Cut Now, Measure Later : Just for fun: Princess Peg Dolls

Hello and Happy September!

This month I will enter the last year of my twenties. To celebrate that lovely day in a hospital room in Oklahoma City, way back in 1985, I've decided that this month's blog projects will be all about the things I love to make. :-) Just for fun, because, why not? You only turn 29 once, after all. ;)

Truly one of the most fun things I've ever made was a set of tiny wooden princess peg dolls for my littlest niece before she was born, inspired by my favorite Disney Princesses.
Impractical? Maybe.
Super fun? Um, YES.

So, here we go!

Here are some examples of Etsy listings for fun peg dolls, varying in detail and style:

Why not go outside of the box with some like these?:

I've also seen listings for super cute wedding toppers made with peg dolls designed to look like the newlywed couple.... adorable.

These were the peg dolls I made....

(I had a run-in with Gorilla Glue attaching them to their bases, but try not to be distracted by the glue foam.) ;)

This week, I decided to add to my peg doll "repertoire" with Disney's favorite royal sisters. Who doesn't need a miniature Princess Anna and Queen Elsa?

Let's get started.

Materials:

-Wooden peg dolls*

(*These come in "Man" and "Woman" shapes, but I have only been able to find the "Man" dolls at Hobby Lobby. The woman-shaped dolls have a curved, skirt-like shape, but work with what you have.) :)

-Pencil

-Fine paint brushes

-Acrylic craft paint

-Clear Acrylic Finish spray

These were my references*:

*I decided to go with Elsa after she "let it go," because, come on... sparkle dresses are just way cooler.

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The first step is to draw the basics of your design with a pencil. You can erase with a good eraser, so don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Draw the hairline and lines of the dress.

I like eyes and a smile on these dolls, but feel free to only draw the eyes.... no rules or pressure here!

Ok, now you're ready to start painting!

I also have a deep love of coloring, and I always started my Precious Moments coloring pages with the hair. So, keeping in line with tradition, I start with the hair here.

For Anna, I mixed a few colors and filled in her hair and braids. Of course, I added her "icy" hair streak.

For Elsa, I used a cream color and slightly darker oatmeal color to fill in her hair and braid. (We'll add her hair sparkles later.)

After the hair, get going on the dresses.

**Note: wait until one section dries before starting another. It's not worth the heartache to move fast on this... I promise. :) Also, check your fingers for paint... If you have just a little blue paint on your fingers, you may end up giving Anna some blue leopard spots on her head. Ugh.

I started with the bodices of the dresses, making sure to cover up the pencil lines. Next, work on the skirt!

For the details on Anna's bodice and skirt, I used a fine brush and/or a pencil dipped in paint. I used gold paint to make the outline of her bodice.
Details are entirely up to you! Whatever you want!

For the details on Elsa's bodice, I used a brush with a cream-colored paint to give the idea of the sequins reflecting light.

On her skirt, I was a little more literal with small lines of glue and some glitter.

I also used drops of glue and glitter to make the sparkly snowflakes in her braid.

**Note: Just be ready for the glitter to take over your entire work station. Proceed with caution.

Once all of the dress details are done, it's time for the face! Just take a deep breath. This part always makes me so nervous.

I use a sharpened pencil dipped in a runny, black acrylic craft paint to draw the smile and eyes. Make sure you've had a snack so your hands aren't shaky. ;)

Practice first on paper, then just do it. :)

You can use a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover to try to remove small rogue paint spots on the exposed wood, but I don't recommend it if you make a big mistake. But don't fret if you do; just make some "make-up" with a light brown paint and cover up the mistake. If it matches the wood color, you'll never notice it later.

Mistakes are part of the fun.... Just remember Elsa's words wisdom: