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Boutique in a Box - by DeeinNJ
Posted by DeeinNJ on August 1, 2006, 10:02 am
| Hi, again, everyone!
With the summer in full swing and not a lot of indoor time, today's discussion is a basic one, but may provide some ideas for your doll room or for a fun activity for your doll club or for a girls' birthday party, etc. Today I'm talking about a boutique in a box or better... a boutique on the go. As I mentioned in my last Discussion, I co-hosted my Barbie Club meeting not long ago and our theme was - At the Boutique. Highland Fling says, "Thank you for shopping at the boutique"
Well, in addition to the cool fashion show we held, we also set up a mini boutique and played a doll-scale version of the Price is Right game. I needed to bring our boutique to my girlfriend's house (along with a ton of other stuff), so I wanted something that was portable and quick to set up. Even if you aren't going anywhere with YOUR boutique, the ideas can work for a nice display right at home. I figured not only would I share what I did (which isn't rocket science, super crafty or amazing - but fun to look at), but I'd also share a bit about the game in case anyone wanted to do the same. OK -- because I needed to transport so much to this meeting, I decided that the ideal backdrop for the meeting would be the Silkstone Wardrobe Trunk. Not only is it a great backdrop in itself, but it's also a trunk, soooo, I could store all the boutique stuff inside for transport. Here is a photo set up on my girlfriend's coffee table of the boutique. Everything you see fit inside the trunk with the exception of the counter and the doll.
I added the display counter. The counter is a newer issue from Rement.. You may have seen it in Audrey's wig boutique, as she is the one who told me about this great little piece (thanks Audrey!). It's awesome in that it comes with three wedge-shaped inserts to help show off your goodies. They store in a little drawer behind the counter when not in use. It also comes with a clear riser and a clear three-tier circular swivel display which is great for showing off those little boutique items. If you don't want to display these items inside the display case, you can just use the single long shelf that also comes with the case. There are so many options and if you don't use these items inside the case, you can always use them in other places around your shop. I elevated my counter with the Suzy Goose low chest, but you could use a block of wood or foam or anything else -- or just leave it as it.
However, the neat thing about this case it that it is nice and tall and the little Fashion Fever accessory stands fit perfectly inside. I used one of the wedge-shaped inserts to elevate the framed jewelry display (frame is from the My Scene Party Pad). I displayed some shoes, boots, a scarf, and a Purse of the Month from La Boutique inside the case. If you notice, those Fashion Fever accessory displays also fit in that little mirrored opening of the trunk. On display is the hat and purse from one of the Silkstone fashions. On the counter is a cash register from one of the My Scene boutique playsets. Other accessories from those playsets include the ottoman, the repainted shoe table and the shoe dept. accessories and the On Sale sign in the upper left of the trunk.
I used the openings reserved for doll storage for dress forms and I attached wrist tags from the Silkstone dolls to serve as mini price tickets.
In the area reserved for hanging storage, I chose to put a three-way rack from Barbie’s Dream Store. I added a Fashion Model sign on top (cut from a FM booklet) and hung a few garments on hangers, then placed the rack in this area of the trunk. I could have hung the clothes here, which is what one would normally do, but since we were playing the Price is Right game, I wanted the garment hanging there to be more visible, so the other rack displayed it better. The mirror is from a Gloria playset and I elevated the evening gown on a dress form on a clear plastic box to better display it and add some height. Various boxes are stored in the shelf above. You could easily add a lot more accessories and a nice backdrop if you were displaying this at home, but this was kept simple for our meeting. We wanted members to all have the same visual idea of the items up for bid in our Price is Right game, so this was a way for everyone to be on the same page. To play the game, each member was given a set of 8 numbered cards that described the fashion. They were asked to guess a price of the item as if it were in an actual human-size posh boutique. As each item was described, members wrote their answers and submitted them. Members who guessed closest without going over won a prize. Here are some game cards that I made for the members...
and also the answer cards that showed the prices we set for the items...
All in all, I had fun doing this. Hope you had fun reading about it.
Til next time, |
