A pretty pink wooden doll cradle makeover intended for the Princess's dolls, not the princess!

We were thrilled when we saw the vintage doll cradle at a local thrift store last year. With some TLC, we knew it would be the perfect Christmas gift for our three-year-old granddaughter.

Upcycled Vintage Wooden Doll Cradle For A Princess

Before starting the makeover I ordered a plush personalized doll to go inside. In the evenings I sewed fleece doll cradle bedding in her beloved unicorn pattern, and also made a frilly crochet blanket to set inside.

This makeover was a labor of love and painted in our granddaughter's absolute favorite color. The pink cradle is adorned with a crown fit for a Princess and personalized with her handpainted name below it.

Having not shared the cradle makeover on the blog when it was finished back in early December, I figured it was the perfect upcycle to share in our Do It Over Designers group this month.

This is my second time joining this talented group. In November I shared how to recycle old Christmas baubles into personalized snowball ornaments. Thank you Ann from The Apple Street Cottage for hosting this event.

If you haven't heard of the Do It Over Designers, we are a group of bloggers who love to recycle, upcycle, and DIY. We come together on the fourth Saturday of every other month to take something old or unused and do it over into something new. These items can be found in closets, barns, garages, yard sales, thrift stores, you name it.

Pictured below is what our thrift store pine doll cradle looked like before the makeover. Remember these with the little heart shape cut out?

Here it is after the makeover, all pretty in pink for our granddaughter's dolls. Thrilled with the transformation, we couldn't wait to set the large wrapped cradle box under her Christmas tree.

To our surprise, the first thing she did upon opening it on Christmas morning, is to toss the doll and blankets aside and park her little butt inside! Not what we had intended.

She has claimed the doll cradle as HER cradle and insists nothing but her butt can go inside. So instead of her bedroom, its permanent home is the living room where she can sit to watch her favorite movies and shows on television.

Dang, I could have saved myself some hard-earned cash on that doll! Well, at least she loves the cradle.

What You'll Need To Make It

These are the supplies I used for the cradle makeover.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from any qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Supply List

Clear Shellac Primer
Pink Chalk Paint (alternative options)
Matte Clear Coat
Scriptliner Art Brush
Diva Pink Acrylic Craft Paint
Wooden Crown Cut Out (optional)
Gold Metallic Craft Paint
Rose Gold Furniture Wax (optional)
E6000 Glue

Here's How I Made It

The cradle was such a quick and easy upcycle. It never ceases to amaze me how a little paint can completely transform a piece. As much as I hated covering the adorable teddy bears, they had to go for this princess transformation.

Prepping The Cradle For Paint

The first thing I did was lightly sand the cradle with 150-grit sandpaper to give the paint some bite. Then I went over the teddy bears with a coat of clear shellac primer to avoid having to apply extra coats of paint to cover the graphic.

Painting The Doll Cradle

Pictured below is the wooden cradle after the first coat of pink cashmere FAT Paint Company. Once dry it was lightly sanded with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the finish, followed by two more light coats of paint.

Personalizing The Painted Doll Cradle

For a hot minute, I considered personalizing the cradle by cutting my granddaughter's name out in pink vinyl with my Cricut machine. But instead, I wanted to add my personal touch by hand painting her name.

To do this I went into PicMonkey and created the personalized typography and printed it to size on bond paper. Then I used this image transfer technique to trace her name onto the painted cradle.

TIP: Carbon or graphite paper transfer marks are impossible to remove with a regular eraser. I've had great success with these sand & rubber erasers, especially when you need to remove any oops marks in areas not covered with paint.

Next, I painted over the traced name with a script liner art brush and diva pink acrylic craft paint. I mean seriously, the name of the paint color couldn't be more fitting.

Protecting The Finish

To protect the paint finish I used a clear matte acrylic topcoat applied with my go-to applicator sponge.

Embellished With A Crown

I added a wooden crown shape that I had in my stash above her handpainted name. First I painted it with gold metallic craft paint. Once the paint dried I went over it with rose gold furniture wax applied with my finger. It is attached to the cradle with E6000 glue.

Rose Gold Highlights

While I had the rose gold furniture wax out, I went over the top edge of the painted cradle and the inside of the heart cut out with my finger to add some highlights.

Before placing the handmade fleece unicorn bedding, plush personalized doll, and scalloped crochet blanket inside, I flipped the cradle over and wrote a special note to my granddaughter on the bottom. Sorry, I thought I took a picture but evidently not.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this wooden doll cradle makeover.

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If you enjoyed this vintage doll cradle upcycle, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your favorite board on Pinterest.

Now let's head over to the Do It Over Designers blogs to see what projects they are sharing this month. Just click on the links below.

The Apple Street Cottage
Birdz Of A Feather
Little Vintage Cottage
Exquisitely Unremarkable
Purple Hues & Me
Southern Sunflowers
Pandora's Box
Cloches & Lavender
Modern On Monticello
Sum Of Their Stories

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.