Dolls and Doll-related Items for Sale

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Making a Splash

Apparently bathtubs were the hot home-decor item at Michael's this spring. Of course, the doll collector can't help but wonder if any of the tubs will work with her dolls. I ended up buying three. 


The white tub with the black feet is just about right for 16" dolls. Sam's legs can't extend all the way out inside the tub, but she found it a nice place to soak and day dream.

There were two other sizes of this tub at Michael's. At least, I think that one next to the biggest tub, is smaller than the medium tub. I forget now, and it's hard to tell!

Teresa liked playing with a rubber ducky. This tub is just a bit on the big size for a 12" doll, maybe, but I think it looks fine when pictured from the side.

There were three colors of that bathtub at Michael's: the one above and the two below.

Marie thinks this bathtub just the right size for her and her school friends. The Eden line of Madeline dolls included a set of bathroom furniture long ago, but as with just about everything from this line, it's super expensive on the secondary market now. The soap/dish and bath brush came from a Madeline set, and I also have a Madeline freestanding towel rack which came with the towel that Marie is using.

I happened to go down a different aisle at Michael's and saw that there were also bathtubs like this one in red and green, in the "strawberry theme" section of home decor.

I tried the trick of putting clear Contact paper on the floor tiles, which is supposed to make the paper look more like shiny vinyl tile. Maybe it's just my lighting, or angles, or something, but I don't see a big difference.

Also at Micheal's was a bathtub/candle holder, in two different colors.

Someone else on Instagram bought it for dolls. I was debating getting one, but I didn't want to bother digging out the candle. These tubs were pretty small, too.

Also, there was this galvanized tub with a shower head. This would be about right for American Girl or a large doll like that.

Don't mind the prices on Michael's things. The newest stuff goes on sale practically from the minute it comes in the door. This conveniently means you can't use their coupons for the newest stuff, as most Michael's coupons are not usable with sales items. Occasionally you do get a coupon which gives you a percentage off of your entire purchase including sales. On the other hand, last month I walked out with a plastic scrapbook paper storage case, two rolls of materials for my Cricut, and a several foot long garland made up of foam-type pastel Easter eggs for less than $8. I felt like I was stealing something. The trick at Michael's is to keep your eye on sales and to be signed up in their membership program, which gets you coupons.

Also at Michael's of doll interest was this piece of artificial green grass. It was labeled as a placemat, but can you imagine crumbs and spills on this? Maybe it would be nice for a centerpiece, with an Easter tree on top. It's smaller than the other piece of fake grass that I have; I used this one for my Easter shoot.

Then there were these chairs. I thought really hard about getting the red one, but decided against it. Someone on Instagram showed one of those chairs with a Tonner doll, and it looked okay, but didn't make me regret not buying one. I feel like the yellow and white chairs had too deep of a seat. They're probably made to display something-not-a-doll on, so that makes sense.

That reminds me that Michael's did have a small group of little plants of the kind that rarely need water, like a bromeliad. They might make good plants for a doll house or display. If Michael's doesn't have any more, because it took me forever to get this post up, or if you don't have a Michael's, I'm sure they can be found other places. At least in the US, these plants are another one of the things currently in style for home-decor.

Michael's happened to have these trash and recycle cans. I've seen those for a long time in other people's pictures. I think they're supposed to be for use on an office desk.

 

Lastly were these wall-hanging shelves. Or at least, they're supposed to be shelves. I thought they would make good side tables for dolls. Jaye of Jaye's Doll Space put up a picture on Instagram where she used the shorter one as a raised cocktail table. It's fun to see other people find the same things to re-purpose for dolls that you did. The small and large are two different size options, not the same piece.

I happened to be at Hobby Lobby around the same time, but the only thing doll-adaptable that I saw, besides the dollhouse things that they sell, were these mugs and teapots. And of course the mugs and teapots aren't the same scale, unless maybe the teapot is a one cuppa size. Both items were also too big for 12" dolls, but could work with a larger crew.

How often do you find regular decor that you can use for dolls?

13 comments:

  1. Just looking at this stuff made me feel my wallet tugging at me. I have spent waaaay over my doll budget so what the heck I might as well go all the way. I really appreciate it when bloggers like you try things on for size before we go all the way to the store (in my case 25 miles now that we have a new one). I will definitely be looking into the tubs! I never like the ones available.

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    1. That's one of the things that I enjoy about blogging, sharing things and seeing what other bloggers share, but it's nice to hear from my readers. I hope that you find what you're looking for at Michael's. It's taken me forever to get this post up. :(

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  2. The finds are not always this good, Linda, but it can be a great place to shop for dolls if you have the right eye. I would definitely like a bathtub like one of these, but I have a pretty nice bathtub already. All of the Eden Madeline doll stuff was pretty nice.

    Do you have any "big box" home decor stores in your country?

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  3. They have those same trash cans at Dollar Tree again. Everything is $1.25 now, but still.

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    1. Thanks! I didn't buy those at Michael's at the time, and I'm sure that they were asking more than $1.25 in any case.

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  4. Oh I am so envious Barb, we have no stores here that carry such wonderful items. Love the baths you chose they all look great. I think I would go crazy in Michaels given the opportunity. :) I have some fake grass which I purchased yonks ago, but I had to buy such a large piece. It would have been good to find a "place mat" at the time, it would have saved me money (for more dolls). LOL!
    Big hugs,
    X

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    1. It's too bad that you can't find things like that where you are, Xanadu. This store also carries things like scrapbook paper and yarn and art supplies, so I think either one of us could rack up a pretty large purchase! The other piece of fake grass that I have, I think I also bought at Michael's; it probably was also for decoration, but of course it's great for dolls. Saving money to buy more dolls is always fun! :)

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  5. Those are some great finds! I agree that, even if the bathtubs aren't perfect in scale, they look great on camera and for dioramas. I'm going to keep an eye to see if I find something similar around here. The artificial turf mat is great. For the longest time I've been considering getting a piece of artificial grass from the DIY/Depot store and use it for dioramas and scenes, but I still haven't taken the time to go and actively search for one that would work. The chairs you showed might not work for the dolls to sit on them, but they could look nice as a prop.

    I have found some items that work in doll scale, but I often have to search high and low for them. We don't have a one-stop shop that carries these stuff, and the stores in my town don't seem to have a wide variety of products. I used to go to a store called Tiger, where I found the chairs I often use for photos, but unfortunately they closed the store that was closer to my town (and even that one wasn't that close). But every time that I go to a store, I keep an eye to anything that could potentially work in 1/6 scale. Sometimes it's not that obvious, but you can find some nice stuff if you go with an open mind.

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    1. I hope you can find some good doll things where you live. I couldn't believe that Michael's had all of those different bathtubs at once; they must really be in style for home decorating. I suppose those chairs would look okay as a prop, but I already have a few chairs for my 16" dolls, so I would only want more chairs if they looked relatively realistic. It's too bad that there isn't a lot available near you. It's fortunate for us here in the US that people like to use mini furniture and dishware items for decoration.

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  6. Dear Barb, I love the bathtubs. I will need to make a trip to Michaels. I really miss AC Moore.

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    1. I hope that you find something good, Dorothy! I miss AC Moore too. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Barb, I apologize for being off-topic, but I wanted to let you know that I got the shoes safe and sound. They are very pretty and I thank you for them. When Salome gets her new dress I'll share them on the ol' blog.

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    1. Not off-topic at all, since it's doll-related! I'm glad that you like them.

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