a 'gingerbread holiday' dollhouse

because i squeezed in my last Thanksgiving post on Friday of last week,
it's finally time to share holiday decor!

 this first project was inspired by some halloween decor that i saw online

and you probably saw it, too...

dollhouses painted as decrepit old haunted houses.

i saw so many amazingly creative 'takes' on that idea on social media,

and decided then to create a gingerbread dollhouse for Christmas.

and that idea launched an entire theme:

welcome to my 'Gingerbread Holiday'!

once again, i'm making use of elements i have on hand already

along with a few CHEAP additions from thrift & discount stores
to create a whole new holiday decor theme to enjoy.

continue reading to see the before shot and all the details...

since i did not have a dollhouse on hand,

i headed to two small thrift shops near me to find one. and found nuthin'. 

next i went to the largest one - Savers (which is called Value Village up in the PNW)

and i found a small-ish plastic dollhouse for less than five bucks!
one of my goals for this project was to not go big - in size OR in price.

wouldn't you know it, it was YELLOW! LOL.
probably why i spied it buried behind toys on a shelf.

it just cracks me up that i painted OVER the yellow! 

(but Deb tends to go all-in on a theme, right?!)

another thing i liked about this particular house is that it matches another project,

so when painting, i kept the details pretty simple.

a spray of dark brown paint on the exterior, then details brushed on in white paint

turned a cheap plastic dollhouse into a charming chalet:

the 'door' was originally just a window, so i painted white below it
as well as drippy icicles and snow mounds on the ground and chimney. 
(had i wanted to, i could have added a LOT more detail in white paint
or even glued real candy onto the house.
i chose to create simple versions this time.)
a final touch of glitter on the roof added some sparkle.

 about that chimney...

not just charming, it actually solved a problem.

 the big handle of the dollhouse was red and would NOT come off or lie flat.
so, i made a simple box out of poster board,
painted it, and hot glued it to the roof OVER the handle.
painting the handle white stopped the red plastic from reflecting on the inside of the chimney.

a tiny light pokes through the back side of the chimney

and shines on the wisp of polyfill that i added as 'smoke' rising up.

(without the light, it didn't show up in my photos)

i also painted a few other items to add to this vignette:

i was given this 'paint your own' ceramic birdhouse in the shape of a Shasta trailer
but never got around to painting it... until now!
the perfect scale to pair with the dollhouse,
 it looks utterly charming as a gingerbread trailer
(and with a round 'window', i think we can call HER 'Miss Dot' just like our real Shasta!)

that TINY little snowman made from three white pom poms makes me laugh.

every house needs landscaping, so i added some trees...

painted in brown, sprinkled with glitter, and adorned with white pom poms 

and white fuzzy loop yarn that looks for all the world like royal icing,
they add a yummy finishing touch.

that little 'sign' is a plastic cheese marker that i painted with the tiniest brush
(and then added the lettering via my graphics program!) 

if those trees look vaguely familiar to you,
yes, you've seen them before - a LOT!
i bought them at Target in 2020 and have decorated them in THREE different ways now:

would it surprise you to know that i already have a plan for them for NEXT Christmas??!

i love reimagining and re-using what i have.
it saves money, it saves storage space, and i enjoy the creative process

of turning one thing into a different thing.

amazingly, gingerbread seems to be a HOT holiday decor theme this year...
i'm seeing so many great original decor ideas shared on social media
that i have to wonder if we were all visited by the same muse a few months ago!

make sure you head over to Michael's Inspired by Charm blog 

to see the amazing REAL gingerbread cookie decor that he created in 2020.

related content:

paint chip-inspired painted trees 2020

sweet sweater trees 2021

shared online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycle ideas #654

thank you for featuring my project, Miss Donna!

creatively beth | creative crafts linky party

thank you for featuring my project, Miss Beth! 

painting,holiday,Christmas,Christmas Decor,re-purposed,up-cycling,makeover,DIY,diy decorating,thrifted,art class,gingerbread theme,gingerbread decor,gingerbread Christmas,gingerbread home decor,Christmas home decor,gingerbread holiday decor,gingerbread crafts,gingerbread dollhouse,dollhouse makeover.