Wooden Toy CellphoneOur kids are inundated with electronic toys these days and it is so important to encourage imaginative play. My husband recently had some pieces of leftover wood from a project. He cut them into varies sizes and sanded them so our son could play with them.
Use Found Objects for Dollhouse FurnitureI used to work at a drug store and a customer bought a watch from the case and the box it came in looked just like a trunk, so I asked him if I could have it and put it in my dollhouse. It was the perfect size!
Twig Furniture for DollsI would think you could make the really cute twig furniture for the dolls by using green twigs and tying them together with wire or rope then once each piece is dried into the shapes you need. Glue or nail the separate pieces to form the chairs, beds, etc.
Easy Old Fashioned Rope SwingThe large tree in our front yard has finally gotten sturdy enough the we felt comfortable putting up a rope swing. Our boys had fun making it and and I have already gotten my money's worth out of it (less than $20!) watching them play!
Bottle Lids for Barbie DishesLet kids use old pill lids and pop lids as Barbie dishes. They can cut out foam to put in the bottoms of the lids.Then use old beads and paint them to look like fruit and other foods.
Toy Food From Felt ScrapsI have tons of felt scraps from various felt projects and couldn't bring myself to throw them away. So, using only scraps, I made a variety of felt foods for my daughter, using basic doll stuffing as filler for some of the "puffier" food.
Homemade Marionette DollHomemade Marionette Doll. My granddaughter and I made this big marionette doll (24 inch) when the weather was too bad to go outside. We put paper-mache (newspaper strips and flour and water) over a balloon for the head. Let it dry and painted.
Little Sock MonsterI love making things that require no pattern or few instructions. This "Little Monster" is made from an orphaned sock, scrape fabric, and my imagination.
Use Dryer Lint For Stuffing DollsWhen my daughter was younger, she made hundreds of miniature stuffed animals, dolls, personalized pillows, and so forth, using fabric scraps. Even with the fabric free, of course, cotton batting or fiber-fill would have cost money to stuff her creations. So, she stuffed them with dryer lint!
Use Plastic Containers for Dollhouse PoolsTake the plastic containers that come ready to eat with chips and salsa and clean it out. These make excellent swimming pools for your miniature house layouts. Usually they come in black but you can paint them to resemble a swimming pool. Great recycle project
Use X-Rays For Doll Clothing PatternsAs I am a dressmaker, I always make my own patterns for dolls clothing. To have my patterns last forever, I use all my old X-rays. Put on a white sticker to write on so you can easily find it's back.
Organizing Barbie Clothes PatternsAs I create and sew Barbie doll-size fashions, I came up with a way to keep my patterns organized. For each outfit of the pattern set, I use a 6 1/2-in x 3 5/8-in regular envelope.
Homemade CheckersYou can make your own checkers game by saving plastic milk bottle caps. You need two different colors, 12 checkers for each player. If all your bottle caps are the same color, color the top of half the caps with permanent marker.
Homemade Jigsaw PuzzleMake a personalized homemade jigsaw puzzle by gluing a photograph to a piece of 1/4 inch plywood. If you have a color Ink Jet printer you can print the photo yourself. Then use a jigsaw to cut your puzzle pieces.
Homemade Children's Toy BoxesThe cost of children's toy boxes are so expensive and they are so small for all the money you spend. Here's a way to make some big toy boxes for a lot less:
Baby Wipe Container Toy Building BlocksWhat do you do with all those baby wipes boxes that you go through while having your children? By using the same brand, but choosing different color packages you can make quite a collection. Then when they are empty, wash them out really clean and take the label off with "Goo-Gone"...
Making a Toy Train TunnelIf you know a toy train enthusiast (or are one yourself) you can use an old metal mailbox to create a tunnel for your train. Just remove the door and back of the mailbox and let your toy train travel through it.
Assembly Line for Making DollsI make and sell Raggedy Ann and Andy, quilts, and various fabric crafts at our local Farmers Market here in Moses Lake, Washington. If you think that's something you'd like to do with your own talents, let me give you a time saving tip.
Stuffed Bear Gift IdeaAfter my Grandmother and Grandfather passed away, my Aunt Linda took some of their old coats and made bears out of them. She attached some beads and made some pretty necklaces for the female bears so they would resemble my Grandparents.
Using Styrofoam For Doll House FurnitureWe have all these great Styrofoam pieces left over from Christmas packages. We made some "blocky" doll house furniture from them. We carved out a couch and two "stuffed" chairs. covered them with some old quilts by cutting the pieces to size and gluing them into place.
Homemade Playdough GiftFor a quick and cheap child's gift, make a batch of the Kool Aid playdough, put some various colors in old frosting tubs, add some different cookie cutters, and a thick dowel cut to be a rolling pin.
Homemade Bean Bags for KidsHomemade bean bags are a great gift for children. Use the sleeve or leg of an old garment and then sew in pieces. I fill them with rice, not beans. They are lighter with rice and don't hurt as bad if you are hit with one.
Decorate a Vase Like a DollIf you have extra, empty vases, cover them with cloth of your choice. Place a heavy object in bottom to keep the vase from falling over. Buy Styrofoam craft balls or doll heads to fit in the vase opening. Add facial features to Styrofoam balls.
Dump Truck Full of BlocksThis makes a cute gift for a toddler. By one 2 by 4 and cut into blocks. Sand and stain blocks. Fill a plastic dump truck with the blocks and wrap it in clear plastic.
