Sunday, December 16, 2012

Pink Dreamhouse Deboxed

My word, this house is big.  I'm so used to compact little dios, I wasn't expecting the Pink Dreamhouse, I bought at Tuesday Morning last weekend, to be this big.  Yes, the box said over 4ft tall.  Didn't dawn on me how tall that is.  The box also says 'clear a large area for assembly'.  That was an understatement.  I would suggest two people for the assembly.  I did it by myself, and it was a little challenging.  It took me about 30 - 40 mins to assemble.  If assembled correctly, it is a pretty sturdy little house.  I made a few missteps along the way.  I corrected all but one.  The thing I like most about this house is it's mobility.  It is really lightweight, which will allow me to move it around as necessary for picture taking.  Initially I thought I would assemble and dissemble, but it will have to stay up for now.


The front of the house.  I added the little grass area in the front.

Both sides of the house have nice details.

On the top level is a large room that can be used for a bedroom, a sewing room, a craft room, etc.  I threw in these beds to give a feel for the size.

Next to the big room is the roof top hot tub.  It is quite large and can fit 4+ dolls.

This room can also be a bedroom for a single lady who enjoys the color pink. 

The second level has the bathroom area.  I put in a tub.  Possibilities are endless here.  The bathtub can be placed along the edge to open up more space.  Lots more furniture and plants can be added for more realism.

Next to the bathroom is the nursery.   See that brown tab on the bathroom ceiling?  That's the mistake I have yet to correct.  It should have been placed in the wall.  It may just get cut off.

I wasn't sure a crib would fit, but it does.

It would also make a nice room for a Kelly or Tommy sized doll.   For the families that have no need for a nursery, this could be turned into a little sewing room, a reading room, a linen closet, etc.

The bottom level has the kitchen area   I didn't add any furniture here, but you can add a fridge and other items.

This it the entryway and the living room.

As I was putting the house together, I was wondering if I really should have purchased this house.  After getting it together, my answer is still yes!  I love the design and the versatility.  It's a great deal for $30.  I thought of many ways to get maximum use of this house.  One way would be to create different cardboard walls with some plain wallpaper or scrapbook papers.  These could be popped in and out to create different looks for different families.  A great way to save some space on dios.  Below are a few of the families that may get to use the house.  Some will just get to use a room or two, and others will get to use the whole house.

This would be the perfect family to use the entire house.

Another one for the whole house.










35 comments:

  1. The existing graphics are okay, but I love your idea of creating different cardboard walls or walls made from card stock even. This would create depth and realism.

    dbg

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    1. DBG - What I love most about the existing backgrounds are the windows and doors. I'm very lazy when it comes to those two things. So having them here already is a plus.

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  2. *whistles* That is a pretty big house! I wish I actually had space to have one 'round here. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

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    1. Verona - I was going to say it doesn't take up much space, but I would be lying.

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  3. I love the house! I too am interested to see what you do with it! BTW, you other house is on its' way and I can't wait to see what you do with it too!

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    1. Ms. Leo - Don't remind me about the other house. LOL! That one will be more of a challenge. Hopefully I'm up for it.

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  4. I agree with DBG about your personalizing ideas. By furniture choice and arrangement, you'll be able to get more variety.

    Congratulations on your find. I look forward to seeing your updates.

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    1. D7ana - I think I'm looking most forward to creating a front yard.

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  5. Hi Van I like the doll house but I have to agree with Black Doll Enthusiast the graphics are a little limiting

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    1. Beverly - Hello. Thanks for stopping by. I agree the background images are limiting, but only to one's imagination. Adding real furniture and plants will enhance what's there. First I will see what I can do using the existing backgrounds, then branch out from there.

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  6. Hello from Spain: I love this house. I was hoping that the house was easy to assemble ... I see that I will spend many hours creating my new home ... My house is very similar to yours. It is also very high and has an internal lift and a terrace. I'm sure you will do a great job of change. I will copy you ..! keep in touch

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    1. Marta - I knew you would love this house. I look forward to seeing all the creative things you do with your house.

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  7. Congratulations on a great find! It will be interesting to see how you customize it.

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    1. limbe dolls - Thanks. Making it come to life will be fun.

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  8. I saw one today at Tuesday Morning. I like the little bit that you have done by adding one or two props above. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Either way, I know that it will be creative and will make me go wow! Lol!

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    1. Georgia Girl - I will have to tap into some of your great decor ideas to make it sing.

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  9. Great doll house, and I love it. It does have so many possibilities, and the price is right. I'll have to check and see if my Tuesday Morning has this doll house for some of my families. Thanks for sharing this with us.

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    1. Chrissy - A really creative person could do wonders with this house. If I were a drawing artist, I would probably spruce up the cardboard backgrounds with some more vibrant colors and more details.

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  10. I used my tape measure to see how high your house is - wow, that is tall and equally wide, I am sure. It will be good to see how you use it in future stories.

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    1. Carrickers - It's huge. I'm so used to the other partial Barbie house Mattel sells. This is even bigger than the 3 story Barbie townhouse I had as a kid.

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  11. Another great find Vanessa. Way to go! Since it is made out of cardboard, customizing it will be easy and fun for you. Too bad I don't have any room in my house for it or I'd be making another trip to Gainesville about now! Egad! LOL

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    1. Cindi - The beauty of it being cardboard is I can pick it up and throw it in the basement or garage in between photoshoots.

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  12. I can't wait to see what you do with it. I don't know the prices of these things but $30 seems like a deal/steal to me!

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    1. Kenya - The retail price was $70, so it was a little over 50% off. It would be a great house for a little girl...or a big girl. LOL.

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    2. Guess what I bought? A Paper Doll app! You can't believe that can you? I've been looking at these paper doll sticker books in Barnes and Noble and I was going to buy one for myself on my birthday. On the inside cover they showed that there was "an app for that". Even better, I could play with it in private. ;-) Christopher saw it and said, "Really mom?"

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    3. Kenya - GET OUT! LOL. When I get another smartphone, I may check into that. What would Christopher say about me and my dolls? ROFL!

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    4. It's an iPad app. I was disappointed I couldn't get it on the phone since Christopher has taken over my iPad. When he sees me looking at your webpage he asks why I am looking at it AGAIN, "Good grief mom."

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  13. I think it's wonderful and well worth the price. I don't think the existing images would limit my pleasure in it at all. That's just more fun stuff to work with - or work around for that matter.

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    1. Muff - If you give the price stamp of approval, it's definitely a good deal. I think the mutedness of the images will play nicely with whatever gets added.

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  14. Definitely worth the purchase! Is it pretty sturdy? We do not have a Tuesday Morning in my area but I've seen this house on eBay. Can't wait to see what you do with it...so many possibilities. :)

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    1. Tracy - It is pretty sturdy, as long as you put it together right. Initially, I had the tabs from the floor going the wrong direction and they were very loose. As soon as I put the tabs in the right direction they were perfect.

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  15. First let me say how I love how you match your doll families so they all look alike- daughter looks like mom, etc. So cute!

    I have been debating on this house ever since I saw it, and know it would be perfect, but the size when set up puts me off a bit. I have extremely limited doll space right now. But you could take posterboard, or foamcore, cut to size in the rooms and apply the different papers or wall and floor treaments for that matter. Fake doors can be made from foamcore, or cardboard. You've got alot of possibilities for this house so full of dios!

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    1. Lisa - Thanks for the family compliment.

      This house is really big, and you are so great at creating your little town, I don't think it would be that beneficial to you. I personally love it because I'm always looking for quick ways to get lots of different stories told. I also don't enjoy creating doors and windows, yet. I have plans to do some real ones next year. Just as soon as I take my new router out the trunk of my car. It's been there 3 weeks now. LOL.

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  16. OMG!! What a great purchase!!! The house is not only big but looks awesome. I'd love something like that for my girls. Will you keep the painted walls or will you redecorate them?

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    1. Rossetti - It's huge, but compact enough to fit nicely in a little girl's room. My thought was to make up some removable plain walls to use in the house for different looks.

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