CRAFTY | Slyvanian Family Decor on the Cheap

The Husband, on the belief that every little girl would love to own a doll house of her very own and acting on the stories I've told him from when I was younger (hint: I've never had one 😁), saw a Sylvanian Families Cosy Cottage Starter Home set on sale and bought one for the Daughter when she was 2.

It came with some basic furniture and a Sister rabbit, which the Daughter lovingly named Jiejie Rabbit (Chinese for big sister).

It was a toy set that she kept on playing with as the years passed.  And eventually we did add a few more pieces (like a sofa, additional kitchen stuff and study table) along with a Mommy and Daddy Rabbit so she'd have a Rabbit family with the same dynamic as ours.  😊

However, as the Daughter's imagination grew, so did the occupants of her little doll house.  Meaning whatever small toy she had that could fit in it, immediately became the home of that particular toy.

It was in this particular mindset that the Husband and I decided that maybe it was time for an "upgrade".  Now the good thing about living in Singapore is that when there's a sale, more often than not, items really go on sale.  Toys included.  And it was in one of those off the beaten path warehouse sales that I saw this -- a Sylvanian Families City House with Lights set (comes with additional furniture and a Sister and Brother Racoon) selling for only S$70.00 (approx Php2,380)!!!

Considering this set can easily cost you S$250.00 (Php8,500), to find one at more than half of the original price is a steal!  The caveat was, as it was from a warehouse sale, the box wasn't in good condition (read: dirty and old and patchy) but after a thorough check of the contents and finding everything in good working order (including the lights), I made straight to the cashier and paid for my purchase (along with other smaller pieces of furniture that were also on sale for as low as S$5.00/Php170.00 each).

A good deal, if I do say so myself, never mind that the location of  the sale was in the middle of an old industrial zone that was an hour and a half's commute from where our home is (train and bus rides combined).  Didn't care though.  This was the perfect Christmas gift for the Daughter (which we did give to her back in December 2016).

The fact that we also eventually sold the Daughter's 1st set (house only) and got a buyer who was willing to pay S$20 for it, our purchase came to only S$50 (Php1,500)!!!  Whatta deal!

Although I am willing to purchase additional furniture for the house, I do cross the line at decor.  And by decor, I mean wallpaper, flower vines and the like.  No way Jose!

So what do I do?  Turn to trusty DIY, of course!

Take, for instance, the flower vines wrapped along the banister?  Bought a whole bunch of those at Daiso for S$2.00 (Ph68.00) a pack.  Two packs were more than enough to cover the banisters plus the staircase, and looked so colorful to boot!

Now it looks like vines are creeping up all over the house.  😊

For the bare walls? 

Now, this was crucial as I would hate for this to look tacky.  Good thing Daiso carries these gorgeous origami papers which are pressed with small dried flowers and comes in cute pastel shades.

For Jiejie Rabbit's room, I used a nice pink pastel shade that looks especially wonderful with a similar pink, Parisian-themed washi tape trim (also from Daiso).  I used blue tack to stick my "wallpaper" to walls.

For the curtains, I bought some lace trim, sewed loosely in a bunch and added ribbons on the sides.  Also used blue tack to stick to my wallpaper.

The effect?  Judge for yourself.  😊

NOTE: Hello Kitty vanity and chair are not from Sylvanian families.  Came from a re-ment set that I also bought on sale.  😁

For Mommy and Daddy Rabbit's room, I chose a blue color from the same origami paper set, no trimmings but I added simple lace curtains to the windows as well.

If you're wondering about the light fixture, yes, also from Daiso and stuck to the ceiling using blue tack.  😁

Look at how happy Jiejie Rabbit is with their new rooms.  😍