Recycle: A no-footprint dollhouse makeover

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When I embarked on this Nothing New Project at the beginning of this year, I knew that I would have a few challenges… birthdays and gift giving being one of them. When Bo was born two years ago I was adamant that she was not to have any toys with batteries, not only for the environmental factors but also for the imagination factor. I couldn’t see how a toy that “does” something would encourage a child to use their imagination to create a world of their own. So right from the word go I asked my family and friends not to buy Bo any toys that needed batteries, and I’m pretty impressed that now, two years on, she still doesn’t have a single one. Bo has more plastic than I’d like her to have, but at least none of it talks to me in creepy voices in the dead of night…

When I found this old wooden, unloved dollhouse at the tip I knew what I would give Bo for her birthday. A simple, lovely dollhouse to house the little wooden furniture I discovered at an op-shop last year and put away for a moment just like this. I bought this dollhouse knowing it needed work. It was covered in revolting stickers, old, chipped enamel paint and about ten years worth of dust and grime… I paid $2.50 for it and took it home with me that day.

Over a series of 2 weeks I scraped and soaked and scraped some more until I removed every single sticker from the old, tired wood. I used my sander to remove the top layer of enamel and create a good surface for priming – always make sure you wear good safety equipment if you are sanding back old paint surfaces, you never know what nasties might be hiding in there – a good pair of gloves, goggles, noise reducing ear muffs and a thick mask are a must for any sanding job.

I searched local tip shops and salvage yards for discarded paint and primer. I collect these when I find them… paint is pretty terrible for the environment and dumped at the tip it is doing nothing but damage. It’s also super expensive to buy from the hardware store – so sourcing it second hand is excellent for the environment and the hip pocket. I picked up a spray tin of primer and a tin of beautiful quality wall paint from our local tip for $2 along with a couple of discarded paint brushes which were thrown in for free. I picked up an old chipboard and pine mini bench off the side of the road and gave it some new life with a good sand and a lick of home made chalk paint… tinted by Bo herself…

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When I presented Bo with her lovely new dollhouse on her 2nd birthday she was appropriately underwhelmed by it all, as any two year old who honestly couldn’t care less about presents would be. But in the past month, I have watched her explore it and play with it on a daily basis and it gives me great joy to know that this beautiful, simple addition that sits right in the middle of our little home was created with absolutely no negative footprint on the earth. All of the products used to create this gift were rescued from the tip and have been recycled and reused. The entire project cost me less than $6.50… and plenty of hours of sanding and scraping, cursing and sweating, painting and at least an hour of searching piles of stinky, dusty rubbish for the perfect products.

I could have walked into the Kmart down the road and spent less than ten minutes of my time and $30 on a pink, wooden dollhouse that she probably would have loved just as much, though I doubt it would last as long as this one will. I also could have easily spent hundreds of dollars at hobby shops and hardware stores on perfect little additions to make a sweet little miniature home with all the fittings… pretty and lovely but also expensive and not necessarily environmentally friendly.

I’d rather build something beautiful out of garbage any day…

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Similar Posts:

• Reuse: Washable sidewalk chalk paint.
• Reuse: Make your own tinted chalk paint.
• DIY Thursday: Get a grip.
• From trash to treasure.
• This repurposed home: Bo’s room.