A Bookshelf Dollhouse for Miss G

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Miss G has talked about one day having her own dollhouse for a long while now. I did do some poking around back when we were still in Vancouver and found several that I absolutely adored {like this doll chalet, this all season home, this high-rise, this eco house, and my very, VERY favourite, this ‘green’ dollhouse by plan toys}, but knowing that we were moving overseas, it just didn’t make sense buy something only to have to leave it behind.

The thing is, now that we’re here in Kuwait, I’ve been having a hard time committing to purchasing one here. First off, the ones I really love are not readily available in Kuwait, and secondly, decent wooden versions that are available are really pricey. The fact that we don’t know how long we’ll be here for doesn’t help either as I don’t want to purchase a gorgeous {expensive} dollhouse and have to leave it behind in a year or two.

Simple Sensory Bin Stand

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Today Gracen and I put together this very simple sensory bin stand for her brand new {big} bedroom. It was an idea I’d seen on Ikea Hackers a few years back, and I’m so glad I remembered it. It’s simple, inexpensive, multipurpose, and fully customizable, which I love. And now that we’ve put it to the test, I think we may even get another one to add to our collection.

Simple Wall-Mounted Bookshelves

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Let me tell you, we’ve been busy around here. I’m not sure what it is about 30 degree heat that makes me want to redo patio chairs, modify step stools, sew curtains, paint walls, put together felt boards, redo toy chests, create alphabet books, AND organize engaging coordinating/helping projects for my little miss, but that’s how we’ve spent the last week. We’ve got a few last jobs to finish up, and then we’re taking a well-earned break and celebrating with pool days and trips to the beach!

That being said, one of the other things we’ve been working on is a quick and easy Pinterest-rampant project for Grae’s room.

While we were at IKEA picking up a Bekvam stool for Miss G’s pretty new toddler bench, we also picked up a couple of these Bekvam wooden spice racks… (Pinterest people, you all know where I’m going with this, right?)

While Gracen was happily painting rocks, I added the spice rack parts to my ‘to paint’ pile and gave them all two coats of a glossy white primer-and-paint-all-in-one spray.

After a day’s drying time, my little helper and I assembled them according to the instructions provided.

Then we mounted them to the wall using plugs and long screws (this was by far the hardest part of the project – really should have used a drill instead of doing it all by hand) and voila – Gracen had instant wall-mounted book shelves.

These little shelves are all part of a bigger project which I’m doing in honour of Miss G’s upcoming 2nd birthday (which I’ll be sure to share upon completion), but for now, Miss G is loving her toddler-height display-style bookshelves.

♥

Plain Jane Step Stool Turned Pretty Multipurpose Toddler Bench

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The other day while we were at IKEA picking up supplies for a little project I’m working on in honour of Miss G’s upcoming 2nd birthday, we decided to pick up one of IKEA’s classic step stools too… The Bekvam.

There’s no doubt that modified versions of this little stool has been featured dozens of times on sites such as ikeahackers.net, apartmenttherapy.com, and pinterest and rightfully so – it comes unfinished and just begging for some prettying up.

Since the stool was for Grae, I chose to use leftover paint in one shade lighter than her bedroom walls. While Gracen happily painted rocks, I gave all of the pieces two coats front and back, and let them dry in the sun for the remainder of the day.

The next day, while picking up some paper for a couple of block orders I’m working on, we came across this beautiful cherry blossom print, which really couldn’t be any more perfect. Anyone who knows me well, knows my love of cherry blossoms. I love them so much, in fact, that we hired an artist to paint a cherry blossom mural in Grae’s previous nursery in Kuwait.

Pretty paper in hand, it was time for the second part of the project… Beautifying the top. To start, I gathered a pencil, ruler, and a pair of scissors.

I cut the paper into a 12″ by 7.5″ rectangle, attached it to the the bench top (leaving a 1 inch border around the edges), and used a couple of pieces of rolled tape to hold it down temporarily.

Next, I flipped the bench top over and traced the oval cut out onto the backside of the paper.

After carefully removing the paper, I cut the oval out just outside of the traced line.

Next, I busted out some matte Mod Podge and a foam brush and spread a thin, even coat of Mod Podge over the entire surface of the bench.

After waiting just a minute to let the Mod Podge get tacky, I carefully placed the paper onto the bench top and smoothed it from the centre outwards to remove any bumps and bubbles that had formed.

Next, I topped the entire bench top with a couple of Mod Podge layers, letting it dry fully in between.

For added protection, I took it outside and gave it a couple of coats of a matte spray-on sealant, again letting it dry in between layers.

After a day of drying time, my little helper and I assembled her pretty new toddler bench.

I was excited to have her test it out and it turns out that her first instinct was to use it as a table and chair combo, rather than a step stool (I thought I might have to show her that, but not needed). She collected her baby and her jar of snacks and wasted no time putting her new bench to use. She’s used it constantly since, for everything from drawing, to sticker play, to meal eating, and game playing. The best part is that not only can this little stool be used as a toddler table/chair combo, but it can also be used the way it was designed to – for hand washing, teeth brushing, and kitchen helping too.

♥

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