Tink’s New Home

I’m very adamant about building my own doll rooms and furniture.  If I can replicate it, I don’t buy it.  However, sometimes I find something so unique I can’t help cheating and giving my dolls a fancy, store-bought present–which sort of happened this past Christmas.

About two years ago, Tink lost her Plastic Canvas Dream Camper to a litter of kittens. When our fur babies were just a few weeks old, they decided it was the perfect kitten crib and crawled inside to take their nap. After a few days of finding them like this, sound asleep against the dash and benches, I caved and moved Tink and her fairy friends out and gave the camper to the kitties.  Needless to say, the fairies have never forgiven me for that.

I tried making new houses for them using boxes and scrapbook paper, but all eventually found their way to the trash.  Fairies are such picky creatures! My last attempt was based on My Froggy Stuff’s Mini Dollhouse.  While it turned out better than the others, it still wasn’t satisfactory; thus, more paper-covered cardboard bit the dust.

Little did I know my mother was also working on a solution for my homeless fairies as she watched me struggle with sticky paper and tsk at sagging cardboard. She found it at Target.

This is the Wood Treehouse from Target’s Hearth and Hand Collection with Magnolia.  That’s right–Joanna Gaines is making dollhouses!

There are five dollhouses in this collection so far:

These dollhouses are designed for 4″ dolls and cost between $69.99 and $149.99.  My mother paid about $120 for the Treehouse.

I’m eager to see if we finally found the perfect home for Tink, so let’s get this thing opened up!

Unboxing The Treehouse:

Before taking everything out, we must stop to admire the pretty box.

On the front is a picture of the Treehouse set up in a well-decorated living room.  Off to the side is the Hearth and Hand logo and a bit of text saying this toy is safe for kids three and up and can be used with the Hearth & Hand animal figures.

Oh, for sure!  Since almost everything inside is wood, the box is quite heavy–way too heavy for a tiny fairy to lift.

As you can see, the Treehouse comes unassembled.

The pieces are well-packed with styrofoam and bubble wrap, which makes me very happy. I’d much rather have extra padding to get rid of than a broken dollhouse.

Amidst the various parts of the Treehouse was a package containing five bags of hardware. Each bag is labeled, so we know which screws are inside.

All we need now is a screwdriver.

Assembling The Treehouse:

All of the pieces are labeled with small stickers to make identifying the sections of the Treehouse easy.

• The directions say to start with screwing the lantern to the front panel and adding a couple of eyehooks to the bottom of the balcony.

• After that, we need to fasten the walls to the balcony using the long screws and plastic nuts.

Once the front and side walls are up, we can move on to the roof.  The roof has three pieces: a right side, a left side, and a support.

• Screw the two pieces of the roof to the support to join them, then attach the roof to the walls of the Treehouse.

The Treehouse’s roof is blending in with my black background, so I’m going to switch backdrops real quick.

Much better!

• Our next step is inserting one of the branches through the hole in the left side of the roof and securing it to the treehouse floor.

Now it’s time to attach the legs to the bottom porch and build the large tree that supports the Treehouse’s left side.

Inside the components box are two long poles with a notch near the center and four short poles.

• Screw the long poles to the right side of the porch (the edge of the porch fits in the notch).
• Take two of the short poles and screw them to the underside of the porch.

• Grab the remaining two short poles and screw them to the top of the porch.

• For the tree, slide the flat sections of the trunk together.
• Now find the branch with the tire swing, stick it through the hole in the balcony, and connect it to the triangular piece labeled “P.”

This next part is a little tricky (at least it was for me who was trying to do it while operating a camera).

• Attach the triangular piece (“P”) to the tree trunk, then screw the top of the trunk to the Treehouse floor.
• Finally, scoot the porch under the right side of the Treehouse and secure all the poles to the floor.

Yay! The Treehouse is done! All in all, it took about 2 hours to build (that’s with me stopping to take pictures along the way).

Our very last step is hooking on the ladder and slide, fixing the tire swing, and hanging the flags in front.

Well, Tink?  Is the house a keeper?

I couldn’t agree more!  Now jump out of that tire swing so we can wrap this post up with a few final thoughts.

Final Thoughts:

Anyone wanting a simple home for their dolls that isn’t hot pink and covered in glitter ought to check out these Hearth and Hand dollhouses. It’s hands down the best store-bought dollhouse I’ve ever owned.

The instructions are clear with illustrations showing how the different parts fit together, and the marked pieces and pre-drilled holes make assembling this house a breeze.

I know Magnolia-branded products have a reputation for being pricey, but you get what you pay for and, in this case, it’s a quality dollhouse. The wood structure is solid and able to hold several dolls without buckling.

What I love most about this house, though, is its color and simplistic design.

The white walls and black roof are chic and classy, and the splashes of green and brown in the tree keep the house from being too monochromatic.  It’s exactly our style: Farmhouse with a touch of whimsy.

The only unfortunate thing about these houses is that they’re too small for Barbies. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if someday down the road we saw a larger, Barbie-sized dollhouse in Magnolia’s Hearth and Hand collection.

So, I think it’s safe to say I finally found the perfect home for Tink. Now we just need to furnish it.  Speaking of which, it looks like Mother thought about that too:

This set of dollhouse furniture is also from the Hearth & Hand collection. It comes with:

1. A vanity.
2. A bathtub.
3. Two nightstands with lamps.
4. A coffee table.
5. A small chair.
6. An end table with a lamp.
7. A TV stand.
8. Two stools.
9. A dresser.

Hey, I worked hard on that TV stand–it even has working drawers!

I guess that’s my cue to leave. I hope you enjoyed this unboxing and review of the Hearth and Hand Treehouse.

Now it’s your turn!

What type of house do your dolls prefer? A rustic farmhouse or grandiose mansion. (There is no right or wrong answer here).

Share your thoughts down below, and I’ll see you again soon with another review. I have like at least four or five reviews in the works–all dolls, all fascinatingly fun😉.