Friday, December 19, 2014

2 New Ways To Play With Paper Dolls


I have fun memories of playing with paper dolls.  There are so many neat ones out there, and I wanted to share them with my children.  Instead of happy hours playing with their dolls, they came to me every 2 minutes asking me to put the clothes back on.  They just couldn't get those little tabs to stay put.  They would become frustrated and in 10 minutes walk away.

There had to be an easier way.
 I found some really neat paper dolls at a blog called Practical Pages.  She has made some wonderful historical paper dolls.  I printed them off....I couldn't resist.  But, I was back in the same boat.  Paper Dolls that my children would become frustrated with.

But, I had an idea.  I colored all the paper dolls and cut them out, removing all those little tabs.  Then I laminated them for stability, and so that they wouldn't tear.

They turned out beautiful.  Colorful and durable.  So, now we had a pile of really nice looking dolls.  Now what?



I had gotten a roll of end paper from our local newspaper office.  I think it cost around $5.00, and it has proven to have unlimited possibilities.  I laid the paper down the length of the table and just tacked it down with masking tape.  I spread everyone out to give them room to draw, and gave them each a container of crayons.



I passed out the paper dolls, and they were able to draw whatever they wanted to go along with their dolls.  They really enjoyed this.  They were able to layer the clothes on the dolls, and move them around easily.  Annie used hers to tell a few Bible stories, and Sam played knights.  Autumn and Liberty just made it up as they went along, which is fine with me :)





The second way I have used paper dolls is by adding a magnetic back to them.  You can buy sheets of magnet paper at the store.  I cut out the dolls and used rubber cement to glue them to the magnet sheets. I think cut those out.  An easier way is to just print the dolls onto the magnetic paper.

I grabbed a few dollar cookie sheets and they had an instant, portable paper doll set.  For some more great ideas visit here and here.


I have seen many pins for an "Oil Drip Pan Magnet Board" on Pinterest.  I chose this one to show you because the post gives you a lot of resources to use with the board beyond paper dolls.  Not that it takes a rocket scientist to know what to do with a magnetic surface, but sometimes I get brain freeze and need a little inspiration.


Find it here at COBO a family blog.

I think that you can buy the drip pan at Walmart for about $12.00.  The magnetic sheets can be found at any craft store, and paper dolls can be found anywhere. 

I hope this has gotten your creative wheels spinning.  Leave me a comment and let me know your ideas, or let me know what you have already created.  Happy crafting!


Follow Sunshine by Channon's board Crafting on Pinterest.

31 comments:

  1. This is so awesome! I love the idea of Biblical dolls. It would be fun to do a timeline with them, too. And the magnet board is an great idea. When I was Children's Pastor I used a magnet board used out of a sheet of steel. It fell on my foot once and ouch! I love the idea of lighter ones. ~Pamela

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the idea of a timeline! Yes, I can see how sheet metal could be a bit cumbersome :) Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment.

      Delete
  2. Oh I love, love, love this!!! Thanks for sharing this. I'm pinning it, and I can't wait to share with my older daughters. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you like it, Laurie, and I hope you and your daughters have fun :)

      Delete
  3. I am always scared of mess. I bought this 2 paints and I dont know how I can make him use it without damaging anything. The paper on top of the table sounds good so I will try that. #LetKidsBeKids

    ReplyDelete
  4. What great ideas! I love the newspaper roll. I will do that with my girls. I made some Frozen paper dolls and they love them, but they don't play with them as much as I'd like. I put velcro on the back and they use them in file folders (similar to your magnets). I will definitely be getting some paper out this week!! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My girls would love Frozen paper dolls, well actually, they would like anything Frozen related :) We use the newspaper roll for handmade wrapping paper, too. Have fun!

      Delete
  5. These look great, thanks for sharing! Pin it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely ideas. It looks like your children are quite engrossed in it.
    Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the table paper idea! I played with paper dolls as a kid....me and my sister would get a new "set" every time we went on a trip. We played with the till the tabs fell off! followed you from Wow Me Wed Linky!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a fun memory. I loved playing with them when I was young, too. As many sets as I see floating around Pinterest, I don't think we are alone :)

      Delete
  8. I LOVE this idea Channon! A wonderful summer activity for the children that doesn't involve television! Thank you for sharing at the Art of Home-Making Mondays! I hope this will inspire others to have some paper-crafting fun :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The draw of the TV can be big! Thank you for stopping by, JES :)

      Delete
  9. I r-e-a-l-l-y love this, Channon! I want to try all of these ideas with the grands! Thank you so much for sharing this with us at Treasure Box Tuesday- pinned! :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ohhhh win these are amazing what a great idea. I remember doing this myself as a child, loads of fun #letkidsbekids

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love. Love. Love! Thanks so much for sharing this over at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth's link up! I shared on my facebook page so other mama's can see it too. I know so many little girls (& probably quite a few boys) would love playing creatively with these beautiful paper dolls and incorporating the ideas you posted.
    God bless,
    ~Candy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for passing it on Candy! As I was writing the post I kept thinking of all the fun ideas we could have with Holiday's, too. Or maybe a Paper Dolls Birthday Party theme. I have to turn my brain off :)

      Delete
  12. Channon - this post brought a smile to my face! I made and played with paperdolls when I was very young and into my aging years! My sister and I collect papers, scraps, receipts, etc from trips and make a paperdoll with them when we get home as a way to commemorate our vacation. Your post is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a great idea, Helen! So much better than stuffing your souvenirs in a box to never be seen again. Thank you for you kind words and for stopping by :)

      Delete
  13. Sigh..... Longing for them to be little again! May I ask how long it took you to color all those beautiful paper dolls?

    You did a lovely job. I am wondering if something like this would work for teens, (they could color their own) and create more sophisticated scenes from their history lessons, or is that just me being wistful?! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for noticing, I am embarrassed to admit a couple of weeks. It was truly a labor of love...I admit I am a 40 year old who loves to color :) I think it would be great for teens! Perfect for a history lesson, or maybe reenacting a play? Wonderful idea, I might have to borrow it. If you choose to to something like this, I would love to hear what you did! P.S. Being wistful can be good sometimes :)

      Delete
  14. These are great ideas for playing with paper dolls!
    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a wonderful idea. You have got me thinking of a project we could do at home

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad to hear it! It's great when we can take one idea and turn into tons of fun, in so many different ways.

      Delete
  16. This is a great idea. What a great way to play x
    #letkidsbekids

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow! You've got lots of great ideas on your blog, thanks for sharing! I found you through Sew Can Do link party. Find me here www.alittlebitofcraft.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mikaila! It's always fun to hear that someone has found something they like and connect with! I will pop over and take a peak at your blog :)

      Delete
  18. Thank you for hosting, Bobbi! I hope to see you there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the idea of getting the paper and creating scenes!

    ReplyDelete