MaryKate

Hi everyone, The heat may be affecting my judgment; I've recently bought several lots of House of Miniatures kits and while I haven't had time to build any of them (or work on the houses they'll go into), I keep dreaming about how I'll finish them and use them when the time comes. I'd love to hear (or see, if you have photos up!!) examples of what you all have done with these or other furniture kits (I'm really tempted by the Realife Library Kit, if I can find one at a reasonable price)--especially if you've kitbashed them, either slightly or drastically. The thing about buying lots of HOM kits is you get many fun things, but there's almost always a clock involved as well*, and while I have a lot of houses planned, not all of them need a traditional grandfather clock. I'm thinking about steampunking one of them somehow, but I'd also love ideas for completely different (i.e., non-clock) ways to use the components of that kit. Between my recent purchases and some stuff I've inherited, I have at least 4 grandfather clock kits (HOM & Chrysnbon). I'll probably take just the top part of one of them and make a mantle clock; my dad has made one for each of his 7 children, so at least one of my houses needs a mini version. (* I remember, as a kid, wanting to sign up for the HOM kit of the month club or whatever that was; I read those ads word for word and drooled, so I know the reason there are so many clock kits floating around is that it was often the "free gift" for joining.) Oh, and seriously, how many candle stands and fire screens does any miniaturist need?? There has to be something fun I can make with some of those pieces! Is there any way to turn a fire screen into a book stand? I have at least 3 houses that could use one. I'm planning to use some of the cabinet tops to make kitchen cupboards, and will probably turn at least one of the chests of drawers into a vanity for a bathroom sink. But I want to get even more creative than that. So help me dream! What have you done, or planned to do, with your furniture kits?

Hi David, I LOVE the Children's Museum in Indy! We took my niece and nephew there last year and could have stayed for several days. I can see where the dollhouses there would be inspirational. Have fun building your new house--and don't be afraid to ask questions. People here are exceedingly helpful.

So I have a few other projects I need to complete before I can get back to any of my dollhouses, but I'm pondering something. One of those projects I need to finish is cleaning out my garage, and yesterday I came across an old metal and glass mobile that was rusted and hopelessly tangled. I salvaged the glass pieces, and one of them is a deep blue disk with a raised design on it. It's about 2.5" in diameter and 1/4" thick around the rim, which is the thickest part. I'm wondering if I could use it as a window, especially under an eave or gable. One possibility: cut an opening the window's size and glue it in, then frame it out. I don't know if a wall of one of the Greenleaf/Corona kits could actually support it over time, though: it's relatively heavy so if I did this it would probably be in one of my other houses. Second possibility: because of the way the mobile was constructed, there are holes drilled into the rim to hold the wire. I wonder if I could somehow "pin hinge" it (into a structure with 3/8" thick walls at least) so that it would "open" by turning/spinning. I don't know if I can explain exactly what I mean, but I'm really tempted to try because heck, how funky would that be? Now I just have to figure out which house it would fit into best... ...or start a whole new project just to feature that window. :)

There's a partially finished Beacon Hill for $50 in Omaha; no stairs and openings for them were patched over. https://omaha.craigslist.org/clt/d/unfinished-beacon-hill/6213277846.html

Carmen, I want you to know that I understand what you're feeling and no, it's not right. But you're not alone, and if there's any way I can help, or stand up for you (or anyone else who's threatened or bullied), please tell me and I will. I am a wimp when it comes to defending myself, but as a former elementary teacher, I will go mama tiger on bullies.

Thank you, so much.

You are certainly not alone. In addition to national worries, a friend of mine died on Wednesday, and the only thing I've been able to write was an essay in her memory that I finally got down this morning. As far as miniatures, I keep telling myself I'll feel better if I do something, anything, so I've been making myself do tiny steps on the barn for my nephew. Even it's as simple as gluing on the doorknobs, when I'm done I can say there's one thing to check off, one thing finished that wasn't yesterday. I don't have a lot of inspiration, but there's a tiny bit of satisfaction in getting that one thing done. I've also forced myself outside to do yard work and get some fresh air and exercise. And, as Sable said, I've spent some time tuning out. Watched all of The Crown on Netflix this week and my favorite rom com of all time, Return to Me, today. Watched Lin-Manuel Miranda on Ellen's show and laughed for the first time in days. Baby steps. And know we're here for you.

Hi Amy, I'm coming at this late, been away for a bit, but if you (or anyone else) do decide to do something, send me a message or let me know. I used to do miniatures with my fourth grade students, both as part of math class and as extra after school "just for fun" classes. It's been a while, but I can fill you in on some of the projects and techniques we did that always worked well, even with kids as young as 9-10. Though it can be time consuming, it's totally possible to make some great minis with them--you just have to do some pre-planning and understand what level they're ready to work at.

I can't tell if/how this opens up to get to the rooms inside, and it's far too big for any space I have, but WOW is it a gorgeous piece of woodworking: http://omaha.craigslist.org/clt/5837692402.html

When you want to make your real house look like a dollhouse... ;) Very cool!

I've made costumes for several of my nieces and nephews over the years, and this year I'm making a Wonder Woman costume for my sister's 1yo and helped my mom make a cape so her 5yo brother could be "Captain John Deere," a superhero of his own invention. Since I'm dressing the superheroes, I'm thinking of putting something together so I can go as Edna Mode, the costumer from The Incredibles. I have some big round black glasses and should be able to put the rest of it together from my closet, maybe with a tape measure around my neck. Pretty sure nobody but me will actually get it, but that's okay. Like they used to say in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 writers' room, "We don't ask if everyone will get our jokes. We say, 'The right people will get it.'"

Okay, I'm looking more closely, and I think I overreacted! There are similarities, especially the bay, but the dormer/gable is kind of a big difference. Oh, well. I spent so l iong wondering if I'd dreamed the book our house came from, I was excited and jumped the gun. At any rate, you have a great find there. Best of luck in your rehab!

Jamie! Hi, and welcome. I think I know that house! Back in the very late 80s, my dad and I made a house for my sister, who was 7 at the time, from plans in a book called "How to Build and Furnish a Dollhouse for $100 or Less" by Patricia Maidment. (Here's a link to a copy on Amazon.) The book has you build the house out of heavy duty corrugated cardboard, but Dad used wood from our old kitchen cabinets. So if your model is made from wood and heavy as sin...it could very well be the same one. We got the book at the library and it disappeared from their shelves about a year after we returned it, and I couldn't remember the title or much about it until I went on a dedicated Google search this spring and finally found it. It's the front facade, the room layout, and what I think is a bay window on one side?, that's giving it away for me. It looks like whoever built yours put in some lovely custom touches, like the siding and shingles. I recently rehabbed that house for my sister's kids. I don't have a lot of great pics of it yet, but here are a handful I took while the reno was in progress. Let me know if you think I'm seeing things!

Yup, I love your Orchid so much and I really liked that idea for frosting the windows. One of those things that makes me giggle when it works because I'm just so delighted at how easy it is to get the result I wanted. Thanks again! I have not had any mini time yet this week, and it's not looking likely until the weekend. But my sister and I got tickets to see Hamilton in Chicago next spring and I am so happy I'm about to take flight. I think it was a year ago this week they released the cast album and I became an instant fan (or, as we sometimes say, the trash of the thing). That I get to see it performed live is just--I'm over the moon. I should figure out some Hamilton-related minis to scatter through my projects...

I spent the last three days working on a new front door for my Orchid, adapting this tutorial from Minis by Kris to fit the size and style I wanted. Had to make a second jamb when I realized how thick the door I made was going to be, but I can always use the original one for another door. I found out about the tutorial here in the forum, so thanks to all who've mentioned it! It didn't take 3 full days, of course, but there was a lot of time between steps waiting for glue and paint to dry, and I'd wander off and get involved in other things for long periods. I also cut new windows for the house from plexiglass. For the front door window, I made "leading" by going over 1/16" drafting tape with a silver sharpie (I just laid pieces down on wax paper and colored them with the marker, then let them dry) and applying the tape to both sides of the plexiglass. I borrowed an idea from Linda (thank you!!) and coated both sides of the now-leaded plexiglass in clear nail polish, stippling it with the brush, to get a frosted look. It protects the tape and helps hold it on. I'll try to get some pictures up later, if only so I remember what I did. I'm going to have to take a building break for a couple days here and help make Halloween costumes for my niece and nephew. The nephew, who's 5, wants to be "Captain John Deere," a superhero of his own invention, so my mom and I are putting together a yellow and green cape with some kind of logo. The niece is 1 and she's going to be Wonder Woman. Luckily, there's a pattern for that; it'll be niece to just do something by the book for once. ;)

Re: Commenting culture, I was looking back at one of my albums for reference yesterday when I realized several people had left comments over a period of a couple weeks that I didn't know about. In other forums and social media, I'm used to receiving some kind of notification about stuff like that. It's helpful because I can reply, if appropriate, in a timely manner, and that keeps a culture of conversation going. It gives me a reason to keep posting pictures, and responses to comments give other people a reason to continue commenting. So I'm going to try to remember to check for comments in my albums, in hopes it'll keep the cycle going; I can't promise it'll be one hundred percent but I'll try. Thanks, Mike, for the reminder!