wallpaper decals

If you love "dollhousing" but don't have a lot of time or space or money, these are very fun!  Hammer together some wooden boxes, affix a picture hanger to the back, and decorate as you have time.  You could eventually have an entire "house" hanging on your wall!  They also work well as gifts for a child, or as a "memory diorama" for someone who is moving and you want to preserve the memory of their home. 

You can decorate them the traditional way with paint/glue/wallpaper, or you can (as we've done below) glue everything to card stock and make the doll house wall box very easy to change... you can have a Palace one day and a Log Cabin the next!

Start with a wooden box:  (The INTERIOR measurements of the box shown are 9.25 inches wide, 7.75 inches tall, 5 inches deep)

Now, you can decorate the dollshouse wall box the traditional way with paint, glue, wallpaper, etc. Or, as we've done in these two samples, use pictures to help you along.  These two wall boxes use edited internet pictures, but you could just as easily take your own, especially with the panorama feature most cameras now have.  

Print the pictures, glue them to card stock, and cut to the correct size.  Do the same thing with your choice of flooring.

 Notice how in the picture above the perspective makes the 5 inch deep box appear deeper? 

Don't forget, these dollhouse diorama boxes can be either hung on a wall, or set on a shelf.

These pictures were all from different sources but I edited them in Photoshop to get the color tones to match... As you can see, the corners don't match up, but by the time you decorate, you don't notice (at a first glance anyway!)

Can you see the picture above the mantel?  I put a small piece of tape directly on the "wallpaper", then attached the picture with a piece of looped tape.  Now, when we decide to redecorate, the picture easily comes off and won't tear the wallpaper. 

 

Remember,  one plus of this tiny project is that it can be stored anywhere... even on your bookshelf while waiting for paint to dry!

Have fun!!

In an earlier post I told how I put full walls of wall paper in a wooden doll house.  This post will tell how I do smaller bits of wallpaper... for example, a painted top and wallpapered bottom.  This method also works for installing borders.  Remember things look better in "thirds" rather than "halves".  (for example, paint 2/3 of the wall and wallpaper 1/3... or wallpaper 2/3 and paint 1/3...)

1. Measure and cut  your wallpaper
2. Always have your wallpaper go continuously around a corner... don't have it stop at a corner or a dark "gap" will show when you're all done.  To make this easier, crease/fold the wallpaper piece where the corner will end up.
3. Use an old magazine and lay a piece(s) of your wallpaper upside down on it.
4. Smear tacky glue all over the back of it, paying special attention to the edges.
5. Quickly go wash and dry your hands, or keep a wet rag handy to wipe the glue off your fingers before pressing the wallpaper into place.
6. Turn the magazine page, and you have another fresh surface for gluing the next piece!

If you have ever seen this pattern on a box of tissues, it works great for some quick doll house picture frames!  Just trim out a square and cut a picture to fit in the center, glue, and you're done!

Making your own doll house mantle clock is quick and easy...

1. Find a piece of trim that has a profile you like.



2. Cut off a small chunk about 1/2 inch deep.

3. Do an image search to find the type of clock face you want and print it.  I took this picture myself, so you are free to use it (personal use only, no resale).



4. Paint or stain your clock and let dry.

5. Glue on the clock face.

6.  You can stop here, or for a more playable dollhouse mantel clock, spray it with clear acrylic sealer.



For instructions on how to make a grandfather clock for your dollhouse, please see our earlier post.