Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Wednesday Blythe - Dress Rack and Hangers DIY

Hello!

We've had a very busy holiday here.  So please pardon me if I haven't shared a Weekend Baking recipe last Sunday.  I also haven't had the chance to take photos so I will not be able to share how we spent our 1st of November here.  My son was a star yesterday and he was very cooperative even if we came home late from the cemetery. It was a lovely day.  I hope you enjoyed your holiday too! :D

As promised, to myself, I have started making stuff for my dolls' future house. Yey! :D

I have been dreaming of having a closet for my dollies to store and display their dresses.  The available ones in the mall are mostly Barbie's and in hot pink!  I did not like the style.  So for my first Blythe furniture,  I made a simple but cute dress rack!




See the supplies and instructions on making this dress rack below.




Supplies:
popsicle sticks   
metal rod (I used a crochet hook that I no longer use) 
tacky / craft glue     
scissors   
ruler   
pen    
acrylic paint   
brushes   

1. Line and cut one end of 8 popsicle sticks like pictured above.  2. cut the ends of 2 more popsicle sticks, sized according to the width of the 8 sticks.  3. Brush enormous amount of glue on the 2 sticks.  4.  Place the sticks on both ends like pictured above to gather and put in place the other 8 sticks.  This will serve as the side of your dress rack. Make 4 of this if your sticks are the same length as mine (around 4" long).

 5-6.  Glue together 2 of the sides like pictured above.  7.  Do the same for the remaining 2.  ***This is unnecessary if you are using longer popsicle sticks (like the ones available in Starbucks).  This length is all I've got so I had to make them longer.
8. Cut 5 more sticks for each sides' top/upper part.  Glue them on top of each other.  Do the same on the sides' bottom/lower part.  9.  Gather the cut ends and sized it according to the sides' bottom/lower part.  10.  Glue and pile them up together like pictured above.  This will enable your rack to stand better. ***The reason for the piled up 5 sticks is that my crochet hook is longer than the length of the popsicle sticks.  
11. Cut squares from the sticks / cut ends.  Prepare 12 squares.  12.  Glue the squares (3 layers each) on sticks 4 and 5 on each of the sides' top/upper part.  Make sure that there is enough space in between, sized to the width/diameter of your rod.  This is where you will insert the ends of your metal rod / crochet hook.  13.  Create the rack's base and a top shelf. For the rack's base, glue together 8 popsicle sticks like pictured above.  For the top shelf, I glued together 2 1/2 sticks. 14.  This is optional.  I glued sticks on the back of each side.  15.  Place the rack's base and top shelf on their places.  These strengthen the rack and prevent it from swaying especially when the metal rod is removed.  Make sure to always brush huge amount of glue on the sticks.    Then place the rod on its proper place. 

16. Let it dry completely.  Then test the strength of your rack by hanging some dresses.  and Ta-Da!
You now have a doll's dress rack! :D     


Now paint it or glue patterned paper on it.  You can design it with whatever you like.


I painted mine light blue. soo cute, isn't it?

Here is a simple tutorial on making your own dress hangers using pipe cleaners. :D

How to make your own dress hangers:

Materials needed: pipe cleaners and cutter/scissors (optional: beads and other embellishments)

Instructions: 1. Cut pipe cleaners 2 inches long.  One hanger uses two.  2.  Wrap around the middle of a 2-inch pipe cleaner the one end of another 2-inch pipe cleaner.  3. Insert beads to make it cuter.  And you're done! So easy, right?

 Test the hangers on your dress rack.

Then fill it with dresses! 

I will be very grateful if you will share your thoughts on this by leaving a comment below.  And don't forget to include the link of your creation too when you try this.  You can also share photos in this flickr pool that I started. :D  Enjoy!


7 comments:

  1. Thanks Katie! You are so sweet! :D

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  2. Wow! Tyaga ni mommie hehehe i love those bags, too :-)

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  3. hi ails, been following your posts to this site and everytime i see your craft, i missed the old creative and playful me before i got too busy with work and family. my youngest chelsea would love to see these site too i know. too bad for me because she might also want to do the things you did for your Blythe for her barbie dolls, brats and pollie pocket dolls...yay! if she does i am sure she will talk me into doing it again with her..whew! nonetheless, please give me ideas on the material you intend to use for your doll house so that if i can't make her one, i'll order one for her na lang...LOL! take care and i wish you and your family well..love you!

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  4. Hi Jerosha! Thank you! Too bad, my baby boy couldn't play with me and my dolls.

    Hi Ate Che! I'll use materials available and affordable here in our country so don't worry. :D Do this with Chelsea during your mother-daughter time. This is easy and won't take much of your time. I have a very easy tutorial on a Blythe/Barbie/any other doll dresser coming up next week. For the dollhouse, I intend to recycle a thick ref/tv box. I'll share it here too once I start with it. :D Take care too Ate and enjoy crafting with Chelsea! Love you too!

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  5. OMG! I just got into BJDs and I'm currently saving for my first doll, I found this tutorial through pinterest. I'm trying to save on accessories by making everything for her myself. And this by far my most favorite find. I already have the supplies!

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  6. Thank you so much, Amy! Please share with us your creation :D

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