Upcycling again: transforming more tea boxes into doll-size shelves

In 2019, I wrote a blog post in which I converted a tea box into a doll-sized shelf/cabinet to use as a stand for my doll scenes. It was a fairly simple but effective idea that I wanted to explore further but never quite came up with. In fact, when I posted this, I got two boxes that have been sitting in my dollhouse for about two years. Since I had no plans to publish my next blog post, I thought maybe it was time to get started.

In this post I will be making two drawings. The first is the same I did in the original Upcycling post but in a different color so I won't go into details. The second which I will explain above a little better because the technology is basically the same. As I mentioned in the original post, I borrowed this idea from Spanish doll collector Punic.

As I mentioned, the first design is the same square I made in my original post, except this time I'm not gluing the legs together. Making a primer, he applied his first coat of white paint a few months ago.

Now it's time to draw it. I don't know if you remember or not, but at the end of the message I asked what color to paint. Well, it turns out that I don't use any of the colors you suggested, and instead I use Sea Glass from Americana Acrylics which I didn't have at the time.

This is the end result.

I really like this design. Reminds me of Kallax wardrobe from IKEA. I would like to do more with these few colors, but these boxes are hard to come by. While working on this article, I found a third such box to add another color to my shelving collection.

Now let's move on to the second drawing. I received this 25 x 9 cm (9.8 x 3.5 in) box which will allow me to make a taller bookshelf.

As in the first design, we need to remove the cover by tightening the hinges. Then I filled the holes with putty.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this box has the word "leak" written on it, so get rid of it. I rubbed some sand in to wear it as long as possible, but it's not likely to get rid of it completely.

When I thought I was tired enough, I went ahead and put on a play. I use gypsum, but you can use any type of primer. As you can see in the image below, the letters are still visible in the primer. I'm afraid it's still going through the paint և I need to apply several coats.

Since I was safe and had no regrets, I decided to mix white and orange first and paint the peach. I got this idea from the makeup technique used to cover up tattoos, also known as gradation. The theory is that orange balances the color of blue ink, because blue and orange are complementary colors. As you can see in the image below, the peach paint has covered most of the ink.

I recommend using a peach instead of a straight orange as it will be easier to cover especially if you are using a lighter color. If you plan to use dark colors, you don't even need to take this step.

Once this area is dry, it's time to paint. I use Dove Gray from Americana Acrylics . In a survey I did for another design, Linda from Yéyé Dolls suggested using this color, but I ended up using it for this one.

This is a great neutral shade with purple undertones. They look brighter on camera than they do in real life.

Now let's see what our new doll's shelves look like on camera. First, try green against a Dove Gray wall . I'm not very proud of this statue, but I love the subtlety of the colors.

Before starting this post, I took some pictures of the Sea Glass shelf. I wanted to see her on the wall the same color as her gray blanket. This is Blake.

Now let's try gray. I wanted to change what I did with Chloe in the first photo - try the gray bookcase on the sea glass wall. I love this color combination.

I recently made a new wall with pink powder. I used Pink Blush from Americana Acrylic, it's beautiful. Let's use our new wall to see what it looks like with the gray bookcase. This is Rosie.

I love this color - the way it looks against the background of the dolls. I was a bit worried that it would look a lot like the Orchid Wall I already have, but I think it's completely different. I'm thinking of using it for a recycling project in the future.

I usually get a quick snapshot of how I feel about my craft projects. Since I already did this job, I knew it would work. I am very happy with the colors I chose (although that would be an easy fix) և I think it would make a good addition to my dollhouse furniture. I was worried the gray wouldn't be the right size, but it's perfect. I have several chests that I can return ASAP.

For future projects, I just started working with parquet board, looks like there will be a lot of work, stickers. Hopefully it's ready by the end of the month or early October because it might be perfect for our fall/fall pics (although we always wear shorts and T-shirts here).

I hope that you are well. Let me know if you plan on doing something similar for your dolls, if you have any other ideas for raising them. 

Good-bye.

craft monsters

PS L'Atelier ni Shasha offers weekend discounts. See his latest article for more information.

See Part 1. Transformation. The tea box turned into furniture for dolls