Every girl wants a nice place to call home, and American Girl dolls are no exception. The dolls in our house were fortunate enough to have a whole room in the basement specially made for them. Let's take a look!
Before:
The Doll Room was just a corner of the basement with shelves, a utility sink, and some pipes.
Daddy and Grandpa B. figured out how to put up a wall.
Here's Grandpa B. working on the floating threshold.
We wanted a way to keep the cats out but still let the air circulate and let the light in. Four screen doors were put up to act as a barrier for the cats. Three are bolted in place, but the door closest to the stairs opens and closes.
One of two reasons we needed a secure room for the dolls
One of two reasons we needed a secure room for the dolls
After:
Next, the lower level. The dolls have their kitchen table set up with tea and treats. Notice the paper lanterns and Easter-egg chandelier over the dining area. Beyond the table, two foals and a gentle black lab are cuddled up on the floor.
Meet the dolls!
Elspeth, about to get on the bed;
Kit, rendered immobile by dogs Coconut and Grace
Jessica, changing her earrings while her dog waits to play;
Katie, looking through her dresser;
Alexis, sitting and looking at hairbands
Josefina and Felicity spending some snuggle time with their pets
(It should be noted that the dolls have over 25 pets at last count.)
Like any home, this house is occasionally being updated. The next project is to install electric lights in the lower level, and possibly install carpet on the upper level.
Of particular interest to the dolls, spiders have discovered it is unsafe to set up camp in the dolls' house and have vacated the premises.
The walls were updated with primer, then paint. Ceiling tiles were touched up with primer. Pink curtains (with star theme appropriate for American Girl dolls) were hung to conceal the utility sink and pipes. A house was built for the dolls using two flat doors and some table legs for supports. Stairs were built and added to one side of the house. Furniture and supplies were put in place, and the dolls moved in!
It's hard to get an idea of the scale from the pictures, but the top floor measures approximately 6' x 7'.
The top floor is one big bedroom. Two white beds (courtesy of Grandpa M) have been pushed together to make a double bed. Just to the right of those, two larger beds (from Ikea) have been pushed together to make a triple bed. The Happy Birthday sign is still up from Madeline's party in August (more on that later).
Next, the lower level. The dolls have their kitchen table set up with tea and treats. Notice the paper lanterns and Easter-egg chandelier over the dining area. Beyond the table, two foals and a gentle black lab are cuddled up on the floor.
The sitting room, complete with posters on the wall
And finally, the school room. Courses for this year include:
American History (timeline with AG stickers)
Math (display for learning number sense)
Geography (a map of the world and a globe)
Art (currently practicing weaving using the loom)
Music (wind instruments with flutes in four colors)
Spelling (papers displayed can't be seen due to the flash)
Science (Scott Foresman doll-sized text book)
Meet the dolls!
Elspeth, about to get on the bed;
Kit, rendered immobile by dogs Coconut and Grace
Jessica, changing her earrings while her dog waits to play;
Katie, looking through her dresser;
Alexis, sitting and looking at hairbands
(It should be noted that the dolls have over 25 pets at last count.)
some of the storage for the dolls' clothing and accessories
Like any home, this house is occasionally being updated. The next project is to install electric lights in the lower level, and possibly install carpet on the upper level.
Of particular interest to the dolls, spiders have discovered it is unsafe to set up camp in the dolls' house and have vacated the premises.
