Big City, Mini Homes: Making Dollhouse Miniatures

The Stettheimer Dollhouse is one of the prized pieces in the Museum’s collection – but there’s more to this ornate home than meets the eye. 

In this video, learn about the dollhouse’s creator, Carrie Stettheimer, and how she crafted this miniature mansion. Then join Amanda Kingloff of PROJECT KID as she uses the dollhouse as inspiration and shows how you can build your own miniature furniture. 

Video Launch Saturday, December 19: This winter crafts video will be available starting at 9 am on Saturday, December 19, and will be available for viewing all season long. 

To view all the MCNY X PROJECT KID history + crafts videos, visit www.mcny.org/projectkid.

The Museum’s history + crafts projects are geared toward families and kids ages 7 and up. Younger children may require adult supervision, and all families are encouraged to craft together. 

Free, registration recommended. Registered attendees will receive an email reminder when the video goes live. 

Recommended Materials:

• Small box with a lid 
• Glue, clear tape, or glue dots 
• Straws 
• Beads (optional) 
• Scissors 
• Resealable plastic bag 
• Cotton balls 
• Fabric and/or felt 
• Ribbon 

Steps:

1. Cut the straws into four “legs” or posts for the bed. Make two longer legs, for the headboard, and two shorter legs for the foot of the bed.
2. Glue the four straw legs to the corners of the box, making sure that the open part is facing up. Trim the tops of the straws—make the headboard posts about 1” taller than the bed, and the footboard posts about ½” taller than the bed.
3. (optional) Glue beads to the tops of the straws.
4. Cut off the ends of the box lid and glue them across the taller posts to make slat or boards of the headboard.
5. To make your mattress, fill a plastic bag with cotton balls. Make sure the bag fits in the box; fold the opening over and tape it closed. You can also use the cotton batting that comes inside some boxes.
6. Wrap the plastic bag in fabric and glue it closed. Tuck the mattress inside the box.

About PROJECT KID 

PROJECT KID is dedicated to offering families creative and inventive ways to spend unplugged time with kids. From DIY crafts to party ideas to home décor solutions, they mix traditional craft, upcycled, and household materials in surprising ways. Amanda Kingloff, the founder of Project Kid, has been creating lifestyle content for over 15 years. After her six-year stint as Lifestyle Director at Parents Magazine, Amanda published “the ultimate kids’ craft book” with Artisan Books, titled Project Kid. Two years later she published her second book, Project Kid: Crafts that Go! Amanda creates content for magazines, websites, and brands, encouraging kids to create the worlds they want to live in. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two children, Oliver and Sommer.