This post is QUITE overdue, considering this was Isla’s 2nd birthday gift from Scott & I and she just turned three on the 11th. Nonetheless, this dollhouse is one of our most played with toys in the entire house and deserves it’s own special place here on the blog! 

When it came to thinking about what to gift Isla (last year, ha) I’m always kind of stumped, she is the THIRD little lady in our family and really has access to any toy her heart can want, thanks to her older sisters. With that being said, I really wanted to put a little extra love and TLC into a gift that was special for her! She has always had the best imagination and is a really amazing independent player too. She was always playing with our Little People princess castle, so I figured her own little dollhouse would be perfect! 

I didn’t want a dollhouse that was too big, or too small, so this dollhouse from IKEA was not only the perfect size, but also the price performer. I browsed Pinterest for hours getting inspiration and reading up on the easiest way to DIY a dollhouse. Little did I know the dollhouse world is a “thing,” you would be AMAZED at the lengths people go when crafting and creating a custom dollhouse. 

I kept things pretty simple, I painted any wall that would be visible white prior to putting the dollhouse together, I grabbed this white craft paint from Target and after just two coats, the dollhouse was ready for wallpaper. All of the wallpaper I used within the dollhouse was from either Michaels or Paper Source. Scrapbook paper and wrapping paper make for an easy application with a few coats of modge podge applied directly to the wood walls first! 

After making sure the paint and wallpaper were nice and dry, I followed the directions from the IKEA manual and put the house together. You might notice that I decided to leave the chimney off and added in some dollhouse shingles from Hobby Lobby for the roof. I used hot glue to apply the shingles and you would be surprised at how quickly that actually went! 

With the dollhouse assembled, walls painted or wallpapered and the roof shingles applied- it was time to decorate! There are SO many darling Etsy shops filled with the sweetest dollhouse accessories, so you can really go wild depending on your budget! 

I grabbed this large set of doll furniture off of Amazon– seeing that Isla was two at the time when we gifted this to her, I really didn’t want to “worry” about her breaking anything too special or expensive! One year later, all of the furniture has held up GREAT! 

Isla LOVES playing with her sister’s Calico Critters, so I knew her own little bunny family would be the perfect size for the dollhouse and the furniture. You have to be careful when buying furniture and the “people” for your house, make sure that the doll to furniture ratio is the right fit! 

I will have to do an updated post on how we had added to Isla’s dollhouse throughout the past year- I typically grab a few seasonal items for the girls to add to the house around the holiday and have even grabbed an Anthropologie Mirror for the family room, which is the cutest thing ever! 

I have an entire highlight saved on my Instagram profile showing the step by step process on how I built and put the house together, plus you can see some of the fun holiday touches we put on it throughout the year too! All in all, this is truly a SIMPLE DIY, which leaves you with a beautiful heirloom quality gift that you little one will cherish forever!