How to make a Sofa for your dolls from a Shoe Box

I originally posted this on the American Girl Fan Message Board today.
How to make a Shoe box Sofa:
You can make a sofa for your dolls: The back will be one long side of the shoe box. The seat will be the bottom of the shoe box. The ends of the shoe box will be the arm rests or high sides.
Here's how you do it:

1.  Get some fabric glue. and an adult size shoe box.
2.  Get some scraps of fabric: 4 rectangles. Read step 7 and 8. Get some stuffing like from an old pillow.
3.  Take off the top of the box [if it has a top] and set it aside.
4.  Cut one long side of the box completely off. You will now have a back attached to a seat and sides.
5. Measure the seat area of the box (That is the original bottom of the box.) Make a cloth bag by hand from a 2  rectangle pieces of material that are 3 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the size of the seat area .Sew the bag as follows;
6. With right sides of the materials facing each other, sew one short side and two long sides up. Leave one short side open . Now, turn bag right side out..
7.   Measure the side that you didn't cut off. (the back of the sofa) Make another cloth bag from 2  rectangle pieces of material that is 2 inches longer and wider than that side which is now the back of the sofa. Make the bag the same way you did for the back.
8.   Stuff the bags. Check to see if each little bag has too much or too little stuffing to make a nice seat bottom and back. Then hand stitch up the end.
9. Put the bottom seat cushion in the sofa first, then the back.
10. It should start to really look like a sofa now. The remainder of the instructions are IDEAS and aren't necessary.

• Using fabric glue, cover the back of the seat and arm rests on both side. Or you could use contact paper or paint or anything.  Felt works well if it co-ordinates with your little seat cushions. You don't have to cover the seat bottom because the seat cushion will be over it.
• You can raise the sofa off the floor by making legs out of  4 thread spools and glueing them to the bottom of the sofa. Or if the top of the shoe box that you set aside is sturdy, you can glue the outside of the old top to the outside of the bottom of the box which is now the seat.  This will raise the seat up a bit.
• Make little throw pillows by hand out of  4 or 5 in squares of  2 pieces of material sewn right sides together then turned so right side is out.  Just like you did the big cushions. Stuff. and  hand stitch closed.

This sofa will be either sitting on the floor with no legs or close to the floor with spool legs. The dolls will love it because their legs don't bend and they can sit well in it without a foot stool.

Enjoy, Have fun.

I must be thinking I want to go to a Luau

Isn't the ocean beautiful? Thanking God for it today!

Sisters! I love mine. What do you love about yours?

I love my sister Mary.  She is so great. She was always the best playmate from day one of our lives.  We are twins. We loved playing dolls. We had a big living room and filled all the chairs and the sofa with our dolls to make a hospital. Then we would be nurses or doctors. We would make clothes for them out of junk. We loved making mud pies!  Did you ever make one? We had a special place in our yard where we would make mud pies and put them in little pans and everything. Of course, we couldn't eat them.  Another one of our very favorite play times was Paper Dolls!  This was way before American Girl Dolls and way before even Barbie. But, really it was similar. We had historical paper dolls, fantasy ones like Cinderella, girl ones like "Betsy McCall", and modern lady ones--usually a bride with all her bride"s maids and groom's men who were, of course, in love with the bride's maids. Now we're older (but not old!) and we still like dolls. She uses toys of all types in the speech therapy she gives to children and teaches in a Bible program for elementary age children, and I make doll clothes for ministries.  What could be a better blessing from all that playing together! In this picture it's Easter time. We're with our mom. I'm on the right of the picture.   Check out Mama's hat and our purses! My dress was pink and Mary's was blue.Sorry this is not the best picture in the world.
So, do you have a sister or best friend who is like your sister? What do you like about that person the most?

Valentine's Day will soon be here! Jesus Loves Us!

I've been making up some new outfits for Valentine's Day to sell in my shop. What do you think? I made the socks too! They have little hearts on them. http://www.beachbabydoll.com/page4.html  
They are modelled by my dolls: Grace, Nicole and Rafelina. There life stories so far are in my main web page.

Photo story(ies) of the Week from Hannah A

Hannah A writes with a lot of action in her epic story in 6 parts starting with Julie's disappearance!  Read it beginning at http://picasaweb.google.com/hanniedolluver/Part1JulieSDisappearance#

News story: Maui girl Jessica: model for Kanani sales

I always wonder who the models are in the AG catalogue. Do you?  I wonder if they become famous for a little while. This is a link to an interesting story from the Maui News about Jessica who is the model in the American Girl Catalogue for Kanani:  It says she has some things in common with the character Kanani.  http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/545079/Maui-girl-is-fresh-face-of-first-Hawaii-inspired-American-Girl-doll--Girl-of-the-Year-.html?nav=12

Links to 4 Win-Kanani contests

If you love Kanani, the new American Girl Doll of the Year, maybe you could WIN her.  I have been surfing to see how many contests I could find for folks to win Kanani. Here's are the links I found.  Hope you win. I entered one  too! (Remember, please enter at your own risk, I can't vouch for any of these contests.Parents should enter with children who enter.)
http://libertyjaneclothing.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-new-years-design-contest-official.html
http://www.sweepstakeslovers.com/sweepstakes/?p=www.americangirl.com/girloftheyear/2011/ecard/ecard.php
http://www.staradvertiser.com/features/20110101_Win_your_own_Kanani.html expires Jan 14!
http://www.classymommy.com/blog/2011/01/american-girl-kanani-giveaway.html/comment-page-8#comment-196147

Contest on the blog "American Girl and God"

Susan, one of my follower's is having a super contest to win a cute T shirt for your American Girl type doll. Click the following link to go to her blog: http://americangirlandgod.blogspot.com/

The Saga of a Bad Hair Day Part 3

Here's Jenny after I rolled her hair on perm rods and straws. Then I waited 20 hours for drying.  Two curlers weren't completely dry but it didn't matter.
Next I unrolled the hair.  First, I thought I would try to leave the curls in but I knew a "do" like that would be hard for girls that like really active play so I opted to brush it into what I call a "bubble".  I had to cut off so much frizz because the frizz just doesn't do right.  Most of Jenny's hair is frizz so a lot is left.. Considering she already had somewhat of an uneven hair cut, I think she turned out pretty well.  She really needs a new wig but that would cost as much as a new Our Generation doll.

The frizz helps give a little body to the "bubble" which is good cause these doll's don't have very thick hair.  Some of the good hair is nice and shiny from the Downy Dunk which I left on for four hours! Some hair is red tinted from sun exposure. I put in some purple star barrettes. Also, I completed her clean-up using a Magic Eraser gently to remove those black/brown markes on her left arm and to remove a thin layer of dirt off her limbs and face. So that's Jenny C's make over! Got any comments?

A Must See: How AG's are made by Jeneca (Zpobonck)

Look at Jemeca's drawing! Read her story for a wild explanation!

What an imagination Jeneca has. I thank the Lord every day for His Creation. He is so wonderful to give us a little creativity. I think that's part of being  made in His image.  Imagine how dull life would be if He didn't create us to be imaginative! Keep using that gift, Jeneca!  Don't miss her photo story. Click here

The Saga of the Bad Hair Day Part 2

I spent at least an hour detangling poor Jenny's hair. When I started it looked like:

 She is sitting, not lying down and the hair is standing straight up with lots of tangles, mats, and frizz. Also note the white spots on her face.
Now after I combed it out using hair detangler I got from the dollar store, it looked like the pictures below. If she had been a human, wow, would she have been screaming!

See how the spots on her face are gone!  They came off with the non-acetone nail polish remover. That was a good thing!. Next I will wash and Downy Dunk! At least her hair is pointing in the right direction.  Looks like she had a major hair cut at some time.  More later.
     Later:  After I washed her hair with Dawn, the Downy Dunk has begun.She needs to soak about 25 years!

  Well, Jenny looks peaceful. Hoping for a miracle!

Saga of the Bad Hair Day Part 1

Some great girls in my church approached me today for help. "Jenny needs help!  Look," they said as they held up poor Jenny whose hair resembles the Bride of Frankenstein. She also had a dislocated right shoulder and a bunch of skin problems. On the way home from church, I was able to do a quickie rotator cuff repair (which means getting her shoulder back in place). Then I took a good look at her. She has beautiful green eyes, good coloring.  Body is in good shape but she sort of lists to one side (the result of being at the bottom of the closet, maybe?) Her hair will be the biggest challenge though she needs help with her spots, especially on her face. I hope the white marks are paint and I can get them off with some non acetone polish remover. I'm posting her picture how she looks now and will post again later as I progress in her medical care.  First, I will try to comb out her hair with my pet comb which I use only for my dolls; then second: shampoo and then a Downy dunk. I'm going to follow the directions by Joy from Just Magic Dolls . Feel free to leave comments or suggestions!  Jenny needs our help!

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Liddy's Poem

Everyone, go to Liddy's blog. She wrote a beautiful poem in her love of Christ. Have a blessed Sunday! Sylvia

Osito Gets Lost, a Photo-Story by Beach Baby Doll

This is a story about my doll Rachel's little pug Osito:  how he got lost and in serious trouble.  See what happens in my picasa album. Click here  Please come back to the blog and leave me comments!

Do you like to color or know someone who does? The Bible Story, the Prodigal Son, is available to print out and color here from thebibleforchildren.org

Do you have a doll (or stuffed animal) photo-story or prose story or poem about forgiveness or God's protection that you would like to share on this blog? Let me know.

Rafelina welcomes Kanani

My doll Rafelina dressed up in her Hawaiian luau outfit to welcome the new American Girl doll Kanani.  Hawaii is a special place for me as that is where I met my husband and where I had my first child Ryan (for whom my doll Ryan is named!). It's also where I lived, studied, and worked for 6 years and met some wonderful people like my roommates Diette and Kit who attended the University of Hawaii with me.

Rafelina's Hawaiian outfit is for sale in my etsy shop and proceeds will help children go to church camp next summer. To see details click: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65066855/hawaiian-princess-pink-luau-outfit-to