DIY American Girl Gabriela Loft Bed

After reviewing Gabriela’s Loft Bed last week a lot of requests came in to craft it out of foam board. Previously, there have been requests to craft McKenna’s loft bed so this project is perfect for either bed! Just change the paint colors and customize it for your doll. This project is one that I did by myself with no help from the kids. The only part they came in is when I made the memo board. They made a few of their own with me! The cost of this project for me was under $10. The foam board came in around $5, brick scrap book paper was under $1 for two and I had to buy a can of spray paint that I didn’t have on hand from Home Depot for about $4. Everything else I had on hand like the hot glue, scrap tissue paper, scrap ribbon, and printables. I also had leftover spray paint like the grey from the ATM machine and the pink from the Bite to Eat Our Generation diner repaint.

When I do large foam board projects I always use my Logan FoamWerks tools. I have mentioned them before and how amazing they are. I still stand behind the products. They are a lifesaver and so much cheaper than buying power tools. I’m always amazed at how well foam board holds up. I have introduced FoamWerks to a lot of crafters and they are always blown away with how easy they are to use and how well they cut. A clean cut is everything when crafting because the pieces have to fit together properly!  There is a new FoamWerks 32″ cutting board that I show in the video below and I highly recommend it. Watch the video to see why! The previous guide rail that I used is great, but I still had to measure out and mark my foam board before cutting. This new cutting board saves time because it eliminates the process of measuring and marking before I cut. All I have to do now is use the cutting board when I cut because it has squaring arms and a measuring bar. It still has the guide rail that you hook the straight cutter into for accuracy.  You also no longer need to have a mat or scrap piece of foam board underneath when you cut. Again, watch me use it in the video and check out the product. It’s a great investment for any crafter.

Watch and give this video a thumbs up!

Materials Needed:

• American Girl Loft Bed Plans Printable
• 1 Piece 1/2″ Foam Board *Optional
• 3 Pieces 3/16″ Foam Board *see TIPS below
• Hot Glue *I only used one long glue stick
• Spray Paint *see TIPS below
  • Rust Oleum Seaside
  • Rust Oleum Satin Magenta
  • Rust Oleum Winter Gray
  • Krylon Ballet Slipper
• FoamWerks Cutter or X-Acto Knife *see TIPS below
• American Girl Loft Bed Printables
• Art Wall
• Poetry Printables
• American Girl Loft Bed Stool Printable

TIPS:

• I painted all the pieces before I started glueing. Since there are several colors involved and a brick wall, it’s easier to paint before.
• Plan out your project. It’s a busy summer for us and we like to stay active. We do crafts daily but we also jump in the pool, go to the beach, have playdates, visit Disney and so much more. That means a project like this wasn’t going to be done in one day. Could it be? Yes. Do I recommend it? No. I spread it out over three days.
  • Day 1: I cut all the foam board pieces out. It took approximately three hours.
  • Day 2: Spray paint all the pieces. This took about an hour and a half. I left them to dry overnight. When spray painting do light even coats. Repeat until you have full coverage.
  • Day 3: THE FUN PART! Glue everything together and see your masterpiece come together! This took about three hours because one, I was filming and two, I double triple check each piece before I glue. I’ve glued the wrong size pieces together before and it wasn’t fun trying to cut if off and fix it! Foam board with hot glue is like wood with screws. Seriously, it’s strong.
• Use good foam board. I like Elmers foam board that you can get at Michael’s or Target and I also like the Hobby Lobby brand. There is a local art supply store called Blick Art Materials and it also has great foam board. It makes all the difference. I stock up on foam board from Michael’s when it’s a door buster $1 sale. It’s regularly $2.99. Hobby Lobby sells it for $2.99 also but they frequently have it on sale for 30% off.
• If you use an X-Acto knife you have to completely cut through the foam board on the first swipe. Otherwise you will get a jagged edge if you have to swipe through a piece over and over. Make sure it’s a fresh blade.

Cut List:

Posts:

• 2 – 3/16’’ @ 18 1/2’’ x 1 1/4’’
• 2 – 3/16’’ @ 18 1/2’’ x 1 7/16’’
• 4 – 3/16’’ @ 19 1/8’’ x 1 1/4’’
• 6 – 3/16’’ @ 19 1/8’’ x 1 1/16’’
• 1 – 3/16’’ @ 19 1/8’’ x 1 7/16’’

Back Walls:

• 1 – 3/16’’ @ 20 3/8’’ x 18 1/2’’
• 1 – 3/16’’ @ 18 1/2’’ x 10 7/8’’

Desk:

• 1 – 3/16’’ @ 9 7/8’’ x 8 3/8’’ – See Diagram – Step 3

Storage:

• 2 – 3/16’’ @ 4 1/2’’ x 3’’ – Sides
• 2 – 3/16’’ @ 8’’ x 3’’ – Top and Bottom
• Shelf Supports:
• 4 – 3/16’’ @ 3’’ x 1 1/4’’ – See Diagram

Shelves:

• 1 – 3/16’’ @ 8 3/8’’ x 3’’
• 1 – 3/16’’ @ 6 3/8’’ x 3’’
• Bed Sides:
• 2 – 3/16’’ @ 20 3/8’’ x 2 1/2’’
• 2 – 3/16’’ @ 10 7/8’’ x 2 1/2’’

Bed:

• 1 – 1/2’’ @ 20’’ x 10 7/8’’
• Stairs:
• 3 – 3/16’’ @ 2 3/4’’ x 5/8’’

Step 1:

Glue the posts together as shown in the diagrams below.

Step 2:

Glue the back and side wall into place adding the posts.

Step 3:

Glue the desk on.

Step 4:

Glue the storage box together then glue it to the side wall.

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Step 8:

Step 9:

Step 10:

Step 11:

Stool: