Are you looking for a super fun craft that costs nothing and leads to hours of play?  Well then…this is your kids craft for the week.  These canopy beds can be used in an actual dollhouse or on a bookshelf or just in the corner for play with little dolls and calico critters.  Or do a shoebox size for Barbies.

Materials:

Scissors

Hot glue

Elmer’s glue

Scrap fabrics – for cutting out bedding

Paper straws with cute patterns

Scrap boxes – various sizes (I used my Birch Box subscription ones which had floral patterns printed on them and pastel colors -pretty.  Or use basic cardboard and cover it with papers and fabrics.

Miscellaneous stickers, pom poms, and feathers to embellish sides of bed frame.

Here are a few we came up with.  Super simple so there could be some more creative exploration here in phases such as adding tulle all around with tassels and sequins trim around the opening of the bed or ruffle trims around the bases like bed skirts.  Keep adding but make sure you let your little ones design their own and be proud of their work.  Even the simplest design instills hours of imaginative play!

Getting started:

1. Cut your straws 2 inches or 2 1/2″ shorter.

2.  Glue your straws in each corner.

3.  Cut several scrap fabric pieces to the size of your box.  These will be bedding and the canopy itself.

4.  Glue the canopy fabric with a little hot glue to the top of all of your straws.

5.  Lay the bedding inside

6. Decide if you want more levels; bunk beds are fun.

7.  Make pillows by hot gluing a rectangle or square of fabric.  Nice sides of fabric face out.  Stuff with batting or cotton balls and glue shut.  Keep all glue inside so it’s nice and smooth on the edges.

8.  Let your little do most of the work.  Pre-cut fabrics, use low temp glue guns or do the hot glue yourself.   Let them go nuts with Elmer’s and allow time for drying.  Let them make fun patterns with stickers and other found objects.

Find some fun fabrics and always keep scrap bins of leftover materials, old clothes, and found objects to use for any project.

Tips:

Michael’s craft stores sell these cut sparkly foam sheets.  I cut them to size for my dollhouse and end up with funky and fun flooring on the cheap.

I also love the 1 and 3 dollar bins up by the register for these darling doilie rugs.  These are wonderful for dressing up a room!!

And one more fun tip!  We play “furniture store” all the time.  We layout all the dollhouse stuff we own so it’s more of a general store.  We pick a family of calico critters and then take turns picking all the furniture and littles that we want for our houses.  Then we pick a big basket moving truck each and gather our things.  We spend along time decorating our homes and then play together.  I try to inspire really sweet play with the calicos like going to school or having birthday parties.  That’s it.  It is the funnest game we play!