Dollar Tree Toy Isle

Yep, back to Dollar Tree again. Here are some items you'll find that can be used with your 1:6 dolls:

They've got small action figure sets and individual packs like extreme fighters, ninjas and spies. You may not want the dolls but they have some neat accessories. The spy with the briefcase is the only one I've found even though I've gone to several stores looking for more of him. The other figures are readily in stock though.

John Cho is going to be our scale model today.

Chainsaws come in a variety of sizes, so it could work for this scale... maybe. The briefcase is pretty cool and it does open. I definitely would have liked to have found more of these to customize.

Muscles! Rawr!

I had to buy two sets to get two dumbbells, but I think they were worth the 2 bucks. John probably has the widest hands of any male doll I have and they fit in his hands perfectly.

There are 3 different versions of the aquarium. They come in different colors with different types of fish. I don't want mine to grow so I will not be adding any water.

Real aquariums can come this small, so I think this is another well scaled item. Look how much detail they put into the fishies! They are adorable.

Of all the pool tables they have released, this is my favorite!

It has a more normal color and markings than previous versions.

It's also much bigger.

It's got stimpy legs but you can make some out of cardboard or,

just cut some straws in half to cover the original legs.

Even though Dollar Tree stuff is questionably made, I still appreciate the details that these manufacturers put into their products. It's nice that you can find fun stuff at such a cheap price.

Edited to add a photo for Vanessa of the wrestler's crutch and cast on a 1:6 kid:

Dollar Tree: Aroma Lamps & Led Lanterns

A year or so ago, one of the brand name scent companies (Glade?) released some aroma packs that looked liked miniature lamps. I never found them in my stores but now Dollar Tree is carrying a generic version. The scents stink (to me), but the "lamps" are cool.

Scents are Tropical (orange-ish), Fresh Linen (lime green), Ocean Breeze 1 (teal), Ocean Breeze 2 (blue), Lavender 1 (purple) and Lavender 2 (fuchsia).

It's super easy to dispose of the liquid inside. The top simply twists off and you can pull out the insert. I'm keeping the cap that is around the wick in case I want to insert a straw inside to make it look like wiring is hiding in there.  Word of warning. Use gloves when disposing the liquid or be very careful. I got some on my hand and it turned red and itched for hours.

They are the perfect size for your 1:6 dolls.

Pleated shade and swoop designs in the "glass"

Thanks to a post from The Grandmommy, I learned about these mini lights and purchased some off of Amazon for $7.90 with Prime.

I keep the rubber bands from doll packaging and wrapped several around one of the mini lights. A thicker rubber band would have been simpler, but this is what I had.

With enough bands around it, it wont fall into the bottle. I tried it with the light pointing up and the light pointing down. Here are some shots with all my lights off so you can see how much glow it illuminates.

Bulb down

Bulb up

Dollar Tree was also carrying an assortment of Led Lanterns. I say "was" because I got some early April and when I checked this weekend they were all gone. They had been carrying this Asian looking one and some Easter pastel looking ones. If you can find them they are worth the buck even if the light inside doesn't work.

Now they are not the scale for your doll to be carrying around, but if you like outdoor scenes, they would be great as the tops of street lamps. Gently pop off the top lid and then you can pull out the handles. The tea light inside is one of those flickering ones, but chuck in a mini light if you don't like the flicker. The white part pulls out completely and the tea light can be pushed out the bottom. The white part can be used as a planter or trash can. Put a piece of cardboard on the black part and use it as a table base. Multi uses for this thing!

Spring Cleaned & Organized!

My doll and craft collection was getting out of hand for my current living space so some serious spring cleaning was in order. During the past 5 weekends I've donated furniture, clothing, house goods, etc. - just about anything that I hadn't used in the last 5 years. I originally told myself I would get rid of things that I hadn't used in the last 2 years, but shoot, that was too hard. Regardless, I made an impressive dent space wise... and then promptly filled it back up with my doll stuff.

BEFORE:

 

Dolls used to be stacked precariously on one another.

I thought this unit would help but the shelves weren't deep enough and could only hold a few dolls.

So, I moved the rest of the boxed dolls to my closet. The top shelf used to be filled with t-shirts and linens and the pants used to spread across the entire bar.

These dolls are "unwashed" ones from the thrift store and live in the box underneath the cherry vanity. They'll get washed eventually. Probably.

The right side of the closet, which held only a few play sets, still was overcrowded since I had to stuff it full of clothing that used to be on the left side.

These are the bookcases in my office and I knew that I wanted this to be the focal point for my boxed dolls since it has the deepest shelves.

After much cleaning and wavering over what to give away, here is my newly organized collection.

AFTER: (Yay!)

Left side of office

Only the right side will get boxed dolls. Once I fill up the space, I'll have to de-box something before I will buy something else. Left side is full of fashion items on the top two shelves. Third shelf is really free for anything and the bottom shelves have craft paper and accessories.

Making use of my home made wardrobe!

Right side of office

Colored boxes and rolling cart are full of craft supplies.

Center of office

Craft supplies and binders for doll clothes. Seven of the binders are currently empty though.

Corner of bedroom

Blue boxes are full of dolls standing upright. Office Max boxes are full of foam, backgrounds and older toys. The black shelves didn't work for dolls but they were great for my games and old movies. I was even able to stuff more storage boxes in there.

Left wall of bedroom

My storage bins are pretty full of accessories but I could squeeze some more junk in there. Those are mostly clothing packs on top and they haven't fell over yet, so I'm good.

Inside closet

Even though I moved all the boxed dolls to the office, I still had a crap load of play sets squirreled away and they now can spread out a bit more. Most of my Gloria and Fancy Life sets were FREE using my Amazon Reward points!

And thus concludes spring cleaning! At this point, the only places that don't have doll junk in them are the bathroom and the kitchen. Hopefully, I can keep it that way.