Safety note: Kids make sure you get an adult's help with this project!
After making a backyard scene, we decided that our dolls needed a place to sit, so we decided to make a picnic table. After scouring the internet we found a few tutorials (My Froggy Stuff and Ginger Lola) and got some great pointers and inspiration. Here's how we made ours!
You will need:
Foam board (we got ours from Staples and I used a scrap portion we had left over from our backyard project.)
cardboard
Tacky glue or spray adhesive
grey paint (we used spray paint)
scissors
a hot glue gun and glue sticks
emery board / paper nail file
ruler
a few dolls that you would like to use the table for
pencil
A blank sheet of paper
Exacto knife
1. Using our dolls as a guide, we lined them up in a sitting position and ended up with a measurement of 11 inches long and 6" wide for the table top. The benches will be 11" long and 2 inches wide. This was a good size for most 11 1/2 inch dolls. Cut your foam board with an Exacto knife for best results.
2. Pose your doll in a sitting position,using a blank sheet of paper folded in half width wise, trace along your doll's bottom. This will be the height for your seat. Draw a line where you would like the table height to be (keep in mind that we will be using foam board for the table top and it's about 3/8 in. thick!) Mark the line.
3. Now sketch your design. We decided to go with a heart type shape, (because we have a table like that in our backyard) but you can use any design you want, don't make it too detailed because we are cutting it out of cardboard. Cut out your design and unfold.
4. Using your design as a template, trace the design on cardboard two to four times (depending
on the thickness of your cardboard. We used thinner board and had to do it four times!)
5. If you needed to use more than one layer of cardboard, stack and glue the layers together for sturdiness. I used 3M Spray Adhesive General Purpose 45 or you can use Tacky glue, you will just have to wait longer for the layers to dry. Spray paint or paint by hand the cardboard pieces on both sides and let dry completely.
6. While your pieces dry, file the corner edges of your foam table top and bench seats to make them look more rounded. Also run the nail file down the sides lightly to smooth edges.
7. Using a hot glue gun or Tacky glue, glue the cardboard pieces to the underside of you table top. (If you are using Tacky glue, give it a few minutes to get sticky before you try to attach the pieces.) Hold pieces in place until they dry.
8. After the table top is glued on it's time to glue on the bench seats. Turn the table right side up, and glue on bench seats the same way you did the top. (If the legs are turning in or out, use a few books to hold everything in place while your table dries.) Let dry.
Now we're ready to play!
-Have Fun Crafting!
After making a backyard scene, we decided that our dolls needed a place to sit, so we decided to make a picnic table. After scouring the internet we found a few tutorials (My Froggy Stuff and Ginger Lola) and got some great pointers and inspiration. Here's how we made ours!
You will need:
Foam board (we got ours from Staples and I used a scrap portion we had left over from our backyard project.)
cardboard
Tacky glue or spray adhesive
grey paint (we used spray paint)
scissors
a hot glue gun and glue sticks
emery board / paper nail file
ruler
a few dolls that you would like to use the table for
pencil
A blank sheet of paper
Exacto knife
1. Using our dolls as a guide, we lined them up in a sitting position and ended up with a measurement of 11 inches long and 6" wide for the table top. The benches will be 11" long and 2 inches wide. This was a good size for most 11 1/2 inch dolls. Cut your foam board with an Exacto knife for best results.
2. Pose your doll in a sitting position,using a blank sheet of paper folded in half width wise, trace along your doll's bottom. This will be the height for your seat. Draw a line where you would like the table height to be (keep in mind that we will be using foam board for the table top and it's about 3/8 in. thick!) Mark the line.
3. Now sketch your design. We decided to go with a heart type shape, (because we have a table like that in our backyard) but you can use any design you want, don't make it too detailed because we are cutting it out of cardboard. Cut out your design and unfold.
4. Using your design as a template, trace the design on cardboard two to four times (depending
on the thickness of your cardboard. We used thinner board and had to do it four times!)
5. If you needed to use more than one layer of cardboard, stack and glue the layers together for sturdiness. I used 3M Spray Adhesive General Purpose 45 or you can use Tacky glue, you will just have to wait longer for the layers to dry. Spray paint or paint by hand the cardboard pieces on both sides and let dry completely.
6. While your pieces dry, file the corner edges of your foam table top and bench seats to make them look more rounded. Also run the nail file down the sides lightly to smooth edges.
7. Using a hot glue gun or Tacky glue, glue the cardboard pieces to the underside of you table top. (If you are using Tacky glue, give it a few minutes to get sticky before you try to attach the pieces.) Hold pieces in place until they dry.
8. After the table top is glued on it's time to glue on the bench seats. Turn the table right side up, and glue on bench seats the same way you did the top. (If the legs are turning in or out, use a few books to hold everything in place while your table dries.) Let dry.
Now we're ready to play!
-Have Fun Crafting!