Friday Fun Day: Small guys with a portable doll house

I made these for my niece and daughters and they loved them.  They are cute and easy to make, fit in a pocket or purse, require no batteries, and are a quiet toy perfect for the doctor's office, a car ride, or church.

You'll need
Large people pegs (I got mine at a craft store, but click here to order them online and a much lower price.)
Craft paint
Paint brushes
Gloss
Sharpie or other fine point permanent marker
Shoe boxes or cereal boxes (to use as a house)

What I did
Painted each people peg and discovered that the simpler you keep the design, the better.  I painted the body all one color then added polka dots or a collar.  Nothing too detailed because it takes so long and the kids just want to play.  I kept the hair simple too, painted swoops in different colors.

For the face, I skipped the nose and just made simple eye dots and a small smile.  Use the sharpie for this instead of the the paint but word of advice- paint the face a color first.  If you just draw right on the wood with the marker, it will bleed and look stupid and is very hard to paint over.  So paint the dolls skin first before you add the eyes and smile with the marker.

For the "doll house" I would grab some boxes and felt and make a temporary one.  If you want, feel free to print out the pictures below and tape them to the inside of a shoe box.  I took these pictures and glued them to a square wood plaque and made it a dollhouse-on-the-go.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a link or comment below. Let's all help each other out.

Highlights showcased on Saturday.