CRAFTING CHICKS GUEST POST

Hi, I'm Brooke! I'm one of the five Crafting Chicks and I'm happy to be guest posting here today at The Wood Connection blog! I love their products and I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I visit the store. :) Today I'm sharing what I did with the doll table and chairs set from The Wood Connection. The table sells for $15.00 and the chairs are $6.95 each. You can pick up these items at their store, they do not ship at this time.



I was excited to give my daughters this set for Christmas, so they could play with their dolls together. It was a big hit! It fits the 18 inch dolls perfectly (like the American Girl dolls) but my girls have used the table with their Barbies too. :) The fun thing is that they also got a big kid-sized table and chairs from their grandparents--white table and pink chairs--so I painted the doll version to match!



I started with the unfinished pieces of furniture and gave them a really good sanding to smooth out any rough edges. I primed all of the pieces with spray paint primer first. Then I spray painted the table in a glossy white and the chairs in a glossy pink. Here are a few spray painting tips:

• Use primer first! Helps to even things out, helps the paint to stick better, and you end up using less paint in the long run.
• Spray several LIGHT coats, letting each coat dry completely in between. This prevents drips and globs of paint everywhere.
• You can also lightly sand in between coats to ensure a smooth finish.

I thought they were cute just painted! The nice thing about glossy paint is that it makes it easy to wipe down from those messy dolly tea parties. ;) The beauty of the unfinished wood set is that you can completely customize the colors to match any room! Plus this is significantly less expensive than buying a table and chairs at the store or online. It's such a fun project!

Next I decided to fancy things up a bit and make a mini fitted tablecloth and some mini chair covers. I'm sort of a beginner sewist (is that what you call it?!?) so I was looking for simple projects that would give me good practice! :) I found some cute fabric that was sort of Valentine-y (look closely, there are little hearts in the flowers) and had a lot of fun whipping up some doll-sized goodies!





I used a fitted tablecloth tutorial found at Smashed Peas & Carrots (I cut the fabric as a 16.5 inch square which includes seam allowances, just FYI) and added a fun pom-pom trim to the edges. For the chairs I followed the same tutorial, I just modified it by only doing two fitted corners. I added some ruffles to the edges of the chair covers (I love ruffles).



Just add your play food and your dolls and you're ready to go! It's so cute, I think I might play along too!





I have some more ideas for customizing the doll furniture:

• Use stencils to add designs to the table and chairs
• Add ribbon along the edges
• Mod Podge some scrapbook paper on the tops and sides
• Add decorative wood trim

Lots of ways to get creative! :)

Thanks for letting me share my doll table and chairs with you! Come visit The Crafting Chicks for lots of fun ways to add creativity to your life! We invite you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter too!

xoxo Brooke