Looking for a dollhouse/studio that:
- lets you express your style?
- is great for photography?
- is easy to store?
Here’s a product from Cleabella called “Room With a View”. It’s a magnetic scene system to display and photograph 1:4 or 1:6 (playscale) dolls. A starter kit includes metallic folding background walls, a fabric floor rug and your first set of magnetic ‘mix-and-match wallpaper’ panels.
You can then add more mix-and-match wallpaper or panelling, and magnetic wall accessories such as windows, doors, faux bookshelves and framed pictures. The catch is- it’s expensive. But read on for my DIY tip!
For more flexibility you can buy blank magnetic panels and design your own background. That’s how Michael Williams created his stylish set piece, featured here on our blog and pictured below. Michael explains on his Flickr site how he scanned in the wallpaper design from some fabric and printed it on a large scale Epsom printer. He also printed the parquet hardwood floor. Visit Michael’s flickr set for more details: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mawphoto/sets/72157603894831644/
…and here’s my crafty DIY tip- as they say, “make of it what you will”. You can buy paint with iron filings which magnets will stick to. You can get A4 sized printable magnet sheets from Officeworks, and larger magnets should be available at printers and signwriters. And finally-you can cut out pictures you like from magazines, such as accessories, paintings, posters, views through windows. Then glue them on to those magnets you always get in the letterbox- you know, the ones that advertise the 24-hour plumbing service. Now that’s real DIY, and it’s free!
1. Cut out your printed fabric leaving seam allowances on all sides. Cut out a matching backing fabric in the same size.
2. Pin the ‘right sides’ (the side you want to see) together on three sides. Sew the three sides together by hand or with a sewing machine.
3. Turn the cushion right-side out, using a pencil or chopstick to turn out the corners. Stuff the cushion with fabric scraps, cotton wool or commercial stuffing. Turn under the open edges and sew closed by hand.
1. Open a word processor document and insert some images. I’m leaving a white space around them for seam allowances. Do a test print on paper to check layout and colours ( I decided to skip that bit- *bzzzz* – and the document reformatted itself and removed my seam allowances!)
2. Set your printer settings to ‘Best’ print quality and ‘plain’ paper. Put the fabric sheet into your inkjet printer so that the image will print on the fabric side. Let the sheet dry for about ten minutes.
3. Peel away the paper backing. Rinse the sheet in a tub of cold water.
4. Lay the sheet flat on a towel to dry…and that’s it! The ink is set and can be washed gently by hand or in a machine.
The Uthando (‘Love’) Project provides free patterns to make dolls for children in a community ravaged by HIV and AIDS. The dolls are to promote expressive play, which is essential for children’s development and mental health. Your doll could be a child’s first toy, shared by the whole family.
