As you know, I made doll beds for the girls for Christmas, using this Ana White plan.
To buy a true American Girl doll bed would cost anywhere from $70-$125. I spent about $30 in supplies to build all 3. (I would have used scrap wood for even less money, but since I needed to make 3 I didn't think I could find enough scrap pieces in consistent sizes. The wood I bought was cheap pine and I had to work around knots, bows, and other imperfections. What can I say? I was going for cheap and the rustic farmhouse look fit the bill.
I bought sample paint jars from Walmart and intended to paint all 3 beds a different color, but it was apparent that one jar wasn't going to be enough. I didn't want to spend more money on paint, so instead I painted the beds with white trim paint and then tried painting the insets on the headboard and footboard with the colored paint. In the end I didn't like the contrast, so I painted over the color and then sanded it off so the color would show through. At least this allows them to be able to tell their beds apart.
I waited to post better pictures because the icing on the cake was the quilts their aunt Amy made for them. Each quilt is pieced to match their beds and personalities.
Abby's is a purple pinwheel pattern,
Sarah's is pink and ruffled,
And Eva's has colorful dots and coordinates with her bedroom quilt. I love them all. Thanks Aunt Amy!
They look adorable all lined up in a row, but mostly they live in their own rooms with the girls. Eva's is in her little play tent, and Abby's is set up like a little bedroom with picture frames and knick-knacks.
It was a fun project, and was pretty easy if you can make friends with a few power tools! I managed to not cut off any fingers so our friendship is in tact.