Dollar Store Backpack Tutorial

O.K. I realize that I am kind of obsessed with the Dollar Store but I am always finding wonderful AG Doll things!

Today I was at the Dollar Tree (Again!) and I found these small bags that came in a set of two. I didn't really know what to do with them but then I thought maybe, possibly, I could make these into doll backpacks! For a while now I've been trying to find/make a doll backpack that would fit all of Josie and Mandy's school supplies and lunch. After experimenting with the first bag I created a perfect little backpack for the Dahls!

Here is the Tutorial:



Materials:
-Fabric Scissors
-Dollar Tree Bag
-Sewing Machine
-Thread (Matching the Color of Bag)
-Embroidery Thread
-Round Clear Plastic Bead
-Safety Pin

 Instructions:

Step 1: Take the small bag and use the scissors to cut off straps, be careful, keep the straps intact! 

Step 2: Turn the Bag inside out and sew a seam on both sides about 2.5 centimeters in. make sure to leave the top and the bottom the same. Once you have sewn the seam on both sides, trim the excess.

Step 3: With the bag still inside out, flip the top of the bag down. The flap measuring down should be about 3.5 centimeters till the end.

Step 4: Sew around the inner edge of the flap (DO NOT SEW THE SIDES OF THE BAG TOGETHER)

Step 5: Turn the Bag right Side out

Step 6: Take one of the bag straps and fold the end over 1 centimeter, place it (still folded) about 1 cm away from the seam of the bag, sew across the fold (DO NOT SEW THE SIDES OF THE BAG TOGETHER)

 Step 7: Take the rest of the strap and measure out 24 cm away from the top seam, then fold over at that mark

Step 8: Sew across the fold (SEW THE SIDES OF THE BAG TOGETHER)

Step 9: Repeat Steps 6-8 on the other side of the bag with the other strap

 Step 10: (Now for the details!) Flip the bag to the front and cut a slit across the top fold in the middle of the bag (DO NOT CUT THROUGH BOTH SIDES OF THE BAG)

Step 11: Tie the end of your embroidery thread to the safety pin

Step 12: Feed the thread/safety pin through the bag casing,  once it is all the way through and there is 13 cm of thread coming from both openings

 Step 13: Cinch up the backpack and tie it off using the thread

Step 14: Slip the bead onto the two strings and tie it off at the front (this way the bead slides on the thread) You can trim off a little of the string if you want to

Step 15: Enjoy your new Doll Back Pack!

I bedazzled my backpacks! But they look cute just the way they are!

Paper Towel Tutorial

A couple days ago I bought a pack of glowsticks from the Dollar Tree and when I opened up the package all of them were in a small cardboard tube. I immediately thought of a paper towel roll for my AG Doll! Here is my tutorial:


Materials:
-School Glue
-Paper Towel
-Scissors
- Glowstick Tube

Instructions

Step 1: Cut Your Glowstick tube to about 3 inches long 

Step 2: Take 2 Full Sheets of paper towel and fold them in half, hot dog style

Step 3: Cut the Paper Towel (Still Folded) to the same size as your cardboard










Step 4: Put a strip of glue down one side of the cardboard










Step 5: Take one of your cut strips and place the short edge on  the strip of glue

Step 6: Wrap the rest of the strip around the cardboard 

Step 7: Add a strip of glue on the edge and repeat steps  5-6

Step 8: Add a little glue to the last edge.
Step 9: Enjoy your new Doll Sized paper towels!

Dollar Tree Finds

For a while now I've been obsessed with the dollar store! I've had so much fun searching the dollar store for treasures, a couple of them I even painted! I thought it would be nice if I shared my finds in order to inspire you! 

These notebooks are actually small notepads that I cut smaller. I used the leftover paper for notebook paper. All I did to that was punch some hole punches in it.

This waste basket is actually a pencil cup, they have it in black but I thought the silver looked more real. 

This journal is actually from King Soopers, my mom spotted it and I grabbed one for me and my sister.

These were found at the Party Favors section. I put a little painter's tape on the ends and spray painted all of them to make them look more real.

During another visit I discovered almost the same notebooks only in a three pack! I was like WHAT? Oh well...

Back at the Party Favors section I also found some tiny recorders, they also had harmonicas but these were cuter.

Polymer Clay iPod Touch

Today I was looking the polymer clay sitting in my cabinet and started thinking about what I could do with all of that extra clay. Finally, it struck me and iPod Touch! My doll already had an iPhone but I decided I would make it anyways!

Doesn't it look Adorable?!

Here is my tutorial:

 Materials:

- Bright Colored Polymer Clay

- Black Polymer Clay

- Metal Pan

- Tinfoil 

-  Wire     

                                                                          iPod
Step 1: Lay out the tinfoil on a clean working surface
Step 2: Take a medium sized ball of bright colored polymer clay and roll it into a ball

Step 3: Roll the clay into a cylinder

Step 4: Press the ball flat against your working surface

(The size of Your Blob should be two square inches)

 Step 5: Cut your blob into a rectangle

Step 6: Take a small section of black clay and roll it into a ball

Step 7: Press it onto your working surface and then cut it into a rectangle slightly smaller than your first 

Step 8: Press the black rectangle onto the colorful one

Step 9: Take some more black clay and roll it into a small ball

Step 10: Press the ball into the bottom of the iPod

 Step 11: Stick the bottom of the headphones into base of the iPod, then pull them out
 Step 12: Bake in the oven

(For the headphones bend and twist the wire into the right shape and bend the ends)

                                             

Printables!

For a while now I have been obsessed with printables! All you do is print, cut, fold, glue! It is so easy and it works wonderfully! You don't even need cardstock, regular old printer paper works!
Here are some of my favorite printable sites;

Hitty Print Mini - Drag the printable you want to the desktop, open it up as a jpeg, select tools (Adjust Size) put in random numbers for the width (make sure the scale porportionaly box is checked) until the percentage written at the bottom reads about 150%, print and play!

Print Mini - ONLY USE PLAY SCALE PRINTABLES (1:6) Drag the printable you want to the desktop, open it up as a jpeg, select tools (Adjust Size) put in random numbers for the width (make sure the scale porportionaly box is checked) until the percentage written at the bottom reads about 150%, print and play!

AG Crafts And More - Follow Instructions on page

Salt Dough Food!

Today I had fun making salt dough food! It was such a simple recipe! One part salt, two parts flour, mix it with a little water and ta da! Pop it in the oven at 275 for 45 minutes and you're done! Mak'in bread, cinnamon rolls, pop tarts, and sugar cookies! 

The cinnamon rolls where thin long strips os salt dough that I wrapped around itself,
the poptarts are rectangles that I added texture to with a butter knife,
the cookies are just round, flat lumps that I painted.