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Monday, January 3, 2011

doll suitcase

UPDATE: Since posting this I have made two more interchangeable rooms - a kitchen and bedroom - and posted a step-by-step tutorial on how I made it. Would you like to make your own?



I already showed you Dolly, but now she has a place to call home, and some cute new clothes to boot! I had so much fun making this, but I have to say that I got majorly burned out whipping this up so quickly for the Christmas time crunch. I had even grander plans but they will have to wait for when I get another burst of motivation. But I digress, let me show you inside...


Welcome to the living room! The only room in the house for now. I made the back panel interchangeable so eventually I can make a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc. and the panel would just need to be switched out and voila! you are playing in a different part of the house! 


Everything was sewn onto one big piece of fabric which was glued around a piece of poster board cut to fit. My vintage suitcase (which I bought at the thrift store for $2) had this handy ruffle edging to pop the panel behind.


But is Dolly home you ask?


Why, yes! She is tucked away in the basement with her wardrobe waiting to be dressed up and played with! The 'floor' lifts up to reveal her hiding place. I used foam board for the floor to make it more sturdy.


        You may notice I never gave her a face..truth be told I was scared to mess up and then several people told me they liked her without a face and I tend to agree with them. This way she isn't just sleepy or happy all of the time, but any emotion you want to imagine!


I managed to make her four dresses, a coat, a purse, a scarf, and a pair of moccasins before my big burn out (I still need to add little snaps on the dresses and coat). I'll probably end up making some more summery things when the weather gets warmer, and if I get my act together I'll share my patterns with you since that is the part that takes the longest. 

Here she is showing off her favorite outfits:





Dolly is already getting lots of love and it will be fun to add to her house and possibly get her some furniture bit by bit. If you want to try this out the possibilities really are endless... 

I am really happy with how it turned out. And the fun part is that if the Little Miss wants to take Dolly with her to Grandma's house she is already packed up and ready to go!

73 comments:

  1. Coolest doll toy ever!! What a lucky little girl :)

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  2. sheer brilliance! I am going to have to make one, such an inspiration.

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  3. Lovely! Is the glorious green suitcase new or old?

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  4. @leena - the suitcase is vintage. i found some hard candies in the side pockets so i'm sure a cute little old lady used it before me! :)

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  5. who are you??? this is beyond adorable. you kill me. so cute.

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  6. Shut up! This is beyond amazing! I want to make one, but it looks like so much work! The details are so perfect! Wow. Just wow.

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  7. Awesome! That is absolutely adorable. I want a little girl, so I can dress her in cute clothes and give her cute girly things to play with. You are so talented!

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  8. That. is. so. CUTE! Way to go, mom!

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  9. seriously...this is so cute! I have to make one of these. You are so clever!!!

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  10. absolutely adorable! happy to have stumbled upon your blog.

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  11. this is truly amazing and beautiful. how fun to be the little girlie playing with this! my youngest would absolutely love love love. actually, i would love to play with it! how creative and original. i am so impressed.

    just discovered your blog through a pretty penny and can't wait to peruse some more! =)

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  12. wow! I've been wanting to do a similar project, but yours just is hte sweetest thing! How could mine even compare? ha.

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  13. How completely awesome is this? BRILLIANT! I am so going to do this!

    Now I really MUST have a girl!

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  14. I am in love with this idea! I need to find a little vintage suitcase now! Thank you!

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  15. A*M*A*Z*I*N*G!!!!
    So incredibly cute and so much fun for your little. I am so inspired by this. Great job!!

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  16. I am in LOVE! This is the cutest kid thing ever. Well done.

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  17. adorable! I found your blog via Smile and Wave and am in love with this, gorgeous work! and so funny I just introduced my 3 month old to her first doll yesterday and started calling her "miss dolly" hoping that would stick :) it is such a cute name :)!

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  18. Would love to but this. It is so cool! When are you going to sell them?Jill
    funk50@charter.net
    www.campfunk.blogspot.com

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  19. This is beyond adorable!

    Taylor
    www.maryjanesandgaloshes.com

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  20. I love it!!! I made my little girl two different black apple dolls and some outfits. Now I really NEED to make the house-suitcase of course!

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  21. Cutest thing ever! Now I need a girl so I can play dolls. :)

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  22. Absolutely gorgeous, what else is there to say :-)xx

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  23. Words really can't express how cool this is. My daughter's only 6 months old and I'm super excited to try this for her. Thanks!!!

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  24. Oh... WOW!!! I'm in LOVE with this!
    At 21 I'm not sure whether I'm meant to think "I want to be a child again" or "I can't wait to have children!" ... truth be told, I'd happily have one for myself ;)

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  25. this is soooo stinking adorable!! i must get one of these when i have a little girl. love all the little details. you are so crafty!

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  26. Oh my gosh.. this is the cutest thing I have ever seen! I want one for me and my 3 year old daughter!!

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  27. I'm in love and so inspired! So happy I found your blog!

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  28. Oh my...I absolutely love this!! It's so cute:)
    Great blog, glad I discovered it!

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  29. i think this is so genius. i'm totally going to do one when/if i ever have a little girl to make things for. :)

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  30. What a clever and gorgeous idea for a little princess.
    I love it.

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  31. I would love to buy this...are you selling them?

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  32. This is gorgeous!!! It inspired me to make one for my girl. I can't wait for the patterns of the clothes. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  33. how adorable and how clever! i really want one!! it is seriously the sweetest thing i have ever seen.

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  34. Great ideas for kids. thanks for sharing

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  35. This is absolutely charming!! LOVE it, and not just the case, but that sweetheart doll and all her fab clothes, too! I shared this on my crafty facebook page : )
    Jaimee @ craft-interrupted.blogspot.com

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  36. How adorable! I'll have to post this on my FB wall. :) Lots of crafty friends.

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  37. So clever, compact and CHARMING!

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  38. This is AMAZING!! Thank you so much for posting this. I think this would be a great intro to dolls for my 1 1/2 year old who honestly has no idea what they are. She is more of a ball and dirt girl. :) But This! well. I think she will adore this. Thanks again!

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  39. That is gorgeous! I love your blog:)

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  40. I don't have a little girl & I want this! LOL. For me! haha. Great idea, will be trying this out in the future for my little sister. btw: new to your blog & followed! Would love it if you passed by my blog & maybe followed back? :) Thanks!

    Reyna
    http://www.youtube.com/reynalay
    facebook.com/glamglory

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  41. Oh my gosh what an absolutely gorgeous idea.
    I have a little baby girl, and this would be a fabulous present, for her later in life dolly experiences.
    I will go vintage suitcase hunting today...

    Check out my own little blog (if you fancy it).

    formygirlnina.blogspot.com

    Thank you.

    Bindu

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  42. I couldn't wait to do mine for my daughter, not as detailed as yours, Thanks for the great tutorial. You can check mine out at craftedbymama.blogspot.com

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  43. Thanks Stacy for sharing this adorable idea. I loved it so and am really inspired by it that I just had to write a small post about it on my blog. (with credits to you you of course) Here:http://inspired-caldesign.blogspot.com

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  44. What a clever idea! And you could do one panel as a felt board with felt wall hangings, plants, etc. that could stick on and be repositioned. :)
    Thanks for sharing this!

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  45. this is the most adorable thing in the world! and definitely something I would've liked to have as a kid.

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  46. Love this idea!! And I even have a suitcase or two that would work. :)

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  47. Darling! This is a wonderful idea! The creativity with this project is endless. I love it!

    http://www.allgussiedup.com

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  48. My gracious, this is unbelievable! Oh how I would have done anything for something as sweet and fun as this when I was a little girl! Now I'll be on the look out for the perfect petite suitcase to transform for my little gal! ~Jen @ www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com

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  49. So unbelievably awesome!!! Just adorable! Almost too cute to lay with!

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  50. This is the most adorable thing I've seen in ages! My niece is still a little too young but it will probably take me ages to figure out how to sew so I should get cracking now. Sooo cute!

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  51. Adorable! My girls are all grown...they would have loved this! What little girl wouldn't???

    Mandy

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  52. this is great. my daughter would love this. these would make great gifts for little girls. are you conisidering making them to sell?

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  53. this is the greatest little doll "house" I've come across! You have done such a cute job accessorizing her and I think that is what makes all of us moms wish we had one of these!

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  54. This is simply stunning! I really really like it.

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  55. This is so darn cute! I pinned it :)

    Stephanie
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/SwoodsonVintage

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  56. That is so cool my daughter loves it

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  57. Es demasiado bonito!!!!!!!!!!
    TOO GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!
    Thank you!!!!

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  58. Post are very interesting,I really like your blog & the way you wriiten it ..
    Thanks for sharing thiscreative ideas.suitcase

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  59. I have my American tourister luggage from when I was young, can't wait to do this for a friends little girl, it is purple, now I know why I saved it all these years

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  60. I have my American tourister luggage from when I was young, can't wait to do this for a friends little girl, it is purple, now I know why I saved it all these years

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  61. Your doll would be perfect for a therapy doll in order for children to be able to express their own! I love having removable panels for school, Grandma's house, or wherever a child is having problems. A felt wall would be nice with accessories they could use, such as a teacher or parent with various faces

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  62. Your doll would be perfect for a therapy doll in order for children to be able to express their own! I love having removable panels for school, Grandma's house, or wherever a child is having problems. A felt wall would be nice with accessories they could use, such as a teacher or parent with various faces

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