Doll House for a Mouse

I should mention that when I was in school, girls were not permitted to take shop, but rather were required to take home economics. Ridiculous! Why ridiculous? In home economics, I was required to sew a simple, solid color apron, followed by a simple, solid color A-line skirt, and finally a simple, solid color dress with raglan sleeves. My grandmother had already taught me to sew. There are two important facts about lessons with Grandma. First, she was a perfectionist. Second, she insisted that my very first sewing project would be a plaid dress so that I would learn to put in a zipper and to match the plaid perfectly.

Prior to my year long project, I had never built a bookcase or even a bird house. Therefore, I could only approach this project as if it were another sewing endeavour. I arranged the pieces of furniture on poster board. This told me how large each room would need to be. I assumed that as Mrs. Mouseling stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes, she would gaze out the window. Her height determined the height of windows, doors, and ceilings. I made patterns for the walls using more poster board. My poster board told me how much lumber I would need for this project. A nice young man at Home Depot helped me to select a jigsaw and a sander. I already had a circular saw and a variable speed drill. I purchased the lumber and screws I needed at Home Depot and scoured the shelves for tiny hinges, latches, and knobs for doors.

Next, I took several of the books to the paint store and requested that they match the various colors in the illustrations. They did an excellent job.

Matching the wallpaper in the living room and Angelina's room was a bit more difficult, but I think the choices I made are very close.

American Girl did not sell furniture for Mr. and Mrs. Mouseling's bedroom so I had to make two beds, mattresses, pillows, sheets, pillowcases, and quilts. At the fabric store, I also found material to make curtains for each room.

At Hobby Lobby, I found the jute and mesh that I used to create a "thatched" roof for the dollhouse. I also found dowels and knobs to make two 4-poster beds for Mr. and Mrs. Mouseling as wells as dowels and tiny J-hooks for curtain rods. Hobby Lobby had some strips of wood I was able to use to trim the window of the dollhouse. There were also some additional small pieces of furniture and even tiny books, ceramic potted plants, and picture frames. I took pictures of various characters from an Angelina sticker book for the picture frames.

It is a good thing that I live alone because this project occupied my entire garage and kitchen for almost a year. I kept the walls, floors, and ceilings separate as long as I could because of size and weight issues. I even put wallpaper in Angelina's room and the living room before assembling the house. Also, because of size and weight issues, I built the house in two sections. On one end, the kitchen is below with Mr. and Mrs. Mouseling's bedroom above. On the other end, the living room is below with Angelina's bedroom above and the stairs on the side where the two pieces would meet. Fitting together the stairs, that wall, and the living room ceiling (also the floor of Angelina's room) proved to be a tricky 3-D jigsaw puzzle so that section was together before transport half way across country. The books never show what is below the stairs, though there is a door. I made a small bedroom for cousin Henry. The other half of the dollhouse would not fit in my vehicle alongside the first part. I put the kitchen and other bedroom together so that the holes would all be pre-drilled and then I took that part of the house apart again for transport. A picture was taken of me lying on my belly on the floor with my upper torso inside the kitchen. I couldn't prevent it at the time, though I did point out there was no way to verify my identity. I was attempting to keep from hitting my head on the low kitchen ceiling. I had one hand through the window holding the chimney to the outside of the house. Though I'm right-handed, I held a variable speed drill in my left hand to attach the chimney.

My niece loves her Angelina dollhouse. It is two and a half feet deep, three and a half feet tall, and six and a half feet long. If I were to make another one, I would use pine, not oak. Also, I would make the ceilings in the kitchen and living room twice as tall. Finally, I would build the steps first and I would use a different technique to do so.

I strongly encourage you to introduce your little girl to Angelina and to ballet. The book, Angelina's Ballet Class by Katherine Holabird, discusses the basics of ballet. You might also want to check the Tanya series by Patricia Lee Gauch. Before you tell me that your little girl did not inherit the genes necessary to become a professional ballerina, I must ask one question. Did you make your career choice at age 3? Ballet is a wonderful chance for social interaction. It teaches little girls poise. Moreover, little girls love to dance and ballet is fun!

I have a website about children's books. It includes picture books for young children, books for beginning readers, the classics you loved as a child, and recent books for teens. I have also listed books which teach math concepts, historical fiction, and books about science. If you are looking for other titles you may wish to visit my website.