Creative thrifting finds/tips!

Porcelain/display dolls sometimes have clothes that can fit bjds in the respective size!

Someone on the forum once noted using men's ties for doll clothes but I can't remember who it was - definitely some nice small prints and good materials there. Generally, thrifting clothes is less expensive than buying fabric.

Old suitcases are great for doll/doll stuff storage but also I've seen some hardcases being made into doll houses - definitely something feasible for 1/6 and 1/4 dolls.

Plant stands and jewellery boxes can make doll-scale furniture.

Smaller-size travel versions of board games are sometimes almost doll-scale.

 

I like perusing the jewelry - rings make great 1/4th scale bracelets, and necklaces are great for adding dramatic draping. I also nab up old dollhouse furniture when I find it - it can always be repainted, and you never know who'll use it.

My favorite thrift find so far is a clock made to look like a miniature grandfather clock, that works as a full-size grandfather clock with some of the tinies.

 

- if you want a horse for your 1/4-ish dolls, you can often find those Battat horses (made for Our Generation and similar dolls) for fairly cheap. Both of mine are secondhand, since they're expensive at the store. For some reason, the white ones are most common lol.

- used clothing in general is great! Some styles are either no longer popular or expensive if not used, but at the thrift you can find some fascinating fabrics for making doll clothes.

- scarves can be great for skirts, dresses, trims, or more, and they're usually only a couple bucks.

- you can also find used leather goods if you want to use leather but don't want to put money into the industry. Leather lasts basically forever as opposed to pleather, which will eventually disintegrate.

- this is kind of dolly-morbid, but some porcelain dolls also have eyes you can use in bjds. Unfortunately, you do have to break an egg to make this particular omelet, if you catch my drift. I've never done this myself, but I have seen it done.

- doll stands! I have found a TON of these at thrift stores, and while they're usually made for porcelain, they'll work for bjds just the same.

- echoing jewely, a few of my dolls' jewelry pieces have come from dismantled human pieces.

- don't ignore the actual craft supplies! I have found hand-dyed doll-scale yarn (normally 20+ dollars a skein) for 1 dollar, and many cute vintage fabrics.

 

- Artificial flowers - can be used to decorate the doll, their outfits or just for background.
- Boxes, especially jewellery boxes - they can be used as storage or a base for furniture.
- Any jewellery and fabric
- Beads
- Small coin pouches can be made into bags for bigger dolls!
- Sometimes you might be lucky and find something already perfect for dolls. My mom found a dollhouse that's ideally sized for 1/12 dolls!

There is this channel on YouTube that I enjoy - Queen City Minis. She shows how she makes miniatures from a lot of "trash" items - beads, suction cups, plastic and more. Watching her videos made me look at random objects in a different light, especially those in thrift shops.

 

oh dang i might have to start blinging out my dolls with the ring to bracelet idea. I love that

 

Not technically a thrift store, but shoutout to estate sales! In my area, it's often just folks downsizing, if it feels morbid (it's really not, you're helping the family/adopting something that person loved that might go in the trash otherwise). I've found tiny brass candlesticks for my dolls, a tiny designer teddy bear that's perfect scale, even a little wooden nightstand. A lot of folks are getting rid of collectibles of various types; old children's toys AND old designer collectibles can be perfect scale. I hate to call it vintage, but there are some good '90s lines of higher-end dolls, bears, and such for adult collectors that can have very useful pieces including furniture, and it's much cheaper than online (plus easier to see scale).

 

I always check the crafting isle at thrift stores. I've found tons of vintage laces, rick racks and handmade crochet doilies that are smaller than what's available locally in craft stores. I've also found frames small enough to be used in dioramas, an msd sized chair that was actually a candle holder, small trinkets like minature tea cups etc. I even used a bamboo placemat to make a hammock once. I generally check every isle with dolly gear in mind lol. The thrift shop was also a god send when I was looking for a very specific type of wooden base to be used in the creation of a dolly dress form. They usually have so many items with fancy wooden bases, I knew that was the place to go.

 

I love using jewelry to adorn my dolls.
Crystal Andreason Green on Instagram

 

Thrift stores are THE place to find real silk for making into doll clothing. In particular look for those "crinkle silk" skirts from the 1990s; just get them wet and dry them flat and all the crinkles will be gone.

 

I always check the wooden items aisle for doll-able stuff!
I've found tons of random things that make cool props that way, like the aforementioned jewelry boxes shaped like dresser drawers, which are pretty good for 1/4 and below if you find the bigger ones. I've also found wooden closets/wardrobes in roughly 1/4 scale that way, I think they were intended as necklace storage as the roofs had spinning hooks inside.

Some other things I've found in the wooden items aisle:

• a decorated wooden pedestal (honestly not sure what it was actually for) that worked really well as a seat or table for 1/4 photoshoots
• A miniature grandfather clock
• A decorative tray in a style that made it look exactly like a low sofa
• Decorative wooden pillars (great for dioramas, I think they were supposed to be candle holders)
• Miscellaneous wooden items that look good as background pieces in photos and dioramas, of various varieties (for example, a cube clock that looked like an antique side table)

Outside of wooden items, I also used to like looking for porcelain dolls with nice clothes. You can tailor the clothes of some to fit BJDs (or if you're lucky they'll fit right away), or use the accessories. This was a great way to find nice doll-scale hats, especially if you like victorian-inspired aesthetics. Also a great source of long bloomers with elastic waistbands. Unfortunately the thrift stores around me have decided recently that commonplace porcelain dolls which sell online for less than 15$ are now "rare and vintage" and only sell them in auctions or for $50 or more. I rarely if ever, see a porcelain doll in the regular aisles now.

Other than these, I honestly suggest just going through all the aisles at the thrift with a dolly mindset! I've found doll-able things in places I wasn't expecting, like when I found 1/3 scale lampshades in the lighting section (no lamps included unfortunately, but it's still a cool find).

 

I've had candleholders and jewelry boxes that are shaped like furniture for minis. They usually work relatively well. I have also found a 24" plantar for cheap that I have re-modelled into a doll sofa for my 1/3 dolls. Once in a while you will also see "Teddy bear furniture" which are usually rocking chairs. But I have seen (on photos anyway) armchairs before, too. They work great for dolls. And once in a while you can find these little vases and artificial plants are work great as background decoration.

A lot of the time it's helpful to just go and see what these stores have to offer. A thrift store is my happy place!

 

i love thrift stores as a source of fabric for doll sewing. i like men's button-up shirts as a source for good in scale plaids, and there are a lot of lightweight fabrics that will drape well for doll sewing in the women's tops and dresses sections. very thin stretch denim in women's jeans is also great for doll jeans. i like to take a spare doll hand with me when i go to the thrift store; it's an easy way to check if the print on a fabric will be in scale without lugging a whole doll along.

 

I'm not sure how common they are everywhere, but in my area I've also been to a few quilting or sewing guild sales, which is mostly people trying to offload craft supplies that they no longer need/use for very reasonable prices. I'd recommend seeing if anywhere near you does these, because I've gotten some really nice fabric and other notions from them for extremely low prices.

Also, silk or satin scarves are great sources for doll fabric, and at least here they're often only 1-2 USD.

 

My local library does a yearly craft swap meet, where people donate craft supplies they don't want for a while, and then people come in on a particular date and take what they will use. There are also craft supply specific thrift stores! They are sometimes called things like upcycle stores or creative reuse stores.

Here is a list of US places like this, with an interactive map under the article.

 

I'm a big fan of the old bedsheet as fabric for mockups – plain cotton is always a good material to work out a new pattern with before using the nice fabric.
I also enjoy perusing secondhand clothes for interesting fabric. Old human clothing has the bonus of being pre-washed so it's less likely to stain dolls, and pre-worn, which adds a more realistic drape and minor wear at small scale than brand-new fabric.

I've had some luck with small decorative storage items being the right scale for 1/3 cabinets or drawers. A lot of jewellery organisers in this style would work well as 1/4 furniture. I found a little chest with pull-out drawers that works as a 1/3 seat and storage cupboard.

 

I'm currently trying to figure out how to source leather from partially destroyed/worn out handbags, shoes, etc. I'll come back with my findings at some point. Also I frequently find a ton of acrylic yarn in the craft supply section--good for wigs/wefts. It's definitely hard to predict what will show up in these kinds of stores, as I've seen some truly crazy things in my local spots. If you can, go to your local thrift every week or so and give it a casual skim. I've found with thrift stores, good things often come to those who wait.