LOOK! This Mom Built A Doll House Mansion From Recycled Materials

Doll houses help both boys and girls develop communication and  fine motor skills as kids engage in imaginative play. Experts say that imaginative play allows children to exercise creativity and communication abilities, and provides an avenue to learn how to solve problems.

It's no wonder that  doll houses are popular gifts for kids, and a few parents have also created their DIY versions. There is, however, one mom who managed to pull-off a beautiful doll house mansion using recycled materials which brought her total cost down to less than Php 2,000.

Recycled wooden mansion doll house

Faye Rivera, a 34-year old nurse and currently a work-from-home mom, has proven that it’s possible to give your children beautiful toys for less. “Sometimes we need to be practical and use the creativity inside of us,” she shares in an interview with Smart Parenting.

 

 

Faye built a three-floor doll house for her two-year old twin girls Lei and Yeng, adding that it has been her dream as a child to own one. “It has been my dream to have a doll house of this size, but my parents couldn’t afford it. It was very expensive.”

Checking online stories, a wooden mansion doll house this size (3.5ft) would cost around P8,000.

Making sure that her girls will get her dream toy without breaking her budget, Faye decided to build her own instead. “Naisip ko po na bumili ng wood from a local carpenter at ako nalang po ang gumawa at magdesign.”

60% recycled, 40% store-bought materials

Apart from the unpainted plywood which cost Faye around Php 1,500, this creative mom recycled whatever materials she found at home to furnish the miniature mansion. “Most of the materials were available at home. Some were old stationery items.”

She added that her husband, Venice Rivera, helped her build the project, and it took them almost a month to finish.

“60 percent po (of the doll house is) recycled, like old pillowcases for pillows, bed, lampshade, mirror decor, stationery items, plants for the garden, handstitched pillows and crochet décor. 40% percent binili, like paint, lights, mini rattans/raffia, tapes and gluesticks,” she shares.

“Every time I had new ideas, I started doing it na agad. My husband helped me, he painted it. But I was in charge with all the decorations. Ako na po ang nagbuo—all ideas—from bedroom, dining, living room, and garden.”

White, pink and crochet details

The doll house was painted in muted tones of white, brown and pink, and furnished with mini furniture like wooden beds, a dining set, sofa, and garden with benches and a relaxing crocheted hanging egg chair.

The first floor is a spacious lounge and garden, with a ladder going up the TV room and dining area. The top-most floor has enough space for two cute beds and a pink balcony.

Each room is filled with handcrafted details, like crocheted bed sheets, pillows, and carpets. There are handstitched floor pillows, miniature plants and baskets, wall lights and a vertical garden, plus wall posters with affirmations filling the house with love and positivity.

Labor of love

Since both Faye and Venice are currently working from home, they have time to play with their kids and see how DIY toys can bring their little ones so much joy.

“You can show your love for your kids not (just by) buying all the toys they want in the market.  Sometimes we need to be practical and use the inner creativity inside of us. You wouldn't know, it might turn out to be as beautiful as you expected it to be.”

Faye adds that it may not be as perfectly engineered as doll houses created by professionals, or as colorful, “But you can see the love of parents for their kids by simply looking it.”

“Color is something we see with our eyes, but love is something we see with our hearts,” Faye said, quoting the American poet and children's book author to illustrate her point that her imperfect ‘labor of love’ can communicate what her children mean to her more than expensive toys. 

“Baka meron pong katulad ko na gustong bigyan ng doll house or pangarap ang doll house pero walang budget. All is possible.”

Do you have a DIY project you wish to share to inspire other parents? Send them to smartparenting@summitmedia.com.ph.