Saturday, April 18, 2015

P is for Princesses


Today is the end of week three of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. It's letter P and this happens to be one of my top three favorite projects for this year's A to Z.

Princess Peg Dolls!

I made two sets of these for the two eldest nieces this past Christmas. I love how they turned out. They were really fun to make. Time consuming, but fun.

Today's post is pretty photo heavy, but I think it's worth it. It's more or less just some showing off...


I started out with a pile of wooden peg dolls that I bought from Woodworks, Ltd. They're super cute. You can buy them in several styles and sizes. Mine stand about 2 1/2" tall.


Each doll was painted using acrylic paints and basic art paint brushes.


It took me about 1 hour per doll. Some were a bit more time involved. I think Anna took me nearly three.


I set things up in somewhat of an assembly line fashion, minimizing the number of times I had to clean my brushes as I switched from color to color.


There were a couple of designs that I changed between the first and second batches, but mostly I remained true to my original designs.


I made 2 sets of 15 dolls each...a total of 30 painted dolls.


When all of the painting was done and each doll had dried, I had Collin help me out and each princess was coated with a thin layer of clearcoat spray.


These were probably my favorites of the gifts we gave for Christmas last year. There's no doubt that I will be making more in the future.


In fact, when I was done I had a hard time giving them up.


I now have a Pinterest board dedicated to ideas for future peg dolls.


It could be a small obsession.


If I thought I could get away with it, I'd quit my job and do nothing but paint peg dolls and sew hand puppets all day long. It's just too fun.


There were a few times that I had to search out the characters on the internet to get specifics on their costumes and hair.


I tried to make them as accurately detailed as possible, down to the bow and arrow on Merida's hip, the flowers on Anna's jumper, and the curling vine on Tiana's dress.


This was one of those projects where the time invested definitely paid off. I didn't mind the amount of time it took. It was fun to watch them come to life as I painted.


What do you think? Were they worth the time investment?

How did I do? Would you have recognized them all if there hadn't been name labels? Who would you have missed?

Do you have any favorites among the bunch?


I'll be spending the next couple of days working on a few of the projects for the rest of the month. If you liked today's post, you'll definitely want to make sure you pop over next Wednesday for letter S. I think you'll like it.

Oh...the project for Monday's Q is also pretty good. Don't mind me while I strain my arm trying to pat myself on the back.

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

18 comments:

  1. Those are awesome - it's obvious how much time you have put into each one. I think Anna is my fav. We used to make dollies out of wooden pegs when we were at school.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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    1. I think they're such a fun project. They were perfect for finishing a project while also having a Netflix binge watch!

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  2. I've never heard of peg dolls before. Do the kids play with them they same way they would play with cloth dolls? My faves are Mulan, Anna, and Tiana. You did a wonderful job with all the eyes--the dolls look soulful.

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    Replies
    1. They're played with very similar to Little People if you've ever seen those. They only stand about 2 1/2 inches tall, so they're perfect for use in dollhouses and the like. Those eyes were a source of struggle, let me tell you. I went through about three different designs before I settled on this one. I think they're simple, but give them a bit of personality and sparkle at the same time.

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  3. Wow! What fun! I bet you felt like a kid again playing with paints. I love projects like this. Once I made Rudolph and all the reindeer for Christmas and it was so much fun putting it all together and watching each reindeer come to life. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

    This is really a good idea. I would have done the same and lined them up in assembly line fashion just to minimize cleaning brushes.

    Sunni
    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

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    1. They were really fun Sunni. Surprising since the work on them could potentially become tedious. It really is like creating little characters with personality. I'm like you, I like watching them come to life in my hands.

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  4. Those are fantastic. I love Anna and Snow White. It must have been so much fun planning and painting them all. :-)

    Cait @ Click's Clan

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    1. Thanks Cait! They were a ton of fun. I had a total of 30 of them, so I knew I needed two sets of 15. It was a little tricky finding characters to fill all 15 slots and I got a little creative with a couple who are technically not princesses, but I love them just the same.

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  5. Well, you deserve the pat on the back. The dolls are precious!! A really cool collection to have.

    We are on the down hill side of the Challenge now!

    Visit me at: Life & Faith in Caneyhead
    I am Ensign B of Tremps' Troops
    with the A to Z Challenge

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Barbara! I had so much fun making them. The challenge is speeding by like a whirlwind. Amazing how fast it makes the month go!

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  6. What adorable little peg dolls! I wish I'd thought of doing this with my daughter when she was younger.

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    1. Thanks Kern! They're so much fun. I think it would be a fun project for tween or teenage girls as well, something to make for others...it's kind of like going to one of those painting classes that are so popular now or to the ceramics studios where you paint mugs and such. These can be done in your own living room!

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  7. Those are really cute! They look like the Little People toys I had back in the Eighties. Simple, homemade toys are so wonderful.

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    1. Thanks Carrie-Anne! I loved making them so much. I hope the kids love them as much as I do.

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  8. Oh gosh, these are adorable! I just liked you on facebook to stay in touch with all your ideas!

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    1. Thanks Mare! I'm so glad you're following on Facebook. I really appreciate it!

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  9. ELLE! I've been horrible at commenting lately, but I *have* been keeping up on your A-Z Challenge. These dolls really made me stop and gasp. Some of that detail is AMAZING. I hope your nieces adore them!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Shaina! You're always so great at popping in. I've totally been slacking on my blog reading lately. I promise I'll get caught up soon...like...in May. ;)

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