Barbie Just Wants a Basic Table!

Though I have spent a small fortune on Barbie furniture, most of the merchandise out there are in baby pink and usually have that cheap, plastic look. Or they're too cutesy with curlicues and embossed hearts and other details that might be acceptable in Barbieland, but won't cut it in real people world.  So sometimes, I just want to make plain, no-nonsense, functional, real-looking furniture. If Ikea had a store for Barbies, my Barbies would shop there. 

The other choice would be to DIY. So I DIMed--Did It Myself.

YouTube is the best place to find inspiration and instructions. Inspired by this, but too lazy to create that mosaic look, I made my own instructions. So, this is my first attempt at a DIY table for Barbie. 

Materials Needed:

box

gift wrap  (I chose one in very dark, almost black midnight blue with a subtle criss-cross pattern)

4 straws, the big ones used for bubble tea drinks

tape

glue

ruler

marker

scissors

cutter

Step One: Cut 4 pcs of straw to about 5 inches, or use a Mattel table as measure.

Step Two: Mark margins on all sides of the box about 1 cm from edges. Use the side that will serve as the bottom surface of the table.

Step Three: Mark where the straw legs would go. As you can see, it need not be perfect. But make sure they are the same distance from the corners.

Step Four: Cut a criss-cross pattern on the diameter of the circle. Don't cut off the circle.

Step Five: Press inside the circle.

Step Six: Insert the straws to check if they fit well. Adjust if necessary. Cut off corners of box flap if necessary.

Your table is now done, at least structurally. It's time to cover it to make it presentable.

Step Seven: Remove and set aside the straw legs. Tape the box shut.

Step Eight: Start wrapping as you would wrap a gift, but you don't have to cover the bottom of the box.

Step Nine: Glue the top surface part of the table/box.

Step Ten: Tape the edges. Pay attention to the corners so they will be as seamless as possible. Remember to accommodate the legs. 

Step Eleven: Reinsert the legs.

Tadah! You now have a table for Barbie. Very basic looking. And multi-purpose.

You may use the shorter ends of the straw to adjust the height of the table.

Here it is as a coffee table. Note that Barbie Bella is alone this Valentine evening. She starts her evening with junk food. And she is so bored, she started reading the dictionary.

She adjusts the table, using the long legs so she can use it to prepare dinner. Still no phone call from Ken. The jerk!

And then she has dinner. Alone. At least, she is excited that she finally has a non-pink table that's the right height for her to eat comfortably. She finds comfort in her medium-rare Angus seared in truffle butter. She drenches her heart in cabernet sauvignon.

And because the table is so plain, it really functions best as a desk for working. Bella ends the evening by checking who else is in Facebook (and like her, has no Valentine date). Chamomile tea gives her the drowsiness she needs to end the evening early. .

So that's what Bella and I did this Valentine day. Next project: a buffet slash console table.