Peg Doll Tutorial

This is a picture of an awesome craft we've done at RufflesAndRainBoots.com

When Elise was just beginning her walk-about in this world, I would Google research EVERYTHING! Some of my searches that I can remember: “best books for 6 month olds,” “top rated sensory toys for 8 month olds,” “best wooden toys for toddlers,” “how to stop being a neurotic first-time mommy…”

Okay, maybe that last one didn’t make my cut, but my hubby might have typed that one into a few search engines!

Now, when I’m looking for a new activity or craft, vintage inspiration and cardboard are turning out to be some of the best entertainment around!

Click on “Read More” to soak up the silliness we had today!

I have a confession before we go any further.

I love clothespins; much like paper plates, I have an assortment of them. All kinds. All sizes. All colors. With glitter. Without glitter – but seriously, with glitter is just much, much better.

I don’t love the activity for which clothespins are intended. I. Don’t. Like. Doing. Laundry.

Back to the clothespins… Because of Pinterest and my iPhone – a time-wasting and sleep-depriving combination of EPIC proportions – I have come across tons of clothespin crafts and I ~heart~ every one of them.

But I have never been so motivated as to actually make any of them. Nope, not so much. Until now.

I have found my newest online blog crush! Mr. Printables… Wait, don’t click that link just yet because I won’t see you for like 4 hours because you will most likely get sucked into the brilliance that Olive, the creator of this site, has delivered.

Yep, it’s that good.

Although she has oodles and oodles of crafty fun for kids on her site, I knew my first DIY from her site would be these little peg people made from clothespins.

And now, we have some of our very own!

I mean Elise. Elise now has some of her very own.

I have a feeling this is just the start of our her clothespin doll collection…

This is a picture of a simple, wood toy crafted by RufflesAndRainBoots.com

To start building your own easy peg people, or peg padoodles as Elise call them:

1. Saw off a portion of the clothespin so they will stand up on their own.

Or, enlist the help of your husband and his chop saw. A husband who kind of had to force his help on you to save you tons of time and frustration. And to save you from yourself – we ALL know I’m not too good with sharp objects. See * Note at end.

2. Paint little clothespin people and seal them. We didn’t give our first round any fabric clothes, but I am currently waiting in line on Jeff’s ‘to do list’ for some more peg people to properly outfit.

3. Love them. Tons. And tons. And some more. And then give them to your 2 year old.

This is a picture of a great wood craft done at RufflesAndRainBoots.com.

4. Make cardboard friends, also courtesy of Mr. Printables’ brilliance (she even sends you on your way with a free template, too).

Elise loved them from the moment she saw them while they were drying on the table. She used her ninja-toddler skills to get to some of them while they were still wet, so if you see a little fingerprint in the photos, just know that I purposefully sealed that little reminder right on in there.

These are for her, after all.

They have taken up residence (the dinosaurs included) in Elise’s Hape – All Season Doll House – Furnished Playset

we got her for Christmas (partner link included).

This post has a link to Amazon.com for the dollhouse we got our 2 year old for Christmas. It’s a great dollhouse for her age and it comes furnished! We have even added our own Hello Kitty wallpaper and other additions, but I’ll save that for another post.

Use the comments section below to let us know if you have any ideas for us to craft more toys. We love hearing from you!

* Note: I actually started with a bread knife (didn’t work), moved to a hand saw (waaaay to dangerous for my clumsy self), and when Jeff saw me he shook his head and begged me to let him help me. True story.