Dollhouse Pillow

Once I saw this idea for a dollhouse pillow at A Beautiful Mess, I HAD to make one for the girls' felt dolls.  It may have taken me a year and half to finish the dolls, but it only took me a week to make the pillow such was my mania.  

I followed my own pattern because I wanted it to look like our house with the bay window and bushes in the front, and I wanted to be able to use it for the felt dolls.  However, there's a tutorial at A Beautiful Mess if you want to make your own.  

I already had all the fabric on hand from old projects, so the only thing I had to buy was the Polyfill to stuff it.  It took two bags, but with a coupon, it only cost me $15.  Hooray!  

The windows are pockets, and the front door opens.  

And it's big.  Really big.  Here's a picture of Maddie (complete with bunny slippers and fairy dress) to get an idea of the scale.  

We use the window pockets to store our felt paper dolls and their clothes.  But I'm sure as time goes on, other trinkets and treasures will make their way into those pockets.  

The front door opens up into a bed.  Vivi really likes trying to tuck the dolls in.  

I thought about adding more pockets and beds to the back of the pillow, but I decided to leave it plain in the end so that the girls have a flat, more comfortable, side to lean against.    

The girls are big fans.  They play with it.   

But more often they lounge on it...

And Maddie really loves to bounce on it!  

It's held up to the abuse well over the past three weeks.  Fingers crossed that those stitches hold for the long term!  

You Rock! Monster Valentines

Sometimes I get random crafty urges that need to be taken care of immediately.  When we collected these beach rocks weeks ago, (before it started snowing forever and always) I just had to draw monster faces on them.  A few paint pens and half-an-hour later, voila!  Rock monsters.

Whenever I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get the dishes and laundry done, I remind myself that there would be if I were not too busy doing stupid things like painting rocks.  Oh well, priorities.  

Those little rock monsters turned out cute, but then the problem becomes what to do them.  They sat in a bowl on our table for a month.  Maddie played with them.  Occasionally Vivi would try to eat one.  Don't eat rocks, Vivi.  You only have four teeth.  

So I decided to turn them into Valentines for Maddie's classmates.  I realize that this makes me that mom who gave out rocks for Valentine's Day, but at least it's not candy, right?  Maybe?  

I wrote, "You Rock!" on some neon pink index cards we already had, and taped the monsters in place.  

Madeline signed the backs and added some stickers.  

I put them in little 3 x 4 plastic bags, and they're good to go. 

If you have any extra rocks lying around, you too could give out rocks for Valentine's Day.  Cause nothing says, "I love you," like a rock.  And it doesn't have to be a rock monster.  Rock bunnies? Rock bugs? Rock lobsters?  The possibilities are endless.  

Happy Valentine's Day!