Doll Size Lunch Tray

 

Watch the video here.

I have another free pattern for you to download so you make the project. You can find the file here. In the download there are 5 files: a PDF for hand-cutting of the pieces, 3 PNG files to use with your electronic cutting machine and a text file with handy hints and tips (and the sizing information) to use the PNG.

As with most of these projects I cut all the pieces from medium weight white card-stock, the kind used to make cards and such. This is way more economical than having to purchase a bunch of colors and in my experience the paint colors are a lot more stable than the paper colors. I rarely get noticeable fading with the painted projects.

You are free to use the pattern as many times as you wish and even to sell the finished project. But, please don’t give away or sell my patterns. I spend a lot of time creating them and the only compensation I get is from people and checking out the blog post. I really want to keep offering these for free so please if someone else wants to make one send them to the video and blog so they can get their own copy of the pattern.

I did try to make this pattern fit onto just 2 pages but I just could not make it fit. So we have to cut 3 pieces of paper. Do note that there are two sizes of the pieces with the holes cut from them. The 2 layers that will be the top layer of the tray is slightly bigger so that it forms a lip that extends out from the wells of the tray.

Like always with these projects we will begin by gluing the pattern pieces together. Start with the solid pieces and the larger pieces since there are only 2 of each of these. With these like all the projects I make like this take your time lining up the pieces. They are designed to fit together and line up. The better you do at lining them up along the way the better the project will end up. Then tackle the main pieces of the tray. Do these by starting with two stacks of 2 with a leftover single piece. Then once they have dried a bit I combined all of the same size to make one unit that size. In the end I had 3 sets of pieces glued together in stacks ready to build the tray from.

Now the order of assembly is kind of important here. I have set this up in the way that is easiest to do it. Start by gluing the bottom (the solid piece) to the bottom of the thicker stack of pieces. The one that has 5 layers and is smaller. These two are the same size and should be easy to line up. Allow this glue to set up at least long enough that nothing shifts when you go to the next step.

And that next step is to add that last larger set of pieces. This is pretty simple just line up the cut outs in it with the cut outs in the other tray piece. Once glued this will need to dry completely before the next step.

This next step is optional, I decided to add a layer of tissue paper (the kind sold near the wrapping paper and gift bags) using some Mod Podge over the entire tray. My thought on this was that it will add more strength so the tray will hold up a lot better and also I will help to blend the layers together even more. If you are careful and only add a single layer the wrinkles will be minimal but if the threat of wrinkles is something you want to avoid just go on the painting step at this point.

If you do cover yours like I did I highly recommend starting on the bottom side and do your experimenting on there then once that dries turn the tray over and do the top side. This will need to dry completely before going on to the painting step.

Now the fun part pick a color of paint for your lunch tray. I looked online and the real ones seem to come in just about every color of the rainbow. So pick whatever you want. I picked an aqua color simply because I really like the color and I hardly ever had a reason to use it on anything. This color is somewhat transparent so it took about 3 coats of paint to get good coverage. Allow the paint to dry.

 

Now seal the tray with a clear sealer, I used the same Mat Mod Podge that is used for the tissue paper layer. This gives just a light sheen and I like the look for things like this. I used 2 very thin coats of the Mod Podge for this and it turned out just right.

 

Now for the other really fun part- it’s time to add a school lunch for the dolls. I went through some of the foods I have made on the channel and added these. The bottle of “juice” is just a small bottle of bubbles I picked up in the party favor aisle of some store. I’m not sure which store it could have been Dollar Tree or Party City but I am not sure off the top of my head. Click on the names of the other items to be taken directly to the video tutorial for that item.

 

Corn Dogs

Salad

Potato  Chips

Slice of cake (Yule Log Tutorial)

 

 

 

I think our doll looks very happy with her lunch. This should be a really fun addition to your doll accessory collection.

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.

Allison's Journal- the Old Books

When we got home from school today mom said she had a surprise for us. She told us to go look in the family room after we got done with our snack.

This is one of the days of the week that Maria and Jeremy are here overnight so the 6 of us talked about what could be waiting for us. I don't think we have ever hurried that much eating our snack. LOL

When we got done and went into the family room we found a cardboard box.

It had a sign on it that said “old kid's books”

We asked mom where it had come from. She told us that when she went to the post office today she noticed that the house across the road from the post office was having an estate sale. She decided to go take a quick look. She had been looking at books when the man running the sale had asked her if she had noticed the table at the back. It had a bunch of boxes on it. He told her that he had just boxed up groups of books and that they were $10 per box.

Everyone in our house loves books so she went to take a look. She was hoping to find more old cookbooks for her collection. Instead she found this box. She said she lifted the flaps of the box to take a peek and the first thing she saw was that there were at least 2 Nancy Drew books on the top. She knows how much Chelsea and I love our Nancy Drew books so she grabbed the box before anyone else could decided it was interesting.

When she got it home she just opened the top of the box enough to see that the books were really old but she decided to let us look through them and discover what treasures we have.

Being the oldest Chelsea and I took charge and opened the box. Sure enough the first thing we saw were two really old Nancy Drew mystery books. One was called The Hidden Staircase and the other one is The Secret of the Old Clock. We love mystery books especially Nancy Drew mystery books. And to make it even better they are ones neither of us have read before!

We took those out and set them to the side.

Next we found some Little Golden Books. Izzy and Maria wanted those right away. There were 5 of them but the girls took them so fast I don't even know what the titles were. I am sure they are going to want either Chelsea or I to read to them later so we can find out then.

Under the Little Golden Books were to old science fiction magazines. They are just filled with old sci-fi stories. Both Michael and Jeremy love sci-fi so they grabbed those really quick.

We found two more Nancy Drew books, one was a second copy of The Secret of the Old Clock but the other one was The Bungalow Mystery, another one we haven't read.

Next we saw a blue book and when we picked it up we found out the title is “The Blue Fairy Book.” It looks like it is just filled with classic fairy tales.

At the bottom of the box we found an old reading book, Fun With Dick and Jane. Later mom told us she remembers reading that book at school in first grade. That made Izzy and Maria take notice. They are really excited to be learning to read and they decided to try to read this one together tonight after dinner.

Also at the bottom of the box were some more science fiction, a book called When I Go to the Moon. Along with a really thick Little Golden Book called Exploring Space. They are both really old and the ideas are so different from what we know today. The boys are so excited to read them.

I think mom got a fantastic deal on this box of books. We are all going to be busy reading for weeks. Chelsea and I decided to both start by reading the Secret of the Old Clock since there are two copies of it. Then we will have to take turns of the other two. 

Alison's Journal- New Coats

We all needed new winter coats this year so mom took us shopping for them today. I hate how I almost always have to pick out a winter coat when the weather is really hot outside. It is so hard to think about what I will want to wear in a few months when the weather is so different from what it is now. It is also kind of a sad reminder that the nice weather is going to be gone so soon.

Anyway mom took us to the mall to look for our coats. Izzy, Chelsea and I were really happy to go and do some shopping. Michael on the other hand was grumpy all day. He hates to go shopping, especially for clothes. He had a bunch of other things he wanted to do and we heard about them all day long. Boys!

I think we all did get coats were are going to be happy with so I talked everyone into meeting here in the family room so we can show you what we got.

Chelsea, Izzy and I had to wait for Michael, he took as long as he could getting in here.

He finally showed up with his coat.

I wanted to show you my coat first, I love how it is made of denim. It feels and looks like a pair of well worn jeans. And I love the poke-a-dot fabric that lines the hood. It is so pretty and silky. My new coat even has come convenient pockets on the front.

Chelsea surprised all of us (even herself) when she picked a purple coat! That's my favorite color, hers is pink. But she fell in love with the pattern on the front of the coat. The style is really good for her too, it emphasizes her waist so nicely. She even pulled her hair out of the way so we could see the details on the back. She says it is super comfortable too. She had a hard time finding a coat she liked that didn't have a hood on it. She says they just get in the way with her long hair and she prefers to wear hats when the rest of us have our hoods on.

Izzy was so excited about her new coat. She loves the bright pink and the kitty paws! She is an animal lover so those paw prints were what drew her to this coat. She also loves the fuzzy lining in her coat.

Michael had to wait to last to show everyone his coat. We figured we had to wait for him we would make him wait for us. Also dad says a gentleman should always let the ladies go first.

Michael picked out a green hoodie, he says “it's a coat” not much information but whatever. At least we got him to show up. His is almost the same style as Izzy's and it is lined too.

Mom was happy we were all able to find coats in one trip this year. Last year it took two trips. And all of our coats were on sale for once! Mom says she really hopes none of us out-grow our new coats before winter is over this year. Last year Izzy had a growth spurt and outgrew her winter coat just before the only really bad weather we had. 

Allison's Journal- Getting Ready for School in the Morning

This year mornings are really interesting around our house. Mom says it is like herding cats. LOL It is a madhouse for sure.

You see this is the first year that our little sister, Izzy is walking to school with us. She is in first grade this year. Our small school didn't have a kindergarten class last year so mom had to drive her to school. That school started about a half hour later than we did so it was a little calmer.

On top of getting all 4 of us ready at the same time in the mornings, Jeremy and his little sister Maria, are also staying with us n3 nights a week. Their mom just got a new job, she now works nights at the hospital. She is a nurse and takes care of sick babies. She loves her new job but she was so worried about who was going to watch Jeremy and Maria. Then mom told her they are over here as much as they are home so they might as well stay here. Everyone seems to be loving the new arrangement even it can be chaotic some mornings.

We have been getting up and getting off to school for about a week now so we do have a routine worked out. Let me walk you through a typical morning.

Maria stand still so I can brush your hair.

First both Chelsea and I get up and get ready. Then we have the younger girls come to our rooms so we can make sure they are dressed and ready to go. Chelsea usually has to brush Maria's hair, she has a lot of trouble getting it done by herself. Mostly I just have to check that Izzy is wearing school clothes instead of play clothes and that everything goes together. One day last week she almost left with shoes that didn't match! That was when Chelsea and I told mom we would take over making sure they were ready.

Izzy I like the outfit you picked out today. 

The boys are really good at getting going on their own (once mom gets them to get out of bed)

Once mom knows that we are getting ready she gets our breakfast out and packs lunches if any of us are taking a lunch that day. Today we are all getting lunches at school.

We all meet in the kitchen for breakfast. Mom usually puts out a couple of choices then while we eat she can go check her email before she has to get her day started.

Looks like some good things to choose from this morning.

Could I have some hot chocolate???  Please.

Once we have eaten Michael and Jeremy are in charge of making sure everything is put away and the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher. They always complain but they do get it done.

I still need to put this cereal away. 

How much soap did mom say to put in?

Next Chelsea and I make sure everyone has everything before we head out. Mom usually has us leave our backpacks in the family room so they are easy to grab on the way out the door.

I need to get my folders than I'll be ready to go. 

I like to do one more quick check before we step off the front porch that everyone did pick up all the things they need that morning.

Michael did you remember to get your homework?

I think we're ready to go. 

Izzy and Maria don't run ahead! We all have to stay together. 

Then we start our walk. It is about a three-fourths of a mile to school and we walk both ways. Mom sometimes drives us but only if the weather is really bad.

The view from the front porch, it's a beautiful day!

The first couple of days the little girls had a little trouble with the long walk but by last Thursday they were just fine. I actually missed the walk over the summer. I like to see what is going on around us.

Today the temperature is a little on the cool side but we will be nice and warm once we start walking.

I love to watch the seasons change through the school year. The leaves should be starting to change their colors soon. I saw there were some apples on the trees but they aren't ripe yet.

One of our neighbor's cows left its calf sleeping by the fence along our road. We all stopped for a moment to look at it but we didn't disturb it. We didn't want the mama cow to get upset with us.