How to make a dolls crib ... ...

If you have a daughter like mine, you will no doubt have a load of dolls lying about the house, my daughter has loads of the creepy little things (why is it the ones that make noises always do it when no ones near them ?)

Although she has a couple of cribs for her dolls, I decided to make another one out of scrap bits of wood, it's a simple enough project, only uses 5 bits of wood and a few tools, like a tape measure, a hand saw, few nails & a hammer.


What you should end up with is something like this -

Perhaps yours will be a tad neater.

Now it has to be said that using some kind of sheet material would be best for a project like this, I however used bits of pallet and some left over pine, it doesn't matter that I've used different types of wood as I've painted it white, but you can leave it bare wood, with maybe a bit of varnish or wax, or if you use something like plywood or indeed mdf (horrible stuff, but handy for things like this) you can paint it what ever colour suits.

The five pieces of wood - 

Bit like a simple jigsaw.

Now I have to admit I made a slight mistake with one of the pieces, that being I cut it to the wrong size, which brings weight to the old adage of 'Measure twice, cut once' but hey we all have off days.

You can see that I've cut the end parts with a slight curve to each end, this gives the crib a nice overall look (well I think it does) but it also means that it will rock as well, but you can just cut the end sections straight so that it sits flat on the floor.

All put together - 

I used nails to fix it together, but screws would do as well.

And here's where I show you the mistake, fixing things together is just a matter of nailing two of the sections between each end, so you get a side view like the picture above (again these can be what ever size you decide) the last piece then fits in between the sides and ends to make the base (so the dolls don't fall out) however in my haste to make this I cut the wood first, only to find it wasn't big enough and didn't fit into the bottom of the crib, so I had to cut another piece of wood - Remember - 'Measure twice, cut once' 

The new base - 

The small gaps will be filled.

The gaps you can see around the edges of the base are caused by the angled sides, I could have planed each side to a slight angle to fit better, but as I had to fill in where the nails are I figured I'd just fill these gaps as well.

And that's about it really, it's a simple job that requires basic skills, and design wise you can go as crazy as you want.

I would suggest making one end slightly bigger than the other as this will give a better idea of which end is which, but it doesn't matter, if you do use nails, or screws I'd also suggest counter sinking them, as this will make it easier to hide where the fixings are, and you can make a wood filler from fine saw dust and pva glue, I use the dust out of my power sanders dust collection bags, makes for a great wood filler.

And once it's all put together and sanded you can give it a coat of paint, or if your wood was good quality you can always leave it and just give it a coat of varnish.

This is a great project for kids (and adults) alike, and teaches basic wood working skills, which always come in handy, if not now in they will in the future, just imagine when the kids have grown up and moved out, who are they going to call if they need shelves putting up ? if they know how to do it themselves you'll be free to read that book in peace ;-)

The crib ready for dolls - 

Ready for one of the myriad of dolls my daughter has.

Thanks for reading.

Charity shop find... ...

I thought I'd do a quick post on charity shops, and the things you can find in them.


My daughter has just turned 2, and we went out the other day to find some things for her birthday, and if I'm honest we got a little stumped as to what to get. She likes dolls and other things, but a lot of the things she would like we already have from when her brother was younger, and it seemed a little daft to buy the same things again, so we got her a doll, and some bits and pieces for the doll, and while we were looking at various shops we came across an old wooden crib in a salvation army shop, it's a small crib, just right for a doll.


Here it is.

The crib.

It's a few years old, but we got it because it's wooden and really sturdy, as you can see it needs a bit of work, so my job is to strip the old paint off it give it a sand and then paint it again, most likely white, or if the wood comes up okay then I might just varnish it.

The point is that it was £3 and it's wooden, and apart from a little bit of tlc it's perfect for a doll, and it will most likely out last anything that's made of plastic.

My daughter has already seen it and loves it (she got a little worried when I put it in the shed) so next time you're out and about why not have a look in a charity shop or two and see if there's something you can use, it might cost you a fair bit less than a new one and not only are you helping a charity out you're recycling as well.

We actually got most of our home brewing supplies from our local charity shop, for a fraction of the price it would have cost if we'd got new, so it's worth having a look.