Our Generation Wooden Wardrobe

I purchased the Our Generation Wooden Wardrobe from Target for $54.99 plus tax last month. It is a just shy of 20" H, 8" W, and 23" L, which makes it smaller than the AG Cabinet (W: 26" x H: 31 1/4" x L: 14 1/4") but also much more affordable... the AG version costs $349, plus shipping.

Suprisingly enough, this purchase was not doll related. I got a Shi tzu/Pomeranian puppy last October, and have bought her all sorts of dresses, harnesses, and sweaters. She even has a pair of boots, since the snow up here drifts up to my knees, and she likes to play in it. The only problem is that I've been storing all of her things in several shoe boxes...
 

Lunabelle is on the left, next to my Mom's favorite Angora Rabbit

 

 So, on to the review. The OG Wardrobe comes preassembled, unlike the AG version. Litterally all you need to do is slip it out of the box and then you are done!

 

 

This is what your wardrobe looks like out of the box. It is pure white in color, with pink ribbon tied through metal spokes for handles.  The ribbon feels flimsy at first, but none have yet to break and I have been opening and closing this thing for a month. If you plan on putting your wardrobe on a carpeted area you might want to put something (like a piece of cardboard) under it to give it a bit of a lift. Otherwise the doors scrape across the carpet, making them difficult to open.

 

 

 

This is one of the hangers that comes with the wardrobe. It comes with a total of five hangers. They work okay, not perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, and I have no clue how you would put doll pants on these things- I actually don't think they could be used for anything other than dresses and upper body clothing. The hangers are the one thing I hate about this item. Everything else is so wonderful, but these really are not very functional. Since I did not like these I ordered new ones.

 

 

 Here is a view of one of the hangers from the set I purchased. It looks just like the sort of hanger that one could buy in a store, and on top of that it has the notches in the top that will hold shirts/dresses with thin straps.

 

A general size comparison. See how bulky the one on the bottom is? And how tiny the arms of the hanger are? The new set is much better!

 

 

This is what your wardrobe looks like once you open it up (and put clothing in it). On the right you have five shelves that can fit shoes and accesories. I have a scarf set on the top shelf, ribbons and bows on the second and third, shoes on the fourth, and a winter jacket on the fifth. On the left you have the wardrobe area where you can hang clothing, and a decent drawer. I stuffed the puffy party dress I made Luna, along with all her extra harnesses, into the bottom drawer. Her closet area contains 36 hangers total, and currently has all 17 of her outfits hanging up.

 

 

This actuall fits a lot of stuff. If you have longer, formal style, dresses for your dolls they are probably going to trail on the bottom of the wardrobe. I read the reviews for several other waredrobes, including the AG one, and this seems to be a common problem with them all. No matter, everything fits, and is tidy!

 

 The door on the right hand side works as a vanity. There is a stool with a cover, and the shelf folds up and down. I like that this piece functions as two diffrent pieces of furniture, even if we aren't going to be getting much use out of the vanity part of it.....

 

Wait, nevermind! Luna seems to enjoy checking herself out in the mirror.

 

Pros

• Pretty and durible
• Does not take up too much space
• great storage
• doubles as vanity

 

Cons

• Longer dresses trail on wardrobe floor
• The hangers!

 

 

Better Hangers

If you want more/better options for hangers you can purchase from another company. The best ones I found are: 

 

AG hangers ($8 for a set of 12)

 

 OR

7" hangers in Pink and Lavender ($7.99 for a set of 12)*

*stick to the ebay shop on this one! I ordered from Nancy's Notions at first, they are terribly over priced once you add shipping and handling, and have horrendous customer service. I did not recieve a confirmation email, was told that my order never went through, and then recieved the hangers (after I had purchased them from the Ebay store I linked) today. I'm returning them, of course.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



A Doll's Desk

This is the finished desk for my dolls. The picture frame and small vase were purchased at Walmart. The fish tank came from Tops. The tea cup is part of a full tea set- it was purchased at Dollar General. The perfume bottles are actually barbie doll erasers that I purchased from Five Below.

My favorite part of the desk has to be the books. The one on the far left, with the baby blue spin, was bought at Barnes and Noble by my grandmother, and contains all of the poetry from The hobbit. The one beside it is written in German, so I cannot read it, but it was given as a free gift when I purchased the other four books. The other four books are Peter Pan, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass. They came from this ebay seller and are full texts. You can pop them in your pocket and carry a whole library about with you!

Tutorial: How to Make a Mattress

For This Project You Will Need:

a measuring tape

cloth, of your choosing

a fabric marker, or something similar

foam padding, of your choosing

scissors

a needle and thread or a sewing machine

optional- cording
 

 

Making a Mattress For a Doll Bed

Figure Out Your Materials

The first step in this project is to take the measurements of the top of your bed, where the mattress will be (length and width). For this project I'm using the Springfield Collection bed, which measures 18 x 11 inches, however I'm going to make my mattress 16x 10 1/2 inches.  Once you have this measurement you need to calculate how much fabric you need- keep in mind that you'll probably need to add around 2 inches or so, to account for the thickness of your foam padding. For this mattress I just had a yard of 'country quilting' fabric cut out for me at my local Walmart ($5.97). I really only need 36 1/2 inches for one mattress, but I'm making another as well.

 

The foam padding I've chosen, 'Morning Glory Foam Seat Cushions' comes in a set of 4, measuring 16 x 16 x1 inch per pad ($6.97). I'm using one for this mattress, maybe two for the other.

 

Next is the optional cording- I'm using it to pipe around the top and bottom of my mattress. If you decide to do this step you will need 4 times the length and 4 times the width of your mattress. So, for this bed I need 106 inches, a little under three yards ($2.01).

 

Remember, these are just the choices I've made. Fabric ranges greatly in price, so if you want to go lower or higher, go crazy!

 

Once you've gathered all your supplies, it's time to go home and start your project.

 

Making The Mattress

 

Your first step is to measure out how big you want your mattress to be and to mark the foam accordingly. Once you're sure that you've got it right, go ahead and cut it out. You should rest it on top of the bed to make sure that it fits, and if it's too big trim it up.

After you have the foam pads cut out the next thing to do is to cut out the mattress covering. You should measure out a pattern that should look sort of like the one above. Everything is in one piece, that way you only need to do a small amount of sewing. Note that the pattern above is not to scale, it's a quick sketch just to give you an idea. Your cutout mattress cover should be one long piece, with a tab on either side. Make sure to give yourself a little seam allowence, especially if you are using a sewing machine, and mark out your pattern on the bad side of the cloth (the side that is going to be hidden from view)!

 

 

This is what your cut out piece should look like. I used a pink sharpie, just because it's light enough to not be seen when this is turned the right way out.

Now that you have cut this piece out it's time to start sewing. I'm hand stitching mine, because my sewing machine is on the fritz again- the top thread keeps catching on the bobbin below and snapping.

 

The corners that are circled in grey are the ones you should be sewing together. Fold them over and pinch them together so that their edges meet and stitch them firmly. I run a line of regular stitches and then whip stitch, but that's just a personal preference. Remember, you should be looking at the part of the fabric that you intend to have inside the mattress while you are sewing.

 

 

Once you get all of the corners stitched together you'll have a puckery rectangle, with  the edges all sewn together. What you want to do now is to fold the bottom over, match it up with the sides, and sew them together as seen in the diagram and picture above.

 

 

At this point you should have a rectangle with your good cloth in the middle, and a tab of cloth where the rectangle is open. Turn the mattress inside out, so that your stichwork, and the marked up side of your fabric, is inside the rectangle where it belongs.

 

 

Then put your foam pad through the opening and adjust it so that it fits comfortably. You're going to be shutting the mattress casing in the next step, so make sure that everything fits the way you want it. The last thing you want is a lopsided mattress.

 

 

 

 

 Now its time to close up the mattress. Fold the rough edge of your cloth inwards and pinch it closed, for about three or four inches, the run a line of stitches along it. Do this until the entire length is sewn up, making sure to pinch the edges in to give your mattress a snug and clean finish.

And finished! This is what your mattress should look like once you are done. Now all you need are sheets and a bed frame to put it on.

 

 

Bonus: Adding Chording

I decided to add cording around the seams of the mattress I made. It hides any wayward stitches, makes the mattress more realistic, and will provide a bit of traction for when I finally make the fitted sheet to go on top of it. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures while actually sewing the cording on....but that's okay!

 

The trimming cord I chose is twisted tight together, but a cut edge will see it unravel rather quickly. What you'll want to do is wrap the ends in thread, tying it tight so that the cord cannot come undone. Run a few stitches through it to, just to be on the safe side. Once your cord is secured from fraying, you'll want to sew it onto your mattress.

 

Starting at one of the corners you will want to stitch the cord along the mattress, keeping it taunt against the seamline. I used a whipstich around the cord, occasionally pushing the needle through it to better teather it into the mattress. Once you've made your way back to the corner you've started in you should secure the end again before you cut it and start on the next line of chording.

 

This is what a finished mattress, with cording, looks like. It's much nicer looking than the plain mattress, in my own honest opinion.

And...Finished!

Finished mattress on bed frame

 

 

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

Springfield Collection Doll Bed Review

I bought the Springfield Collection Bed and Bedding Set  at the Michaels craft store in Batavia, NY for $39.99 plus tax. Yet again I am purchasing for my BJDs. The product page online mentions that this can be used for most 18" dolls, including the American Girl Dolls. This bed is between the Rebbeca Bed and the Molly Bed from AG in style, though it is much cheaper in price. This set is also less expensive than the Journey Girl set I reviewed, but you also don't get a desk, table, and accesories.

This is the front of the box that this particular set comes in. The set comes with a bed (wood frame with metal scrollwork in the headboard) , a blanket, and a pillow.

The Pieces

This bed comes in pieces, so you'll need a phillips head screw driver to assemble it. Yet again I suggest using a handheld screwdriver instead of an electric one- the holes are pre-drilled, and it would be easy to strip a screw. All of the pieces of this set easily rest on the floor of my room.

 

This bed consists of three pre-assembled pieces. The holes for the screws are pre-drilled, and the dowels are already firmly in place.  Although the instructions say that adult assembly is required an intelligent child would be able to put this together easily. The instructions are a single piece of paper, showing where the screws and dowels fit the bed together.

The bottom board for the bed isn't very thick, but it is very firm for its size, and the lower ledge of the bed is already attatched to it.

Assembly

I probably don't even need to include this part of the review, but I took the pictures, and darn it all I want to use them!

 

So this is the foot of the bed. This gives you a good idea how thick the legs/posts for this bed are. It's a lot more sturdy than my other bed.

Here's the completed bed...in two steps none the less! This thing is sturdily put together, it's not wobbly and the dowels fit snug into the holes the were meant for. The top of the bed is smooth, there isn't a lip or raised edge.

The Bedding

This set doesn't come with as much as the last bed set I purchased. You get a single blanket and pillow. There is no mattress either- not even a thin pad playing at being a mattress. I have everything I need to make proper mattresses though, so once I start that project I'll post up a tutorial as I work.

 

There isn't any color variation from what was on the front of the box. Neither the pillow or the blanket are made of a scratchy material- but yet again....tags! Grab a pair of scissors and clip them off so you don't ruin the seams on your bedding.

This is the bed once it's all made up. I think it could use another pillow, but that might just be me. It does look just like it does on the front of the box- they didn't use any kind of tricks to make it look like you're getting more than what you actually are.

Functionality

This is Absinthe, another one of my BJDs. She's 16" tall, and still has plenty of room between her feet and the end of the bed. She's thinner than an AG doll, or dolls of similar build, but there is room on the sides too, so this would fit any such doll perfectly. I believe I could probably fit her boyfriend into the bed with her if I was so inclined.

Overall Review

The Springfield Collection Bedset is a good bed for a girl's 18 inch doll. It has a sturdy build to it, and seems like it would hold up well to a child's play.  Being white, one could also repaint it, or add a mural if one is artistically inclined or has the stencils to do so. Everything in the set came in good condition, and it was super easy to put together. This was a good price for the bed, even though it doesn't have a mattress. The scrollwork on the headboard is pretty as well, and gives the bed a feminine feel.

 

 Pros

• Bed is easy to assemble
• Set is well priced for something of its size
• Bed is sturdy
• Bedding seems durable

Cons

• No Mattress!



 

 



Journey Girls Bedroom Set Review

I bought the Journey Girls Classic 18 inch Doll Bedroom Set  at the Toys R' Us in Greece, NY near where I work. I've been looking for a decent bed set for a few of my Ball Jointed Dolls for a while now, and this is one of the cheaper ones out there- and it comes with a lot of accessories for the price. I've seen several comments on the review page noting that this bed was purchased for an American Girl Doll...not suprising considering the only loft bed  that AG makes is $225, and doesn't come with enough accessories to be that expensive!

This is the front of the box that the set comes in. It gives you a decent idea of what you are purchasing. The set comes with a television, a laptop, a chair, a desk, a rug, a beanbag chair, a bookshelf/entertainment center, various stickers, a ladder, bed, and bedding. You get two pillows, a blanket, and a matress all for around $50 to $60.

The Pieces

The bed needs assembled after you open the box, so you will need a phillips head screwdriver. A hand screwdriver seems to work better than a motorized one for this. These are all the pieces, minus the bottom of the bed, that need to be assembled. I have the bottom of the bed resting on my bed for the sake of work space, since I am working on the floor of my bedroom.

These are the directions, the bottom board of the bed, and all of the pieces that come pre-assembled. While you have everything laid out you should check all the pieces for cracks, just in case. All of the pieces have letter stickers on them, so the directions are really simple to follow.

This is the bottom board of the bed. It's the thinnest piece in the box, also the most likely to crack, so be careful when you are handling it.

 

 

The rest of the pieces are much thicker. This is the standard thickness of most the pieces in the box.

Assembly

This is the chair when it is put together. It consists of two pieces of board, two screws, and four screw in leg posts. It's at this point that you might need to grab a partner to help put things together, especially if you have small or unsteady hands. Luckily I have huge hands, and my feet are dexterious.

 

Step two involves putting small dowels into the pre-drilled holes. If you have all the parts the kit came with and are satisfied with the state that the bed is in pre-assembly you might want to grab some wood glue, to give the bed an extra layer of stability. Some of the dowels are a little loose in their holes, while others fit rather snuggly.

 

 



 This is step three, and when you start actually putting the loft bed together. The brown line following my hand is where the support plank for the bed will be going.

 

 

For the next step I found it easier to lay the bed on its side so that I could better manuver the dowels and screw holes so that they matched up on the next piece of board.

 

 

 Once you get everything tightened up it looks like this. At this stage the sideboards for the bed are a bit wobbly, so you might want to be careful that you do not knock them the wrong way.

 

 

Next you slide the bottom bed support plank in place and then put the large leg piece on the bed to lock it in place. Note that you should do this carefully, because as I mentioned the bottom board is thin and kind of flimsy.

 

 

I treated the bottom board like it was made of glass but still managed to crack it while putting it in place. It's not to big of a crack, and I sealed it with wood glue as a preventative measure...but still. It would be horrible to get this far in and end up breaking the board.

 

 

This is the completed bedset. The board is in place on the top of the bed, and the desk has been put together. Like the Chair, the desk is just two pieces of wood. It hooks to the bed via wooden dowels, instead of being screwed in like the other parts.

 

The Accessories

The set boasts a modest set of accessories to make it seem more realistic. While it does not offer a wide range, the few things it does have seem pretty durable.

 

This is the television (left) and laptop (right) that the set comes with. They're both made out of wood, and the laptop has hinges that let it open and close. Featured side by side you can tell that the laptop scream is actually taller than the television screen, even if the television is wider.

 

 

These are all the vinyl stickers that the set comes with. They pull on and off the set easily and cleanly, and are very bright.

These are the books that you see on the shelves in the package picture. The sides fold back and then you nestle then into the shelves. The centers tend to curve outwards though, giving the boods a warped look when on the shelf. See the top two? There actually is only two shelves in the entertainment center/bookshelf that they have the television resting on- the others are just part of these silouhettes.

 

 

This is the entertainment center/bookshelf with the cardboard books put in place.

 

 

The Bedding

One of the great things about this set is that it is cheap and comes with bedding. There are other sets for the same price that come with a bare bed frame, and nothing else. This set happens to come with a rug, a beanbag chair, two pillows, a blanket, and a mattress.

 

This is all the bedding, minus the rug. Unlike the picture on the box I got a pink beanbag chair not a purple one. The only problem at this point is all the tags. They don't fold over well, and are ugly.

 

 

If you plan on removing all the tags off of your set, you should do so with a pair of scissors. Do NOT pull them off with your hands, not unless you want to tear the seam on whatever piece of bedding you are working on. These things are on tight.

 

This thin piece of padding is the mattress. It is just as thin as the bottom board of the bed. If I had recieved this set as a young girl I would have cried to my grandmother to make my doll a proper bed- most little girls like putting their dolls to sleep in something they can imagine sleeping on themselves.

This is what the mattress looks like pressed taunt against a wall and corner of the bed frame. As you can see, there is a lot of space that the mat does not cover. The little girl in me is horrified. Luckily this is a quick and easy fix if you know how to sew. I intend to buy foam padding at Walmart, along with some fabric, and make a new thicker mattress.

This is the full set, with all the accessories in place and the bedding put together the same way it is in the picture on the box. As you can see, the bedding is not as impressive as the shot they staged. This, along with the size of the mattress, seem to be a common complaint not only to this set, but to several other sets as well (AG, Badger Basket, and Laurent Doll, to name a few), so I am not all that suprised.
he small flower vase came from the floral department at Walmart for 95 cents. I also picked up a small fish tank filled with tiny toy fish that swell if you had water from our local Tops, although it is not visible in this shot.

Functionality

This is my ball jointed doll Minechi sitting at the desk. She's around 17 inches tall. Her limbs are all jointed at the same place a person's limbs would be (wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, neck, thighs, torso) so her knees bend. Even taking that into account when sitting in the chair she doesn't fit under the desk. Her legs are covered by her dress in this shot, but they are resting sideways to get her this close. If you have the proper tools you could probably carve the center beam between the desk legs up a little bit to fix this issue. If you look at the picture on the box you can tell that even the doll this set was made for does not fit quiet right with the desk and chair. Sanding down the chair legs might help as well.

The ladder works well, as does the bean bag chair. The ladder can be placed anywhere on the three difrent sides of the bed.



Minechi fits well in the bed, there is plenty of room between her feet and the base. The same goes for her and the sides of the bed, though she is thinner than an American Girl or Journey Girl doll. Even taking that into consideration, this bed would fit either doll well.

This is an above view of the set, with Minechi in place. As you can see, the shees are not folded in half like in the box display picture- if you fold them like that there isn't enough covering for the doll. Ignore the discoloured ring on the carpet- it's the result of a scrapbooking project involving spray adhesive, and in serious need of a good scrub down.

Overall Review

The Journey Girls Bedset is, as a whole, a well put together collection for a girl's 18 inch doll. It has storage space for a doll's knick knacks, decent bedding, and enough details to make it feel realistic. Plus, with all the removable stickers it comes with it is customizable-which is always a plus. Being white, one could also repaint it, or add a mural if one is artistically inclined or has the stencils to do so. Everything in the set I purchased came well packaged and undamaged, even though the box was a little banged up. This was definately a good buy for the price, and makes me want to get the ski lounge set- even if it's just for the fireplace it provides. I wouldn't recommend this set for younger children, not unless they play gently, because parts of it seem fragile. I would also suggest that an adult move the set when needed so that nothing breaks. However, this set is good for children starting around six to eight, and great for older children, and collectors as well.

 

Pros

• Set comes with clear directions and is easy to assemble
• Set is well priced for something of its size
• Customizable, to a certain extent
• Bedding seems durable

Cons

• Base of the bed is flimsy, may break if a child accidently sets her doll down too hard
• Chair/Desk is oddly sized so that dolls cannot fit legs under desk/sit properly
• Matress is thin and small (common complaint for doll beds)