's Dollar Spot. I painted the pot gold because the terracotta didn't go with the theme. [gallery ids=1172,1177 type=rectangular] The free-standing bookshelf is three cubes I found at Michael's. I removed the drawers and painted them black. The light fixture is a locker light and the geometric shape works perfectly with the room. The E above the bed is a refrigerator magnet. (Ella has a matching one.) I wrapped twine and twinkle lights on the canopy. They give a nice soft glow. [gallery ids=1174,1175 type=rectangular] I hope you love Emma’s room! To see details about Emma & Ella’s Walk-In Closet, Ella’s Bedroom or Emma’s Room: Christmas Edition visit the posts! Sleep tight Emma. 💗

Gabriela's Loft Bed is part of Gabriela's Collection; it was released in 2017 and retired before year's end. The retail cost was $225.

I've been organizing a little in the doll room this week. I just switched out the pink washer and dryer for this aqua set. {This is what the bathroom looked like a couple of years ago.} It still needs some work -- the colors are softer and the overall look makes me smile. {I love pink, but for me, pink works best in moderation.}

Doll storage and organization can be challenging with a large collection or if you are short on space. Throughout my collecting years I have dealt with both. My collection started with two childhood dolls and two outfits. About fifteen years ago I began consistently adding to my collection and now have 134 dolls and lots of outfits. Before I had a doll room, I stored my dolls and furniture pieces on three bookshelves in an unused dining room. As my collection outgrew the bookcases I would rotate my pieces seasonally and stored the rest in plastic storage bins or in my doll trunks. When I finally had my own doll area in the basement, I used one bookshelf to organize my doll clothes with plastic bins. This worked at the time but I would often forget what outfits I owned. I wanted to be able to see my collection, especially my modern outfits because I like to mix and match pieces. When I began creating dollhouse rooms I designed the spaces around my furniture and accessory pieces. I always try to work clothing items or accessories into the rooms as well. In Julie’s Room I have an outfit in her laundry basket and tennis shoes on her shelf. Samantha’s Bedroom has hats displayed on a wall and Rebecca's Bedroom is storing some of her items in a trunk. But obviously that still leaves A LOT of clothes and shoes to store. I decided to create a closet in the doll room to display and store all of the clothing items, shoes and trunks. To create the closet I bought three BILLY bookcases from IKEA. Each bookcase is 31.5 wide and 11 deep, this makes my closet just shy of 8' long and 7' tall. Most of my historical dolls are displayed in their dollhouse rooms but a few special dolls are displayed separately. The dolls in the middle bookcase are either signed, first editions or have a special significance to me. Unlike the majority of my dolls that go on outdoor photo shoots, these gals don't get out much. 😉 [gallery columns=2 size=large type=rectangular ids=6307,6285] I use the other two bookcases as clothing storage. I wanted one side of the closet to be dedicated to historical outfits and the other dedicated to modern clothes. I used a thick wrapping paper to wallpaper the back of two of the bookcases. A gold polka dot for the historical side and gold stars for the modern side. I bought tons of American Girl hangers off of eBay (I prefer the older, thicker ones) and a few new packs from AG (great for hanging skirts and shorts). I hung them on tension rods and looped any outfit accessories on the neck of the outfit hanger if I could. [gallery type=rectangular columns=2 size=medium ids=6290,6294,6295,6287] For the accessories that can't loop onto hangers, I use little drawered containers from the Dollar Tree. In the drawers are rings, headbands, barrettes and anything tiny. The drawers sit under the hanging clothes. [gallery type=rectangular columns=2 size=medium ids=6309,6308] When I created Emma and Ella's Walk-In-Closet, the hubs made small risers to display their shoes. I asked him to create them again but longer to fit the shelves. He did an excellent job and they are my favorite part! I love to mix and match accessories and sometimes use historical shoes with modern outfits. Now everything I have is visible and I can easily find what I need. Some of the modern shoes have wandered over to the historical shelves since a lot of historical shoes are in the doll trunks. Each shoe riser holds 27 pairs of shoes; the doll closet holds a total of 108 pairs of shoes. [gallery type=rectangular columns=2 size=medium ids=6289,6288,6291] On the top shelves of the closet I added storage boxes for extra items. These boxes hold pajamas, leggings and tights, things that don't hang well, or items that are too large for the small drawers. I chose old fashioned floral printed boxes for the historical side and a pink modern floral for the Truly Me side. [gallery type=rectangular columns=2 size=medium ids=6293,6292] The bottom shelves are displaying some of my trunks; Josefina's, Kirsten's, Samantha's and Addy's. I currently have the Girl of Today Flower Armoire displayed in the spot where I will eventually place Molly's Pleasant Company white trunk. The armoire will then be displayed in a dollhouse room. Each trunk is holding a clothing collection. [gallery type=rectangular columns=2 size=medium ids=6306,6304,6303,6305] The doll closet is holding the majority of my clothes but I still have items stored around the doll room. Emma & Ella's Walk-In Closet displays all of their outfits and a few of the dollhouse rooms have armoires/trunks storing pieces of my collection. The Two Doll Clothes Press, Star Armoire, Rebecca's Trunk and Felicity's Clothes Press are all used as furniture pieces in dollhouse rooms and also hold pieces of my collection. Julie's Locker is not displayed in a room at this time. The Star Armoire holds all of my boy clothing and accessories and is displayed in Luciana's Room. [gallery type=rectangular size=medium ids=6297,6298,6299,6300,6301] I love organization and enjoy seeing how different people display their collections. I hope you have enjoyed this little tour and are able to get inspiration for your doll collection storage no matter the size. Until next time, Happy Collecting!

The Bouquet Bed Set is a My American Girl accessory released in 2014 and retired in 2015. Retail cost was $175. Blue wood bed with trundle. Bouquet Nightstand Petals and Plaid PJ's

Years ago, we made a smaller American Girl dollhouse for Cameron when she was just a tiny tot. It didn’t take long for us to realize that dolls were her thi ...

This bedding set is designed for 18" dolls. This bedding set is sized for dolls only and is not sized for humans. This bedding set is a gorgeous gold and blush pink color and is perfect for any little girl obsessed with horses like my daughter that rides! This bedding set includes: 1-Gold polka dot doll blanket (18"x21") 1-Lace trimmed top sheet 2-Lace trimmed pillowcases with removable pillows (8"x6") 1-Jean pillowcase with lace ribbon 1-Blush pink furry pillow(this pillow fabric I have run out of so will substitute with another blush pink fabric) 1-Pink polka dot Horse pillow 1-White eyelet pillow 1-Ride pillow 1-Decorative blush pink end of bed blanket is NOT included as fabric has been discontinued

Julie’s Canopy Bed

Take sleepovers to a whole new level with a bed that fits a friend too! This set includes: A bed with a canopy that has lavender panels and metallic gold hardware A trundle bed that slides out from under the canopy bed with gold handles to help pull it out Two mattresses with a modern black-and-white dot print A revers

Make your own doll bed for American Girl Doll or other 18" Doll. This sturdy wood doll bed is quick and easy and inexpensive to make. Free step by step plans to DIY a doll bed for your American Girl.

Highlights 15-pc Vanity Table Set: Light up imagination and fabulous styles with the Our Generation Glam & Glow vanity table for 18-inch dolls! Fabulous Features: The vanity mirror really lights up, so little stylists can create the brightest makeovers! Includes: Pink vanity table with light-up mirror, 2 drawers, furry pouf, 2 nail polish bottles, 3 butterfly claw clips, hairbrush, spray bottle, lip gloss, 2 make-up brushes, and lipstick. Dimensions: Measures approximately 15" (H) x 17" (W) x 4.5" (D). Mix & Match: Compatible with most 18-inch dolls, doll furniture, and accessories. Recommended Age: Our Generation accessories make a wonderful gift for kids ages 3+ (small parts), encouraging them to imagine their own unique stories. Batteries: Requires 3 x AAA batteries (included). Accessory Set Only: Dolls sold separately. Description Light up imagination and fabulous styles with the Our Generation Glam & Glow Vanity Table for 18-inch dolls! The vanity table is designed in pretty pink and features a light-up mirror that lets dolls feel like a true star. Seat your dolls on the furry pouf. Then use the included styling accessories to give them a fabulous makeover. It comes with pretend play essentials like 2 nail polish bottles, lip gloss, 2 make-up brushes, and lipstick. Plus, kids can explore hairstyling fun with a hairbrush, spray bottle, and 3 butterfly hairclips. The vanity also has 2 opening drawers for easy storage. And it's perfectly sized to turn playrooms and doll bedrooms into a charming glamor station. Our Generation accessories make a wonderful gift for kids ages 3+ (small parts), encouraging them to create their own unique stories. Compatible with most 18-inch dolls, doll furniture, and accessories. Dolls sold separately.

Kira's Comfy Platform Tent is part of Kira's Collection. It was released in 2021 and retired in 2022. Retail cost was $225. Platform tent. Base of tent is made of wood and has a faux wooden floor print for floor. Base comes with front pieces attached; front pieces have beige poles and green leaves. Four beige plastic support beams are packaged separately and can be snapped onto each bottom corner of tent base. Beige stairs attach in front with three brown faux wood steps. Gold poles and connecto

Welcome to Rebecca's Bedroom! This sweet girl now has her own space to dream about becoming an actress! Rebecca’s room is very girly and very pink. In the post Samantha's Bedroom I shared how I originally decorated her room with a pink-striped wallpaper but preferred it for a different doll that I felt it suited better. Rebecca is that girl and she has happily moved into the space. 😉 Rebecca's Bedroom is the middle floor of a 78 tall IKEA PAX cabinet. The room is 39 wide, 22.5 deep and 25 tall. There are two identical sized “rooms” in the PAX; above is Samantha's Bedroom and below is Rebecca’s Parlor. Rebecca Rubin was the tenth historical character American Girl created and was released in 2009. As an adult, I read her books and fell in love with her character and story. Since Rebecca's collection wasn't something I dreamed about as a child, I didn't have a style that I desperately wanted to see come to life like I did in Addy’s Bedroom nor will I collect every piece of her collection. I used photos of real 1914 bedrooms and the bedroom scene of Rebecca's Paper Dolls for inspiration. The flooring is a faux, dark hardwood peel-and-stick vinyl. The wallpaper is a very thick wrapping paper. (Wrapping paper is my favorite wall covering if I can find the right print.😁) I cut each piece to size and used spray glue to attach it to the walls. The hubs cut decorative trim to size for chair rail, crown molding and base that I painted white. In her book series, Rebecca dreams of becoming a movie star and wants to follow in the footsteps of her actor cousin Max. On a special outing, Max takes Rebecca to a movie set and lets her dress up in the costumes. Rebecca's Costume Trunk is displayed in the room and her costume is displayed on a dress form in the corner. I store hats and accessories from various outfits in the trunk for safe keeping. To see how I organize my doll clothes collection visit the post The Doll Room Closet. Rebecca has some really neat pieces that I wanted to showcase. Her Russian nesting dolls and dominoes are my favorites. On one wall I added two 10 inch shelves that the hubs made from unfinished pine and arranged some of her pieces on them. I photo copied a picture of Rebecca’s cousin Max from her book series and glued it to a small frame. The decorative pink box is a pill box that I thought matched well. Underneath one shelf I added two hooks for her purses. One is her Meet purse and the other isn't AG but works for the time period. The four movie posters on Rebecca’s walls are movies that were playing in 1914. I sized them, printed them off and glued them on her walls. Rebecca's beautiful pink bed with gold accents is in the center of the room. I placed a white with gold speck placemat under the bed for warmth. Rebecca's chair from her Seashore Set is stored underneath the bed. Awhile back I shared the deal I got on a bunch of My Life brand sewing sets from Walmart. (Christmas in Mrs. Ford’s Dress Shop and Ella’s Room: Christmas Edition) I spray-painted one gold and am using it as a side table by Rebecca's bed. The dress form in the corner is also from this set. On the table is Rebecca’s carousel, her book and her school notebook. Under the table is her school bag and slippers. I placed two white picture frames on one wall as windows. I printed out a painting of early city apartment buildings and separated it into two pictures to be Rebecca's street view from different angles. I glued a lace-like fabric to painted dowel rods as curtains. Sitting in between the windows is the vanity from Marie-Grace's collection. Marie-Grace has a room in the dollhouse but it is not a bedroom so Rebecca is using her vanity, pitcher, perfume and towel. Also on the vanity is Rebecca’s brooch from her first Meet Accessories, and her curling iron and hair pick from her Hair Styling Set. I hope you have enjoyed the tour of Rebecca's room. I will make subtle changes as I slowly add items to my collection but I am really enjoying the room for now. Goodnight Rebecca, don’t stay up too late. Check the other historical dollhouse rooms I've created for Julie, Addy, Maryellen, Kirsten, Kit and Samantha.