Turn Your Favorite Book Series Into a Unique Set of Miniature Dollhouse Books {Easy Craft}

 About a month ago, my 8 year old daughter decided she wanted to begin collecting dollhouse miniatures.  Our local craft store has a small section devoted to them and they've caught her eye on more than one occasion.  She has begun a variety of different collections in the past . . . buttons, rocks, fortunes, and Pokémon cards, to name a few.  Unlike the others, this is a collection I can wrap my mind around.  Dollhouse miniatures are works of art when done well and they don't take up very much space.  They're also available for a wide range of prices and could certainly fit an 8 year old's budget.

I admit that I find it fun to look for unique dollhouse miniatures in stores and online.  Although I swore I would not fund my daughter's collection for her, I did purchase one or two that struck me as being special.  Then I got the idea for surprising her with miniatures that are truly unique, ones that I make just for her.  That's how I came about making this super-easy dollhouse miniatures book series craft.  My daughter is an avid reader.  Among her favorites are the historical fiction American Girl book series.  I've found many of the 6-story volumes used in fantastic condition on Amazon.  I suppose you could say she collects those too.  That's why I decided it would be extra special for her to own a miniature set of American Girl books.

EASY CRAFT:  DIY Set of Dollhouse Miniature Books

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

miniature dollhouse books (plain)

printer
printer paper

white glue

scissors

Step 1.  Measure the size of the front cover of your miniature books.

Step 2.  Find the images of the front covers of the books from your or your child's favorite book series.  Save them to your computer.  If you're able to find images of the back covers, save those to your computer as well.

Step 3.  Using any graphics program, reduce the size of each cover to fit the size of your book covers.  It's best to do this in high resolution (300dpi) so that the images can be as crisp as possible when you print them out.

TIP #1:  If your book cover is slightly larger than your books, you can always trim them at the edges.  For best results, try to avoid making your cover images smaller than the actual books.

Step 4.  Print out all your front and back covers.  Then carefully cut out each one with scissors.

TIP #2:  To save paper, paste all your covers onto one 8.5" x 11" image prior to printing.

Step 5.  Position the first back cover image over the back of the book with the binding to the right-hand side.  Trim the image if necessary.  Then apply a very thin layer of white glue to the back cover of the book and apply the back cover image.  Be sure to smooth out the cover and press down to secure.  Repeat this with the back cover images for the rest of the books in the series.

TIP #3:  It is important to use a very thin layer of white glue.  This allows the glue to dry within minutes.  It also helps to avoid any spreading or dripping of the glue, which could be messy and unsightly.

Step 6.  Position the first front cover image over the front of the book with the binding to the left-hand side.  Be sure the front cover image matches the back cover image.  Trim the image if necessary.  Then apply a very thin layer of white glue to the front cover of the book and apply the front cover image.  Repeat this with the remaining front cover images for each book in the series.

When I presented this set of miniature books to my daughter, she was delighted.  These books were made just for her and she knew she would never be able to find them in a store.  I think they would look precious displayed in a miniature dollhouse bookcase.

If you'd like to try this easy craft, Pin It for later . . . 

What book series would you use in this dollhouse miniatures craft?

Have Some #FrozenFun with This DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game (Free Printable) #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This Walmart toys shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification about FROZEN toys for Collective Bias and its advertiser.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Whether your children have had the chance to see FROZEN the movie by Disney in the theater or not, it is likely that an Olaf toy, an Elsa toy, or an Anna toy is on their wishlist.  We were saving a trip to see this film as one of the family activities we could do to celebrate our daughter's birthday this month.  Still, even not having seen the film yet, she was super-excited when we went to shop at Walmart for FROZEN toys.  I was particularly looking for a variety of figures from the movie to do a photo bingo game craft for my children, but there were not enough different figures in stock to do what I wanted.  Then we saw the Disney FROZEN Castle Play Set and decided to purchase it because my idea began to evolve.  Plus, who could resist this pretty-pleeeeeeease face . . .

Since the play set only comes with an Olaf figure, we agreed that our daughter would use her own Christmas and birthday money to buy the Anna and Elsa dolls to go with the castle.  In the meantime, the castle will be used with her other fashion dolls and may very well be turned into an evil lair or a secret hideout by her two brothers at some point.

After we shopped that day, we stopped into the Subway at Walmart for lunch. Along with their Fresh Fit Kids Meals, the twins received an Olaf keychain (a Walmart Subway exclusive), a FROZEN jigsaw puzzle, and their meals came in two different styles of FROZEN-themed reusable bags.  The twins were wondering what they could put in their new bags, but I already knew what they would be perfect for . . . our DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game!

What you'll need to make your own FROZEN Castle Bingo Game:

• Print out pages 1 and 2.  Then cut out the 4 bingo boards.
• Print out page 3.  Then cut out each individual bingo calling card.
• (Optional) Print out page 4 if you would like a reference for the names of the items shown in each picture.
• Small items to use as bingo markers (see suggestions below)
• A paper or reusable lunch bag to store the bingo calling cards (bag should not be see-thru)
• A sandwich bag to store the bingo markers
• A small tote to store all the items above

TO PRINT:  Be sure your printer is on and ready to print.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right-click and select print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page.

What can you use for bingo markers?

I really wanted bingo markers that were fun and went well with the theme and colors of the bingo boards.  I wandered around Walmart for awhile and then I found this set of 4 faux gem elasticized bracelets in the party favors section for just $2.97.  That's when I got the idea to cut the elasticized string and use the individual gems as bingo markers.  I also had some sparkly pompoms I had picked up in a craft store and thought those looked like they could be snowballs.  I really could not decide which bingo markers I liked better, so I decided to use them both!

Some other ideas for small items to use as bingo markers would be blue and white M&Ms, buttons, foam shapes, and pennies.  What else could you use?

Making this bingo game was easy, although a little time-consuming.  All I had to do was take photos of different things in the Disney FROZEN Castle Play Set.  Then a resized the images, cropped them into identically sized squares, and digitally pasted them onto a large solid colored square.  To make the calling cards, I just used the same images I used on each bingo board and digitally pasted them onto one page.  You could really make this bingo game with any theme as long as you have enough items to photograph.

In addition to enjoying this DIY Disney FROZEN Castle Bingo Game with your children on a rainy or snowy day, it would also make a fun inexpensive party favor for a FROZEN-themed birthday party.  You can just print and cut out a set for each guest and include a little bag of M&Ms to use as bingo markers in the goodie bag!  What do you think?!