Monday, January 18, 2016

I jumped on the peg doll band wagon...



So, this Christmas, I jumped on the peg doll band wagon...

and I loved it!  I made a collection of Saints and a Mass set for my Goddaughter and her siblings, and made my niece a nativity (post here).

While I think that the best way to build up a collection of peg dolls is to do an exchange (you make 10 or 20 of the same doll, then exchange with 10 or 20 other people who did the same thing= collection of many and you only had to learn how to paint one!) or to use Catholic Icing's printable peg dolls (=amazing), I really really enjoyed getting to make these one by one for kiddos I care about.

So, a forewarning, this post is much less of a how to and more of a "look at this! I love how it turned out!" post.  :)

I made each kid in this family two Saints to play with (and share!) based on their first and middle names.

Here are the ladies:
From L-R= Lydia, Anne, Mother Teresa, and the BVM.

And the gentlemen:
From L-R= Benedict, Mark, James, Fulton Sheen, Peter, and Joseph.

I tried to use colors and symbols that matched the Saint's lives.  You know, always a chance to catechize. :) Like the little chalkboard with a JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) with Fulton Sheen!

And I made little vestments and altar cloths for all the liturgical seasons...

And used a little box for the altar, and made candlesticks, a lectionary/prayer book, a chalice, a paten, and a sanctuary lamp. 



Then I used a wooden box to make the inside of a church! On this front view, I used the side and lid depth to give the impression of a high altar and added tabernacle doors. I also painted some navy and gold arches and mod podged on a Mary and Joseph statue (cut out from a catalogue). The crucifix in the center is actually wood and metal and is hot glued to the front. 

I also painted in some simple stained glass windows on the left and right sides...

And in the back are a set of painted doors and mod podged Stations of the Cross (also cut out from a catalogue).

Here it all is, set up for the Saints to celebrate Mass!  Everything fits inside the church for easy storage. 

Because this was a group gift for a set of siblings, I wanted them all to still have something to open, so I packaged up the sets of dolls for each kid. 

Not surprisingly, I do like to make a lot of my own gifts, but this was one of my favorite projects... In a long time. Check here to see pictures of the peg doll nativity I made for my niece!

And, in case you were wondering...
These are the basic pegs that I worked with for both the nativity and Saints.  I was impressed with the quality, and they were a good value after I comparison shopped.  When I reordered them, I noticed the price had dropped a couple of dollars, so now might be a great time to shop! (disclosure- affiliate links, meaning if you click through and purchase, I get a small percentage at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for supporting the blog!)
Wood Doll Bodies - Woman 3-1/2 inch - Bag of 10
Wood Doll Bodies - Man 3-9/16 inch - Bag of 10

***If you'd like a more specifics about making your mini Mass set, check out this new post:

23 comments:

  1. KATIE! This is awesome! You are such a good godmother! I would love to make something like this and I think my older kids could help. If you don't do a "how to" post, I may email you for tips. Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Thanks, Grete! :) I didn't take any pictures in progress, so a how to post probably won't happen...but please do send me an email if you want. Catholic Icing and lots of other sites have some great ideas and even pictures of different Saints! It was lots of fun to make, and I bet your girls would love to help :)!

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  2. I, too, recently got on the "peg doll bandwagon" and I love it!!! I actually am not the artist, so I ordered the ones from Catholic Icing and was able to just paint on the faces. I got the entire set from there and have thus far just completed the Nativity set. You did such a wonderful job on your church. Wonderful ideas to Modge Podge pictures from a catalogue. So creative. - Laura G.

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    1. I LOVE that Lacy from Catholic Icing created an option to quickly and easily create peg dolls- so glad that you took advantage of it! So fun! :)

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  3. So neat, Katie! Thanks for sharing! Jamie T.

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  4. Hi there! I think we met possibly at Bonnie's home a few years ago? I came to Peoria to give a talk at the First Saturday women's group. I live in Des Moines. At any rate, I did a search for St. Lydia peg doll given I'm painting her for an upcoming exchange, and landed here. A small 'digital' world we live in! If I am confusing you with someone else, please accept my humble apologies. :)

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    1. Hi Lisa! Wow, you have a good memory! I don't know if we met at Bonnie's house or not, but I did come to your First Saturday talk (on friendship? Sr. Helena Burns was there too?). So funny that your google search led you here, especially since these peg dolls were a gift for Bonnie's kids! :) What a small, awesome Catholic world we have. Love your blog, and thanks for commenting! (and good luck with the Saint peg doll exchange!)

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    2. Yes, my talk was on spiritual friendships and Sr. Helena also spoke. I'll share our St. Lydia dolls with you once they are finished (March 7 is the due date!). Lenten blessings to you!

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  5. Lovely job ! Love it . Where did you get the tiny chalice and candle holders etc ? Thanks , Erin

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    1. Thanks Erin! All of the small items were creatively pieced together from small wooden items from Hobby Lobby. I used "spindles" and "candle cups" of similar sizes- the cups became the base for the actual candle sticks, and the spindles are glued inside the base and painted gold & white to look like candle/candle stick. The chalice was a similar method- candle cup served as the chalice part, half a spindle was the stem.
      Here are some links to similar pieces that I used:

      Spindle
      Candle Cup

      Hope that helps!

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  6. I absolutely love this. I'm doing some research before I begin painting my own peg doll Nativity set (five months before Christmas, for a project I'm working on), and I must say that this is so original and beautiful. I'm so excited to explore your blog further, especially because crafting and the liturgical seasons are very meaningful for me! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Yay! I totally understand working ahead! :) I hope you found my post about nativity peg dolls, and you've reminded me that I need to post about the animals I made for my niece's nativity. :) Have fun!

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    2. Hey Katie! I just wanted to respond and let you know how the set turned out. I actually wrote a blog post about it myself - thank you so much for inspiring me and getting me into peg dolls! http://saralaughed.com/index.php/peg-doll-nativity/

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    3. Sara, your set is BEAUTIFUL! So glad you came back to comment so I could see it! :)

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    4. Thank you so much Katie! I really loved your inspiration post and I'll be making a second set for my godmother this year! Your Mass set and Easter sets are so cute and original too!

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  7. Curious where you found the materials to make candlesticks & vessels?

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    1. All of the small items were creatively pieced together from small wooden items from Hobby Lobby. I used "spindles" and "candle cups" of similar sizes- the cups became the base for the actual candle sticks, and the spindles are glued inside the base and painted gold & white to look like candle/candle stick. The chalice was a similar method- candle cup served as the chalice part, half a spindle was the stem.
      Here are some links to similar pieces that I used:

      Spindle

      Candle Cup

      Hope that helps!

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  8. Katie, I absolutely love everything you do, and I'm wondering how on earth you have the time to do these incredibly time-consuming projects! Thank you for sharing your creativity with those of us who don't have the time to do it all on our own.

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  9. oh my goodness this is so amazing! I have been wanting to try but I am so nervous in doing them but seeing your post really makes me want to try. My youngest has 5 little pegs that she loves so much. I might have to try at least one out! Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring!

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    1. You totally could do it, Ellie! There are tons of pictures and tutorials, and it really can be an inexpensive craft to make. Catholic Icing also has some templates that you print and mod podge right on the peg if you really don't want to paint. Those are a pretty cool option!

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  10. This is amazing! Where did you find the boxes?

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    1. The large box for the church was from Hobby Lobby.

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