One of Anthony and my shared hobbies is going to yard sales in the summer. I admit, since we started living together in a tiny apartment (really, a series of tiny apartments) the excitement we used to feel pulling up to a yard sale has been tempered by the fact that we really don't have the space to bring home a bunch of new stuff. In our new spirit of minimalism, we take turns playing devil's advocate when one of us spots an item we want.  

"What are you going to do with that"

"Where would we put it?"

"Do you really think you'll have time to (insert DIY/makeover scheme I invented to justify purchasing some dilapidated piece of furniture)?"

"Would you buy this if it were full price at a store?".

Anthony and I probably love vintage and nostalgic things more than any other 20-something couple you know, but asking each other these types of questions has been super helpful in preventing us from becoming full on hoarders (aka "10 CENTS A PIECE?? I NEED ALL THE THINGS!!!"). However, this summer when we stumbled upon the yard sale of someone who was obviously either a serious crafter (or any elementary school art teacher), there were no time for questions! Through my own self-control, I manage to emerge with only these 4 unfinished wooden peg dolls. I knew I had the perfect DIY gift for my niece's birthday the next month!

Since wooden dolls are obviously a choking hazard, I approached this Doll Family as more of an art project that can be displayed (albeit on a high shelf) in my baby niece's room, until the day she no longer puts everything she touches straight into her mouth. 

I started off by SERIOUSLY planning how I was going to paint my doll family. I knew I only wanted to use 4-5 colors to keep the look cohesive, so this required some thought to make sure I had a good distribution of colors and patterns. I sketched examples of how I wanted the dolls to look and used letters to color code my drawing. I told you, serious business!

Then, I started painting one color at a time. I think I started with white, so I did the shirt on the Daddy doll, and then the skirts on the Mommy and Daughter dolls. I let the white dry completely before I went back and started with the mint, letting that dry before moving onto coral, and so on. The whole process probably took me 2 hours, including fixing mistakes and drying time. 

Once all of the paint was dry, I commenced with a full-on family portrait style photo shoot of my wooden doll family, which I have included below for your viewing pleasure!

These were so much fun to make, and I think they would be a great DIY Christmas present for a family on your list!