Sunday, May 29, 2011

American Girl Doll Bed ala Fursdon House!!

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Sunday!

It's already way too warm for just 9:00 a.m. - at least as far as I'm concerned - although I know my daughters would totally disagree.  They love the HEAT (ugh!!).  They can have it as far as I'm concerned; give me the cooler climes any day!!

Yesterday was WONDERFUL!!!  Why?  Because I spent the entire day - literally- doing what I love most and that's working in my studio and creating!!  I'd been promising Isabel for ages that I'd complete her American Girl Doll Bed.  Well....yesterday was the day!!

She'd seen a bed in the American Girl Doll Magazine (which we get in the mail - unfortunately!!) and she was so keen on having it.  But the price tag of $120+ was just a little too much to swallow (okay, a LOT too much), even for a Grandma!!  Besides, I knew that not only could it be done for less, it could also be a one-of-a-kind Fursdon House Doll Bed!  See what you think......

I thought I'd taken a photo just of the original bed I ordered on Etsy.  This is the bed, but Nigel added the taller bed posts and the canopy because Isabel wanted a canopy just like the one in the magazine!!  And canopies do look lovely, don't they?  I love the look of them, but you have to have a HUGE room; otherwise, they just dwarf the space.
Voila!!
 Isabel and I went to - where else - Hobby Lobby - and finally decided on a fabric we both agreed on.  Yes, I had to have my say in this because I can't work on something I think is UGLY and some of the fabrics were really ...... hhmmmmm, shall I say....."out there"?  After the fabrics, came the bead section.  Oh boy!!!  What an adventure that was!! We probably spent upwards of an hour in that one place alone!  But finally we decided on these blue and pink glass swirl beads.  The "original" AG bed had plastic beads hanging down on each corner.  I did have a better idea - at least I thought it was better - and I went so far as to show Isabel an example yesterday.  But she didn't care for it so I let her choose this style instead.  Her words to me were, "Gummy! You said it was my doll bed and I don't want it looking like everyone else's, but I also want what I want, not what you want."  Hmmpphh!  That child has far too big a grasp on vocabulary!!

I do love this fabric.  By the way, Isabel sealed the wood first - all by herself!!  And yes, the original AG doll bed set had a heart pillow, so we couldn't be outdone!  Also like the original, the top of this fabric is backed with the blue, so it works as a duvet! 

And here the proud girl is herself - holding up her prized bed ala Fursdon House!!

That's it for now! Enjoy the weekend! Jan