Dollhouse Furniture

 This Christmas, we Santa got my 5 year old daughter a dollhouse.  We weren't planning on getting her a dollhouse.  However, there was a great pre-Black Friday deal on a child's dollhouse online at Amazon.  It was normally $150, and I got it for $39 plus free shipping!  I couldn't let that pass by.

Of course, then you have to fill it with furniture.  Did you know that doll house furniture, even the cheaper plastic stuff for kids, costs around $20-$40 per room?  We just didn't have that in the budget, too.   I found this set of wooden doll furniture at Michaels that showed some promise.  It sells under the name Creatology, but I also found it online going by Puzzled.  I found one in-depth review on it, and that was by a miniature-maker, so I couldn't really tell if it would be something good for my daughter.  Since this whole set

was only $5 at Michaels, I bought it and set out to put it together.  Here's my review in case you're thinking of buying it yourself:

First off, the pieces come in four wooden sheets.  The instructions tell you to punch out all the pieces first.  DON'T!  They are not labeled at all.  I found it easiest to follow by numbering the pictures of the wooden sheets in the provided diagram, then numbering the actual sheets so I knew which ones to use first.

Next, the pieces are labeled by which parts go together.  You work in ascending numerical order:  Find all the pieces that have a 1 and a 2, and slide them together.  It is meant to be a puzzle, and it surely is!  However, I only found a few pieces difficult to assemble.

A square of sandpaper is provided.  It's not much.

You might need more of your own- when you punch the pieces out it sometimes leaves jagged edges.  I dry-fit all my pieces to make sure I had the assembly right, then put them together again with wood glue to make it sturdy to last in a 5 year old's hands.

Finally, I stained or painted the pieces.

Now, her dollhouse is a 1:12 dollhouse.  The furniture is more for a 1:24 home (which Creatology also sells).  My daughter uses anything and everything in the dollhouse- but the furniture is about perfect for a Polly Pocket-sized doll (though her feet hang off the bed a little.)  It looks a little silly in the larger house, but she is young enough that it doesn't matter.  I plan on replacing it with nicer furniture over time.

With the pieces glued together, the furniture is sturdy.  It has some fun parts- like cabinet doors that open and a rocking horse for a baby.  There's even a toilet with a handle!  It took me about 4 hours to put together and another hour or so to stain them.  Not bad for $5!

Bottom line:  I recommend this product for cheap doll house furniture, if you are willing to invest a little time to make up for the money you'll save.

Note- I am not compensated nor have I been asked to do a review on this product.  I simply saw a need for more information about it, and wrote to fill that need.   This is my honest, unbiased opinion only.

She loves it!