Time for another fixer-upper dollhouse project. This time I'm sharing how I turned a metal bathroom soap dispenser caddy into a rustic industrial dollhouse coffee table. I'm also sharing how easy it is to make miniature dollhouse magazines to display on the coffee table.

My favorite part of our dollhouse series is browsing through thrift stores for repurposed dollhouse miniature potential in the most unlikely finds.

Recycled Soap Dispenser Caddy Dollhouse Coffee Table

If you are new to the dollhouse series, we have been working on a dollhouse to gift our granddaughter, one DIY project at a time. Everything about this dollhouse is either repurposed or handmade. Even the dollhouse is a secondhand repurposed IKEA Billy bookcase!

Last month I shared our handmade plaster dollhouse fireplace with real stacked logs and realistic flame. I also made a flatscreen television from a recycled mint tin to hang above the fireplace.

The inspiration for the rustic dollhouse coffee table came during our bathroom renovation in the Spring. When we replaced the hand soap and lotion bottles, the old metal caddy reminded me of the base of an industrial-style coffee table. Do you see it too?

I also had a bag of small wooden tiles found at Goodwill for $6.50. They are the perfect size to use as wood slats for the bottom shelf and tabletop of the rustic dollhouse coffee table.

It's like the metal soap and lotion caddy was waiting for some wood slats! They were just too perfect for a unique industrial dollhouse coffee table.

Here's How I Made It

Because I wanted a rustic vibe for the coffee table, all I did was clean the metal caddy and left the rusty parts as is. Next up is making a tabletop and shelf with those wooden tiles.

Glue Wood Tiles Together

I used seven wooden tiles for each wooden top. To assemble them I brushed wood glue on the sides of the tiles and simply butted them together. I used a small bar clamp to hold them tightly together while the glue cured overnight.

Trace Oval Shape On Shelf And Tabletop Pieces

Before moving on to the cutting step, I double-checked that there was a tight bond with the glued slats to ensure they were each one solid piece of wood.

Next, I turned the metal caddy upside down onto one piece and traced the inside of the oval shape for the shelf. For the tabletop, I essentially used the entire piece of wood and traced the oval profile on each corner to accommodate an overhang along the edge of the table.

Cut Oval Shapes

Even though we checked to make sure the slats were glued tightly together, we're going to err on the side of caution for safety reasons before cutting the oval shapes. The last thing we want is for the boards to come apart while cutting with a power saw.

1. Sandwich the tabletop between two thin pieces of wood, leaving one side of the traced oval exposed.
2. Clamp all three pieces of wood onto a worktable with spring clamps with the cutting side over the edge.
3. Cut along the traced oval with a jigsaw. Ideally, if you have a band or scroll saw, use that instead.
4. Remove the sandwiched boards and repeat the previous steps for the opposite side of the tabletop.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the shelf. 
6. Sand the edges and the tops with a mouse sander.

My apologies for not including a photo of this step. I swore I took a photo but can't for the life of me find the digital file.

Stain Tabletop And Bottom Shelf

Now we're ready to add the rustic charm to the wood slats with stain. I used a water-based gel stain in the color Tobacco Road that I had on hand. Applied with a lint-free rag and the excess stain was immediately wiped off.

Once the stain was dry I protected it with a brown wax applied in the exact same way as the gel stain.

Attach Wood Tabletop And Shelf To Metal Base

To attach the bottom shelf to the metal base I ran E6000 glue over the metal slats and set the wooden shelf on top, pressing firmly for a good bond.

Next, I carefully ran a bead of E6000 glue along the top rim of the metal caddy and set the tabletop in place. I set some weight on top and let the glue cure overnight.

That's it, how cute is this rustic coffee table!

Now let's make some miniature dollhouse magazines to display on top of the rustic industrial coffee table.

DIY Coffee Table Magazines

I found miniature magazine printables at this new to me shop on Etsy. She offers many fabulous printables for dollhouse accessories. I printed the magazine covers on regular bond paper with the best print quality setting.

I cut them to size with a paper cutter and chose a few of my favorites. I also cut a strip of heavy white cardboard the same width as the magazine covers.

The next step is to decoupage the magazine printables onto the strip of white cardboard with Mod Podge. Align the front of the magazine covers first and then wrap them over onto the backside of the cardboard. Leave a gap between each magazine cover for cutting later.

After they dry, apply another coat of Mod Podge on both sides of the magazines. This will not only protect the paper but add a glossy finish to the paper like a real magazine.

Once the Mod Podge is completely dry, cut the cardboard between each magazine with sharp scissors. I set three on top of the dollhouse coffee table and saved the others to switch out during the holidays.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this repurposed bathroom metal caddy dollhouse coffee table. Just wait until you see what I used to make a dollhouse refrigerator next month!

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