Pink Wooden Doll Cradle Makeover For A Princess

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.



A vintage wooden doll cradle makeover painted a pretty pink and personalized with hand-painted child's name and DIY bedding fit for a little princess.

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.



A vintage wooden doll cradle makeover painted a pretty pink and personalized with hand-painted child's name and DIY bedding fit for a little princess.

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.



A vintage wooden doll cradle makeover painted a pretty pink and personalized with hand-painted child's name and DIY bedding fit for a little princess.

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?



A vintage wooden doll cradle from the thrift store before a makeover.

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.



A vintage wooden doll cradle makeover painted a pretty pink and personalized with hand-painted child's name and DIY bedding fit for a little princess.

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.



A wooden doll cradle makeover for a princess but instead of the dolls, the princess sits in it to watch television.

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.

Brushing clear primer over a graphic on a wooden doll cradle makeover.

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.



Painting the first coat of pink paint on a wooden doll cradle makeover.

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.



Personalizing a doll cradle makeover with image transfer typography.

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.



How to erase carbon paper markings from traced typography on a painted wooden cradle with an eraser with grit.

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.



Hand painted personalized name typography on a wooden doll cradle makeover with hot pink acrylic craft paint.

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.



Applying rose gold highlights on a wooden doll cradle makeover with furniture wax.

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.



A vintage wooden doll cradle makeover painted a pretty pink and personalized with hand-painted child's name and DIY bedding fit for a little princess.

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



Almost all of our DIY ideas have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also find us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.



If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!



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.




A vintage wooden doll cradle makeover painted a pretty pink and personalized with hand-painted child's name and DIY bedding fit for a little princess. #handpaintedfurniture #dollcradlemakeover #childrensfurniture #kidstoys

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.



Do It Over Designers recycle, upcycle, or DIY project blog hop for January 2022.

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.



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Comments

  1. So fabulous Marie and upcycled with so much love and detail like that special note. I know Everly will cherish it forever and hand it down to her own kids. How adorable that she watches TV in it!

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    1. Thank you so much Sara! I do hope she will cherish the cradle and hand it down to her kids one day. That would be wonderful.

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  2. It's looks amazing, Marie and the story is precious! At least you know that your hard work has not gone unappreciated. Sounds like that's the best compliment you could ask for! Haha!!

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    1. That is a great perspective Kim, I hadn't looked at it that way. You are so right, the fact that she loves it so much she claimed it for herself to use IS the best compliment she could give her Grandma B. Thank you for this! xo

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  3. This is absolutely a beautiful makeover, Marie, and her name with the gold crown above it is the perfect touch. But the picture of your granddaughter sitting in it is priceless!

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    1. Right! When my daughter sent me the photo I couldn't stop laughing. Typical Everly, our girl who dances to the beat of her own drum.

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  4. Wow, Marie! What a transformation and as you said, a labor of love! The cradle is so pretty! I love that you personalized it with your grandbaby's name! That's why she took the doll out and sat in it! I loved reading your post! It's like a sweet little love story from grandma! You are the best grandmother!

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    1. Gail, you made me cry! Thank you for the very sweet comment. xo

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  5. This is adorable and it has one of my favorite things, crowns.

    Adorable picture of her sitting in the cradle!

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    1. Thank you Cindy! Crowns and all things Princess and Unicorns is Everly's jam.

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  6. Oh my goodness, this is cuteness overload! I love the photo of your granddaughter sitting in it! That's so sweet :-)
    What a great find, you have turned it from ordinary to really special.

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    1. Thank you so much Julie! When my daughter sent me the photo of Everly sitting in the cradle I just had to include it in the post. She's such a ham. LOL

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  7. I love that she thinks it's for her and not the doll! Sweet and clever little girl! Cute makeover and a nice way to update an old piece!

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    1. She is definitely a little sweetheart who dances to the beat of her own drum and there is no convincing her otherwise that the cradle isn't meant for her and her only. LOL

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  8. Haha!! love that she sit in it herself, that's so cute! The cradle turned out great Marie!

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    1. Thanks Tania! She is determined that Grandma B. made it for HER and not her dolls.

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  9. Cute story! Love your makeover and glad it was a big hit:@)

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  10. Awww, this is such a sweet makeover!! I love the personalizaton and the extra special note on the bottom of the cradle. Your granddaughter getting in the cradle brings back memories when I was also 3 years old and getting in my doll cradle from Santa and breaking the bottom out. My daddy had to replace the bottom with a piece of wood.

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    1. Awe, you too! Thankfully the bottom on this cradle is solid pine so fingers crossed it'll be okay. Too funny that you did the same thing with your doll cradle.

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  11. Such a sweet makeover. I love that your granddaughter is using it for herself & not the doll. Adorable!

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    1. Thank you Virginia! Good thing I made the crochet blanket a bit large so she can use it as a lap blanket. LOL

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  12. So precious. At least you know she loves it and will eventually allow her dolls to enjoy it too. I have two cradles that my dad made for my daughter and I can't wait to pass them down to my granddaughters one day. Thanks for sharing the inspiration.

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    1. Thanks Donna! It looks like it won't be too terribly long before she doesn't fit anymore so there is hope for her doll yet. LOL How lucky to have two handmade cradles from your dad to pass down to the generations.

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  13. oh, my!!! What an incredible transformation! It is adorable and no wonder she wants to use it herself :)

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  14. This is a precious doll cradle and looks so much better with fresh paint! I'll have to be on the lookout for one to update for our grand daughter! Pinning!

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    1. Right! It never ceases to amaze me how a little (pink) paint can transform a piece. I hope you find a wooden cradle for your granddaughter, Michelle. Thanks for stopping by and for the pin! xo

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