Do you remember playing with paper dolls? I do and I used to love it! My little girl is into everything girly so after spending some time at the Sizzix® Global Headquarters this summer I had an idea for the perfect summer craft…a felt book with felt dolls, accessories, and some ocean friends. My husband took our kids to the East Coast this summer to visit family so I thought this would be fun for our daughter to play with on the plane and keep her occupied. Below is a little tutorial on how to make a felt book for your little ones using the Sizzix® Big Shot.
This summer I was lucky enough to be invited to the Sizzix® Headquarters in Orange County for a 1950s themed event to kick off their new retro inspired line from Jen Long. Laura of Laura’s little Party helped gather local bloggers and crafters for a 1950s themed Real Sock Hop Party. The Sizzix® team did not overlook a single detail (which can be appreciated on their blog here) and made every one of us feel like a 50s rock star, including my son, pictured below amongst the bevy of blogger beauties! It was actually his birthday so for him to give up his evening birthday celebration so that I could attend this event was a big deal and so special. When the Sizzix® team found out it was his birthday they bought him a cake and everyone sang him “Happy Birthday”; it was a pretty special night!
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| Photo courtesy of Sizzix® |
In addition to throwing us this party they sent each of us home with a brand new Big Shot AND a bunch of their retro inspired dies and embossing folders! Yes, you read that correctly, each one of us received a machine and goodies! You should have heard the squeals in the room…it was a total Oprah moment. All the way home my son and I talked about the fun stuff we could make and create. There are so many possibilities with the Big Shot and all of the dies Sizzix® offers.
For this project you will need:
Sizzix® Big Shot
Sizzix® Die Cuts (all the ones I used are listed with links below)
Felt (enough for your pages and for cutting out shapes)
Binder Rings
A small box to keep pieces in
Glue to adhere pages together or sewing machine
Piece of paper
Pencil
Scissors (I used pinking shears)
I used a standard sized sheet of paper and traced around it on each felt page.
Now for the fun part…playing with my Big Shot! I made a bunch of different dresses, shoes, shirts, shorts, and bows in all different colors. She really liked the hair choices too because it allowed her to make up stories and characters (mostly using her big brother as inspiration). She sat by me as I created all the little pieces and helped me organize them into piles. My future little organizer!
I used the following for the dolls:
Dress Ups Body
Bigz Die Boy or Girl Figure
Bigz Die Dress & Shoes
The party hat was made out of scraps. Of course then we had to have them on ALL the colors!
