Post by ebeth1984 on Jan 10, 2016 20:05:20 GMT -5
DD6 is *really* into AG and with Christmas additions to the ever-growing amount of dolls and accessories, we outgrew our current shelf-style "house" set up....
DH got a wood shop for Christmas (long story) so I tasked him with building an AG "Dreamhouse" based on plans DD6 and I came up with. We spent probably 2 hours sitting in the playroom deciding what was working/not working about the current setup, what we needed space for, deciding on number of rooms, dimensions, etc. I was blown away at her attention to detail and knowing what she wanted and didn't want.
Here is the first of two 4-room "quads" we've built...
When this is all done, we'll have the following:
1 stand alone unit as a bedroom that sleeps up to 6 dolls
2 4-room quads that will hold an eat-in kitchen, bathroom, salon, school, AG "store," campground, closet with built-ins for hanging clothes and shoes, and a garage for the Jeep and RV.
I always wanted an AG growing up and while I didn't want for much, I never got the Kirstin Larsen I pined for. So, Kirstin was the first to join our family and my heart sang when DD6 fell in love. In just a year, we've acquired 4 more dolls (Kaya, Grace, Saige, and Kit) and the GOTY Lea Clark will be coming to our house soon. I just couldn't resist sharing...if anyone wants our "plans" I would be happy to share!
**UPDATE (from a couple weeks ago)**
Last night I painted all four rooms and added a chalkboard to one side for an added play feature. Tonight was move in night! The girls made short work of moving everything to the other side of the playroom...
...and my DH took down the shelves that he spent HOURS putting up just a few months ago (they were surprisingly complicated to put up for what they are!)
We got the massive quad inside and off the dolly...
...and then this hallway happened.
Our house is ollllllld, and this little zig zag corner has bested us several times since we've lived here. Thankfully there is another way into the playroom, but now we have to haul this thing back outside, all the way around the house, and come in through the backdoor. Sheesh. Needless to say, that's not happening tonight. Lol
*UPDATE 1/26/16*
It seems our dreamhouse was a little larger than life...or at least, larger than our playroom. lol So, over the course of the last week or so, the girls and I have decided on some changes to our original plan. We've decided to use our 4-room quad (finally moved in!) and add another 2-room unit to one end, bringing our grand total to 6 rooms. To accomplish all we want to get in there, we've decided to combine some rooms.
DD6 has been super picky about how she wanted things in this house all along. In her defense, DD7 is pretty much un-enthused by AG unless its something SHE deems important...which is usually something DD6 finds important also. Chaos erupts, followed by my referee-ing, and then all is well again. (Compromise is SUPER difficult with two strong-willed girls 13 months apart) So, she "allowed" the combination of the closet (previously its own "room") with her AG store and ended up LOVING the result. "Its like a REAL clothes store, Mom!" (Score one for Mom! Who knew MOMS had good ideas sometimes?!) *gasp*
The closet bar is from IKEA. DH just screwed it to the ceiling (not my original idea - I saw it somewhere else but I can't remember where) and the hangers are a hodge podge combination of hand me downs, OG hangers, and a set of 24 I bought off eBay for a song.
The lights are LED stick-up lights powered by AAA's that came from Costco. $20 for a set of six...so we bought two and the extras have found their way to lots of other useful places around the house.
DD7 had the great idea to combine her Salon room with the Bathroom...thus making it a "Spa." (We're just going with it.) I was really impressed at her creative use of the space and "making it work" (as Tim Gunn would say!) where everything fit, was aesthetically pleasing, and still functional for all elements.
The blue-ish white star light on the bathtub is actually one of two (the other is hidden by the salon chair) and they are floating pool-lights from Hawaiian Tropic. Apparently they were sold as a set of three - we found them for $.10 each in a grocery cart of random stuff at Wal-mart.
Here is the whole quad as it stands now...
Kaya's Tepee is in place on top and I actually LOVE how it looks. Its such a gorgeous piece so I'm glad its getting the attention it deserves. Also on top of the unit are two locker chandeliers that need to be mounted properly in the store/closet and in the "spa" room. There's also some other random items that need to be put away.
Clearly our bedroom needs some work. Thankfully DH came up with a genius idea last night that we'll put into place in the 2-room unit. We are going to put three levels of shelves around the sides and back of one room. We're hoping it comes across looking like bunk beds and will sleep 9 dolls (12 if 3 sleep on the floor).
I originally asked him to make three 2-bed bunkbeds to which he responded, "We have five dolls. Its only a matter of time before Lea comes. I know they want Julie. There will be a GOTY next year and they'll probably want her. Its stupid for us to keep making beds *just* for the number of dolls they have, because these things are multiplying like crazy."
My internal dialogue: "YES! He gets it! The gates have been opened, the seas have parted, we have free reign to BUYYYY ALLLL THE DOLLLLLS." (Not exactly the case, but still...)
So, we're chugging along nicely. I'm looking forward to the day when its all done, but I also have a feeling this project will constantly change and evolve to meet the needs of our growing doll family. I will update when the 2-room unit is in place and our girls have a proper bedroom and a classroom (what I'm personally SUPER excited about!!!)
DH got a wood shop for Christmas (long story) so I tasked him with building an AG "Dreamhouse" based on plans DD6 and I came up with. We spent probably 2 hours sitting in the playroom deciding what was working/not working about the current setup, what we needed space for, deciding on number of rooms, dimensions, etc. I was blown away at her attention to detail and knowing what she wanted and didn't want.
Here is the first of two 4-room "quads" we've built...
When this is all done, we'll have the following:
1 stand alone unit as a bedroom that sleeps up to 6 dolls
2 4-room quads that will hold an eat-in kitchen, bathroom, salon, school, AG "store," campground, closet with built-ins for hanging clothes and shoes, and a garage for the Jeep and RV.
I always wanted an AG growing up and while I didn't want for much, I never got the Kirstin Larsen I pined for. So, Kirstin was the first to join our family and my heart sang when DD6 fell in love. In just a year, we've acquired 4 more dolls (Kaya, Grace, Saige, and Kit) and the GOTY Lea Clark will be coming to our house soon. I just couldn't resist sharing...if anyone wants our "plans" I would be happy to share!
**UPDATE (from a couple weeks ago)**
Last night I painted all four rooms and added a chalkboard to one side for an added play feature. Tonight was move in night! The girls made short work of moving everything to the other side of the playroom...
...and my DH took down the shelves that he spent HOURS putting up just a few months ago (they were surprisingly complicated to put up for what they are!)
We got the massive quad inside and off the dolly...
...and then this hallway happened.
Our house is ollllllld, and this little zig zag corner has bested us several times since we've lived here. Thankfully there is another way into the playroom, but now we have to haul this thing back outside, all the way around the house, and come in through the backdoor. Sheesh. Needless to say, that's not happening tonight. Lol
*UPDATE 1/26/16*
It seems our dreamhouse was a little larger than life...or at least, larger than our playroom. lol So, over the course of the last week or so, the girls and I have decided on some changes to our original plan. We've decided to use our 4-room quad (finally moved in!) and add another 2-room unit to one end, bringing our grand total to 6 rooms. To accomplish all we want to get in there, we've decided to combine some rooms.
DD6 has been super picky about how she wanted things in this house all along. In her defense, DD7 is pretty much un-enthused by AG unless its something SHE deems important...which is usually something DD6 finds important also. Chaos erupts, followed by my referee-ing, and then all is well again. (Compromise is SUPER difficult with two strong-willed girls 13 months apart) So, she "allowed" the combination of the closet (previously its own "room") with her AG store and ended up LOVING the result. "Its like a REAL clothes store, Mom!" (Score one for Mom! Who knew MOMS had good ideas sometimes?!) *gasp*
The closet bar is from IKEA. DH just screwed it to the ceiling (not my original idea - I saw it somewhere else but I can't remember where) and the hangers are a hodge podge combination of hand me downs, OG hangers, and a set of 24 I bought off eBay for a song.
The lights are LED stick-up lights powered by AAA's that came from Costco. $20 for a set of six...so we bought two and the extras have found their way to lots of other useful places around the house.
DD7 had the great idea to combine her Salon room with the Bathroom...thus making it a "Spa." (We're just going with it.) I was really impressed at her creative use of the space and "making it work" (as Tim Gunn would say!) where everything fit, was aesthetically pleasing, and still functional for all elements.
The blue-ish white star light on the bathtub is actually one of two (the other is hidden by the salon chair) and they are floating pool-lights from Hawaiian Tropic. Apparently they were sold as a set of three - we found them for $.10 each in a grocery cart of random stuff at Wal-mart.
Here is the whole quad as it stands now...
Kaya's Tepee is in place on top and I actually LOVE how it looks. Its such a gorgeous piece so I'm glad its getting the attention it deserves. Also on top of the unit are two locker chandeliers that need to be mounted properly in the store/closet and in the "spa" room. There's also some other random items that need to be put away.
Clearly our bedroom needs some work. Thankfully DH came up with a genius idea last night that we'll put into place in the 2-room unit. We are going to put three levels of shelves around the sides and back of one room. We're hoping it comes across looking like bunk beds and will sleep 9 dolls (12 if 3 sleep on the floor).
I originally asked him to make three 2-bed bunkbeds to which he responded, "We have five dolls. Its only a matter of time before Lea comes. I know they want Julie. There will be a GOTY next year and they'll probably want her. Its stupid for us to keep making beds *just* for the number of dolls they have, because these things are multiplying like crazy."
My internal dialogue: "YES! He gets it! The gates have been opened, the seas have parted, we have free reign to BUYYYY ALLLL THE DOLLLLLS." (Not exactly the case, but still...)
So, we're chugging along nicely. I'm looking forward to the day when its all done, but I also have a feeling this project will constantly change and evolve to meet the needs of our growing doll family. I will update when the 2-room unit is in place and our girls have a proper bedroom and a classroom (what I'm personally SUPER excited about!!!)
I can't wait to see this project as it progresses and the finished house. Banana could soooo use something similar for her Bratz dolls to "live" in. She has a ton of playsets and amazing accessory stuff we've found at thrift stores and flea markets that I wish I could let her keep set up all the time - but it starts to take over when it's all just kinda "out" around the edges of her room. hehe Please keep us updated. Tell your DH he's off to a great start!
