When I was 5, my Barbie dollhouse was a box about the size of a small pet carrier, that was basically thin cardboard covered in thin vinyl with a handle on top. The vinyl was printed with the exterior and interior of a house. When you opened the latch and separated the double front doors, each side pivoted out so you'd end up with 3 rooms in a row. It even had floors! All of the plastic furniture was kept in the center. It was pretty cool because I could just pick up and take my little house anywhere. (I found a photo of a vintage dollhouse that could have been the one I owned and played with until it fell apart!)
When I was 10, my sisters were 5 and 7. My dad made all 3 of us matching dollhouses which he built in secret and were revealed under the tree at Christmas. These houses were basically four 12 inch cubes in a 2x2 square with a triangle attic on the top. Each square room had a vertical window on the side wall. I spent hours designing a balcony to connect the mid level rooms, stairs, and eventually an elevator to take dolls from the ground floor to the attic. My mom helped me learn how to use a sewing machine so I could make beds, pillows, blankets, and curtains. I made my own furniture and accessories by recycling things like toothpaste caps (lamp), shampoo bottle caps (trash can), matchboxes (2 wrapped together makes a nightstand, add beads for feet and drawer pulls), neat postage stamps (framed for wall art), and cardboard and popsicle sticks for anything I could imagine. Once my mom got some old wallpaper sample books and my sisters and I spent hours and hours decorating and redecorating our houses.
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There are so many cool dollhouses these days! This album shows dollhouses we've had at our sales in the past few years. When you shop at Pass It On, the Barbie dream is totally affordable. If you or your kid are crafty (what a great way to bond!) you can make some of your own furniture, decor, or accessories. Just head over to our media and craft area and see what sort of idea books and craft supplies you can find! Let the creativity begin and imaginations soar!