My Miniature Madness

I'm glad to get an update on both you ladies! Holly - seems to me technology has given you years you otherwise couldn't have had. Do you recommend sticking around longer than your body was supposed to let you? My Sears Kenmore washer and dryer were bought at the Scratch and Dent bargain basement of our Sears building in 2006 for $300.00. We've had to change the heat element in the dryer and the clutch in the washer but they're still going strong. I am just tickled that they are still kicking! Both my parents had the cataract surgery and both said it was hardly any trouble at all. I hope by the end of spring you feel as good as a 50 year old! Kelly - You are an inspiration taking care of yourself and maintaining your independence the way you do! There are lots of tasks ahead of you but you take them on with a good attitude and still make room in your heart to help the strays that cross you path. I hope you find the tortoiseshell kitty soon. Hopefully she just found a nice winter home like Shadow did. Next time you're ready to install an awning let me know. I'll let you borrow Russ and he can beef it up to make sure it's the last one you ever have to install. Stay creative ladies! It's the secret to joy!

Hi OG. I don't have any familiarity with Cr2 products, but my experience is with using Evan Designs 5-12 volt LEDs and traditional 12 volt dollhouse lighting. As long as your LEDs don't exceed 12 volts, and your transformer supports up to 12 volts, you should be able to run the combination together. Keep in mind that LED lights, unlike 12 volt dollhouse lights, have a positive and a negative wire. You have to identify the positive and negative wires/plugs on your transformer to make sure you are connecting them correctly. You do this by testing. If you have the negative wire running to the positive power source, your LEDs won't light. Hope that helps!

I love the contact paper idea, Kathy! It looks great! I'm not sure if you know, but your blog comments are set to be approved before they publish. I've left comments, but they don't ever seem to show up. Are you being notified on an old email address? You're in my blog roll, and I bet I am not the only one seeing your progress and wanting to comment.

Thanks for the product info, Joel! I used to use this metal sheeting for my "stainless steel" cooktops and appliances, but since Covid, they are no where to be found: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KKV2MVE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I'll give the BMF a try. Jodi

Thanks Emily! It was so much fun to indulge in the bold for a change!

Hi Oscar, Josje's blog might give you some great inspiration as to where to start: https://josje-bouwt.blogspot.com/2011/02/anno-2020.html Sounds like an exciting idea you have! Jodi

I think it totally depends on the look you are trying to achieve. Here's what I did in my bungalow. Hope it helps you visualize if it's what you like or not.

Hi Karen, I'm Jodi and also live in Washington. Is this the kit you had? https://www.ebay.com/itm/274682902040?hash=item3ff4607618:g:U5gAAOSws~hgKGR2&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsInPkQdRve5oUgeJtEJZi44LUT85W%2FjwFdxAxTIrUXgGiRS2eId3uPXUPjAAGHXT76xF0lA3kfFn2gdphS2ayPFpjIk1CB5Qviluhpr8XyZIdW2hiW8IlLFq9siwf4coDr%2F%2F1qCfsZkduiVe3GoZgyh%2FkjzrDup4DspKl7f9YgOqxIKkw0sBgDq%2BFmMZPwRNOFiTEPqybD02yoHE1v77Qim7yOKwc5to1GjSlQMg%2Fjy5|tkp%3ABk9SR9iX-drbYA I assembled/finished a DuraCraft Columbian a few years back and found it to be a great kit. It was an older one, but was still in good shape. It you are new to dollhouses, you will likely find it easier to start with a fresh kit rather than try to figure out how to make the repairs. Best of luck, and have fun! Jodi

Hi Nick, I haven't built mine yet but this may be a great source of info for you: https://moreminis.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-glencroft-dollhouse-revisited.html Best of luck!

Beautiful art gallery! Too bad you have to use the Honey Bucket outside to pee, lol!

I have both LEDs and 12 volt fixtures/bulbs in my Beachside Bungalow. Evan Designs has a transformer that is 5 -12 volts so works for both. I have a blog post about it that shows the product numbers and links here: http://my-miniaturemadness.blogspot.com/2021/07/beachside-bungalow-glued.html

Might be silk or rice paper, Holly... Pierce Miniatures used to have it but there is nothing on their site now.

Happy Mother's Day to you, Holly! Hope you're going off on a fun adventure!

Hi Everyone! I'm so glad we're back up and connecting again! All is good at my house. I have enough to keep me busy for a good long time to come! Thank goodness HBS is shipping, though - I was very nearly out of stripwood!

Funny, it looks a lot like this person's post: https://minimumm.blogspot.com/2019/12/ohne-worte.html The base molding, wallpaper and outlet look the same.

Hi Kelly, Don't panic, just start here... https://www.miniatures.com/Table-of-Contents.aspx Hugs, Jodi

It looks like the Taj Mahal compared to living in the car - yippee! Hey Russ says we have an extra gas generator that is older but is supposed to work pretty well. If you think you might want to have it around so you have lights and heat when you want, he said he'd go do some maintenance on it (like fill the oil up etc). No charge. Let me know - we'd be happy to deliver it and give you our contact numbers too in case you need any kind of help this winter.

Hi Jenn. It might be worth a try to contact Pauline Puglese via FaceBook. She does amazing period dressed dolls and costuming and is pretty new to it so she's still super nice and not conceited or snobby, lol!

Great experimentation, Joel! And what a great subject! Socrates was definitely a brilliant man before his time! I just wanted to share an epiphany with you that I discovered after a long session of mixed results with real gold leafing. Krylon Gold Leafing pens. I have found that if the surface is clean, smooth and free of debris, using these pens creates an incredible result that will make you never go back. Hope it helps!

John you might really enjoy seeing what they are doing over in the FB group.

I do make all the stuff with my Explore Air and don't have the Maker yet. The Maker came out about a year after I got my Explore Air. I have a few blogland friends who had repeated issues with it, so decided to wait for it's upgrade to be released before I bought it to give them a chance to work out all of the bugs. In that time, I learned how to make mine work for what I needed it to do. I experimented a lot and watched endless YouTube videos. I may still get the Maker, but I'm not in a hurry. A laser cutter is higher on my wish list, but the good ones are still $7K!!! I was invited to join the FB group about a month ago, and the creativity there is inspiring! Plus, everyone shares their .svg files so that's really nice. The most beneficial things about using the Cricut in minis is the ability to make clean, precision cuts and make your own kits where everything fits together perfectly. Chipboard and cardboard once gesso'ed is as good as basswood imo.