enchanted

Thank you all for all the help. I've decided to just give my little boy part of the odds and ends and just store the extra odd furniture in case I get another house some day.

I got a huge 20 pound box of furniture in the mail yesterday, I mean HUGE. It was a lot of furniture that is comprised of over 20 years worth of collecting. Hubby won it on eBay to furnish my Emerson Row rehab and my Harrison that awaits not so patiently in the box. Problem is many of the pieces were broken. We were able to glue most of them back together with super glue because wood glue wouldn't grab hold on the stained surfaces but some pieces we couldn't fix . Question # 1 : Is it possible to put a darker stain/finish over a light blonde finish without having to strip the old finish off? One of the dry sinks has so many delicate areas I'm afraid trying to take it to bare wood would really destroy it. Question # 2 : Is there any sort of tutorial DIY project on dressing beds? The lot came with 3 gorgeous bedroom suites and they need some fancying up in the worst ways. Question # 3 : There are several plastic (maybe chrysnbon) dish sets included that have layers of aweful paint caked on them, what is the best way to remove craft type paints that have set on for possibly 10+ years? And lastly is there a place on this site where a person could offer up odd things for donation? I thought about taking some of the things to goodwill but worry they will make it to good homes (isn't that nuts, worrying over doll furniture?) shoot me I am a hormonal mess.

Krasivaya (Kruh-see-vay-yuh) it's russian for beautiful :thumb:

I have been working like a maniac on this wee little house. In the beginning I hadn't planned on doing much with this house then something took hold of me and made me pour love into it. I'm far from finished and there are so may other things I still wish to do on it but there are pics of what is done so far in my album. Emerson Row Rehab

After a zillion lil bits of hot glue being scraped off and the whole house getting a good glue job I'm finally making some progress. The only casualties to date have been the window above the front door tearing apart and the staircase so coated with hot glue it was beyond salvage. Dear hubby said we could order a prettier staircase for it or just leave it out altogether. I ordered crown moldings and baseboards and eagerly await their delivery but have some questions. Is it best to paint the walls after these are installed or before? Is it better to paint/stain the moldings before or after installation? I read on here before that painted surfaces don't take well to glue so I'm kinda confused on if I should hold off on painting and wallpapering just yet. Any help you folks can offer would be most appreciated.

I finally got the roof torn down and all the hot glue removed and most of the liquid nails scraped off from my Emerson Row rehab. After regluing it there were some pretty sizable gaps in the front areas. I used small bass woods strips to strengthen a couple areas so the wood glue would acually have something to adhere to. Now I need to figure out a good gap filler to fill in the voids. I tried wood filler putty and it just doesn't want to stick Could something like tile grout or spackling compound be used to fill these in and reinforce the areas even more? Oh and what is a good way to patch holes? there are a couple of doozies on this gal, looks like she was dropped or maybe hit with something sharp once upon a time.

Lynette I use a syringe to get glue into tight spaces, it also cuts down on drips. Look in your Walmart's kitchen accesories area for something called a 'flavor injector' (not sure what brand they may have) it's a big type syringe thingy used to inject roasts and such with seasoning. I got one for a couple of dollars and cut the tip of the needle off, just put your glue in it and tada you have a nifty wood glue injector :groucho:

My boy and I have been having a blast with some saws! We took a long hard look at the Emerson and decided to do surgery! Well the little awkward basement floor is gone, hacked that fella right on off. Now that we are liking the way the house feels we've decided to change the roof line too. Instead of the plain flat area on the top we're going to build it up, kinda hard to explain what one see's in their mind's eye but I'll take photo's along the way. Long story short the Emerson Row we brought home has faded away and given birth to the Ottinger Manor.

Ok, after finally finding out it would take maybe 2 months to get the Willow I ordered I had a good cry, cancelled the order and ran to an antique shop here in town and bought a much abused Emerson Row that I posted about earlier(it was built with hot glue and starting to fall apart). Ok things were going well, my new toy was paid for and we were carrying it to the car... ROARRR WHOOOOSHHHH big wind, I mean BIG BIG wind blowing outside, hubby is made of steel cause he never toppled, lost hold of the house or anything... shewww... pop the trunk, tilt ER to lay it on it's back in the trunk for the journey home and bammo the danged roof fell right off! I had that aweful sinking feeling in my belly for it seems like an eternity but was only maybe 5 seconds in reality until my son helped pick the roof up and what do ya know, IT WASN'T DAMAGED! Seems I got one of those 'convertible' model ER's which is kinda a good thing it keeps me from having to struggle with a brush to paint inside So I'm sitting here wondering what this house wishes to be. The lil doll that lives in my Orchid thinks it would be a nice 'city' home for her to stay in with her 2 lady friends. (Seems Miss Orchid is a real estate hog, she's claimed the ER for her 'city' home and the Harrison we are ordering as her 'chalet' in the mountains, she so cracks me up.) Once we get the ER structurally sound I have no idea what to do with it's decor or paint. I just want to go simple with it, maybe a quiet understated elegance. Have you wonderful folks got any ideas on colors for the exterior or decor ideas for the interior? My brain is frazzled. I'm still pretty bummed about the Willow but it's for the best in the end because my heart was set on the Harrison in the first place but I was scared to attempt making such a fancy house.

lyme

rock

geisha

sick

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