DIY Barbie Bed

My daughter's Barbie and Disney princess doll collection is steadily growing, and she likes to play with them in one of her small doll houses. I've looked into buying Barbie furniture and accessories, and I cannot believe how expensive everything is, not to mention that everything nowadays breaks in a matter of minutes.

So, I've decided to make a collection of furniture for my daughter and her dolls to enjoy without spending a lot of money and I'll also have the satisfaction knowing that they will last a long time! The first tutorial I'm going to share is this Barbie bed. Building doll furniture doesn't have to be intimidating, and I'm hoping these tutorials will inspire you moms out there to get out the power tools and create!

I had a lot of help from my husband with this first project because I needed a little help getting used to using power tools, and he knows more about construction than I do. So, huge thanks to such a supportive, crafty husband!!

Supplies:
1 2x4 by eight feet
1 1x4 by eight feet
1 ¼ yard fabric
2 Screws
Spray Adhesive
Wood Glue
4 Large Wood Beads

Vinyl

Power Tools: I used the Ryobi 18V Circular Saw and Ryobi 18V Drill, and a palm sander

First I marked the 2x4 at 12 inches, and the 1x4 at 3 1/2 inches long. Next, cut the pieces with the Ryobi 18v Circular Saw, then sanded the edges with the palm sander until they were nice and smooth.

Cut the fabric about 8 x 14 ½ inches. Once I had the fabric cut to size, I sprayed a thin coat of Spray Adhesive on all sides of the 2x4. Because of the fumes and the adhesive, it's best to do this on a scrap piece of cardboard in a well ventilated area.

Lay the 2x4 face down in the center of the fabric, and carefully pull the sides up. Then, bring the ends up and fold like a present. One end doesn't need to be as covered. This will be the head of the bed. Be sure to pull the fabric at the foot of the bed tight. Add a little more glue on the edge if you need to.

On the bottom side of the 2x4, glue the four beads on each corner with some Wood Glue. Set the 2x4 somewhere to dry where it's not going to get bumped for about 24 hours.

While the 2x4 was drying, I painted the 1x4 with DecoArt Americana Snow (Titanium) White. I painted about 3 coats. be sure to let each coat dry completely before adding a new coat.

 When the 1x4 is dry, mark two spots to add the screws. Then, using the Ryobi 18V Drill and a countersink bit, drill through the back of the 1x4 and in the end of the 2x4.

After I had the holes drilled, I used the Phillips bit that came with the drill kit to attach the headboard to the bed with two screws. You can fill in the holes if you want to, or just leave them as-is.

Now the bed is done! It's all ready for your child to play with. I ended up having some trouble with the legs coming off, so I decided to cut a rectangle of felt and glued that on the bottom instead so I didn't have to keep attaching the legs and worrying about them becoming a choking hazard.

The more I looked at the bed, the more I realized something was missing. I decided to dress up the headboard a little with some vinyl! I cut out a little flower design from the Cricut Cindy Loo Cartridge and applied the vinyl. Such a simple design, but I love how it adds that extra something!

That's it! Now your Barbie and Disney princess dolls can sleep in something a little more cozy! I'm planning on sharing a series of tutorials on Barbie furniture and accessories, so be sure to come back soon for more Barbie fun!!

I received products from Ryobi and Cricut in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.