DIY Peg Dolls!

Since my baby showers, I had been saving scraps of ribbon and other trim from gift boxes and such. Some of it I had reused for gifting, but most of it stayed in a box in our bedroom, slowly piling up.  I decided I was going to use it for a fun project.  I just had to find that project!

It came to me whilst surfing Etsy for a wooden birthday toy for Jem a couple of months ago. I stumbled upon several collections of peg dolls from various sellers.  Yes, peg dolls, those little wooden do-it-yourself dolls somewhere between a clothespin doll and a retro Fisher Price Little People figure (I know you remember those).  What a fun and perfect project!  Easter was coming, and though peg dolls are still potential choking hazards for Jem, I decided to fill the Easter baskets of my four-year-old twin nieces with princess peg dolls.  (They've been in the princess phase since about age two with no end in sight!) This was a particularly fitting project since we had just given them a Melissa and Doug deluxe folding wooden princess castle for their birthday.  The peg people would be a perfect fit.  I bought a whole bunch of unpainted female figures (and a few males for princes and Peter Pan) for around $8, including shipping.

When they came I was so excited to have a truly crafty, girly project to work on I almost peed myself.  But I didn't.  Instead I whipped out my supplies and got to work, having a great deal of fun during Jem's naps (and during those rare times when he actually sits and plays quietly with his toys).

SUPPLIES (all of which, except for the peg people themselves, I already had handy)

~ Wooden peg people
~ Ribbon scraps, felt scraps, silk flower petals, curtain trim, an unmatched black sock, other various odds and ends (recycling and creativity are the names of the game! Yes, apparently the game has two names.)
~ A needle and various colors of thread
~ Non-toxic Craft Glue (I used Aleene's tacky)
~ Non-toxic glitter paint
~ A fine-point sharpie for the faces (not non-toxic, but I didn't think the girls would be putting these in their mouths)

Here are my accomplishments.  Look familiar?

Little Tinker Bell did end up looking rather like a demonic version of Mimi from the Drew Carey Show, but I was quite happy with the rest of them.  I think I had the most fun with the hair. For all the black hair I used pieces of the unmatched sock, and for the curly hair I unwound bits of the curtain trim I used to decorate our Christmas stockings!

I had so much fun making these and get a huge kick out of hearing how the girls are enjoying them.  My finishing touch was to make two little twin girl figures and a baby Jem figure (sadly I didn't take pics of those). They got a big kick out of them!  I can't wait till I save up enough scraps to make more!