dbev

Just a note that might interest some...........you can buy just egg cartons from suppliers, sans the eggs (your heart might thank you for that!!). Here is an example (10 cartons aren't too bad...........If you're wealthy and working on a REALLY BIG house, you could go for the 10,500 carton shipment ;) http://www.randallburkey.com/Paper-Egg-Cartons/products/363/

Ah, but there IS, Holly!! A little pricey, but obtainable if you feel you really must have him.............. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AHQENO/?tag=y...sl_62cz3ct7yy_b

Not exactly a dollhouse, but WOW!!!! Worth a look-see! Its a Disney creation - of course. So pretty! http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2009...oridian-resort/

I found aluminum and brass hollow tubes at a train oriented hobby shop. I'm at work and I can't remember the diameter, but I used some for a faucet and I could comfortably run wire thru it. Because it was hollow, it was lightweight easy to cut and bend.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! A bible!!!

As a newbie to this hobby, I rarely have any ideas or advice to offer, but I haven't seen this mentioned, so............ Perforated Paper (or even better), Plastic Perforated Paper is a great scale for doing needlepoint rugs. My mom made a number of them when she was doing her dollhouse years ago. The great thing about the plastic is that it holds it's shape and doesn't have to be blocked, but the scale is very small and tight and they have little bulk so they lay quite well. I bought some of the plastic recently, but haven't found a pattern yet...................... I love the rugs shown here. Especially Holly's. The colors are stunning and rich. I'm inspired to get one started after reading this thread!!!

Recently, I used the liquid starch idea with my mom's Orchid. With my level of expertise, I felt safer using a method that could easily be removed :welcome: It worked quite well, actually. We put it directly on the primed wall, even turning corners without cutting. It stuck easily but remained movable to jockey it into position. It was pretty easy to smush out bubbles and when dry, it was stiff and easy to trim with an exacto. Additionally, it leaves sort of a mat finish on the wall that would allow you to gently wipe it down with a wet cloth. Best of all, if you hate it, you can tear them off, wipe the wall, wash the fabric and try another method. No harm done. (In RL, I once bought quite a bit of yardage super cheap of a printed sheer. I tried sticking the panels directly to two of my windows that faced the neighbors where I wanted light and some visibility, but not so easy to look into. I used liquid starch and they really stayed okay for several years, even with a little condensation on the windows. When the edges began to peel away, I'd slop a bit more starch and kept it going. When they looked a little dirty I tore them down and washed the windows and the panels and we were back to new. I probably could have put the panels back up, but were tired of them by then.)

It is perhaps fate that you mention this at this time, Jeremy. I have a story to relate: I work in a small law office with 2 attorneys and 2 secretaries. The other attorney, not the one I work for, is a strapping 43-year old who is a tall, robust, athletic, physically active man .......an award-winning golfer, tennis player, walker. This last Monday, the 15th, he apparently had some mild chest discomfort. Wrote it off as heartburn from some recent gastro troubles. Wife gave him anti-acids and they ignored it. On Tuesday, he came to the office, went to a brief court hearing, came back for some appointments and went behind his closed door to finish some work. And collapsed. By the time we realized he was uncharacteristically late to meet with his waiting client, a half hour or so had elapsed. When we found him laying behind his desk, he looked horrible and his color was ghastly. I did chest compressions while waiting for the EMTs, but I knew it was too late. Massive coronary. Could he have been saved IF he'd not ignored the warning signs and gotten a medical evaluation the night before?........ ......that's what his poor wife is left wondering now. He leaves behind a stunned community, grieving parents, a beautiful wife and 3-yr-old daughter who absolutely adored him. The moral you need to take from this is simple. Take this gifted warning and use it wisely! GO TO A DOCTOR, ANY DOCTOR, NOW! Don't wait for another episode, possibly incapacitating or fatal. Listen to your wife and go now. You don't want your wife to be where his wife is at this very moment...at the funeral home wondering all the "what ifs" and "if onlys" that come with this kind of senseless, preventable tragedy. Check into this now.........please......so your forum family doesn't have to nag you daily along with your wife.......

Oooooohhhh, I've always loved the McKinley! I'm new at this hobby myself and I also bought a McKinley to start with. I think it's a marvelous first house - it's a perfect size and the hanging factor makes it so easy to find room for it! So far (knock wood), it's not been too hard to build. I'm not too far along with it, but I'm thinking and planning all the time, so I hope I can pull off what I envision. Good luck with yours! I'll post pics of mine when there's enough there to show progress. Hope you do the same! Enjoy!!!

I have prepared the parts for the staircase in the McKinley.....construction looks like it should be a no-brainer (although I don't think I have enough flexibility and body parts to hold it all together while the glue dries :w00t: ). However, in setting it all up and fitting it together, it appears that the risers are all a tad bit shorter than the stairs - so when it gets stood up against the wall, there will be a gap between the wall and each riser!!!??? Because this seems to be true with all the risers, it leads me to believe that this novice builder is doing something wrong. I'm inclined to just sand down each step a bit to they are all the same length, but thought it best to get some pro advise before destroying the staircase.... Any thoughts on what I've done wrong?????

I'm not quite at the rug-making stage yet, since I haven't even finished my floors yet :w00t: , but these are really, gorgeous! It made me remember that years ago, my mom had done a number of lovely rugs for her dollhouse. She used plastic perforated paper! It's a great gauge and it lies perfectly and there's no blocking or fussing. They worked great!

Oh, absolutely!!! Go for it! I was thinking the same thing when I saw the Glouchester. There is one blog, I'm sure you've seen, following one being done as close to the book descriptions as possible. It's just wonderful. I'd love to do one myself, someday. Hope you dive in....then I can enjoy yours vicariously!!!!

I just found this thread and was surprised to see these Michael Garmen pieces. The name seemed sort familiar and the aged kitchen pic rang a bell with me so I searched through your gallery to see if I could confirm my gut feeling! And there it was..... Years ago, in Hudson, Ohio, I came across a couple of pieces for sale at like a yard sale or outdoor shop sale or something and showed them to my Dad, who loves that sort of artwork....he bought one, a wall hung building facade - "Leroy and Bertha's Bar and Grill". Slightly different than the one in the picture here. There is no figure on the steps, but there is one standing inside looking out the grimey windows. It is a fascinating piece and fabulously aged!!! I'll try and snap a pic next time I'm over there if anyone is interested.

It's good to be surrounded with so many animal people!! Currently my furbabies include an elderly (and ill ) mixed breed spaniel, Sarah, and two Chinese Cresteds, Trixie and Trevor - my not-so-furry furbabies This breed is not very well known (well, except for that Ugly Dog Contest :yes: ), but they are a fabulous pet breed. They do require a fair good bit of time and maintenance........but their personalities make them so worth it! These two are without a doubt the most loving, funniest, sweetest, quirkiest, most bonded-to-us pups I've ever had! The DH was not so sure about getting a small hairless dog at first, but was besotted from the moment he laid eyes on Trixie. Now, he's completely wrapped around those little paws and he instigated getting the second.

Oh my, those are just perfect!!! I am working (ever so slowly) on a McKinley and contemplating a cottage/shabby chic kind of feel. The depth of the living room is only a few inches in front of the fireplace, so I've been wracking my brain as to how to work in a big over-stuffed sofa and then I see these!!!! Thank you!!! Also, as a dog lover, I hate to hear about sick pups. So healing vibes are heading your way from my house. Hope they're back to their tail-wagging selves soon!!!

If you go to that page and click on his home page you will be even more amazed at the vast number of clever things this guy creates. He even has tutorials for things like little scuba divers and fish with imbedded magnets that make them work, a haunted snow globe outhouse and so much more! What a creative, clever and interesting artist! Thanks for the link!!

OMG!!! He is sensational! I love everything about him, from his expression, his stance and his clothes - right down to all the stains from a busy day in the kitchen! Such talent! ^_^ He's perfect......

How charming!!! I love your red room and the little attic bedroom! I'm working on my first house as well and hope I have as much luck with mine!!

Deana, thanks for the quick reply! I didn't really think that 16 lights was too many. I was planning only 1 or 2 lights per room with a fire and a possible light in the upper kitchen cabinet and porch light. Maybe you're right though, it might be too much. I'll think it over carefully and edit if necessary. Holly, sorry to offend. I have been on other forums where you had to tiptoe very carefully if you were asking elemental questions that others thought you should already know the answer to or could easily find in the archives. It's good to know that this group isn't so elitist and difficult to communicate with!!! I'll keep that in mind. But, I know it can be annoying to answer the same questions over and over when the answer could be found with very little digging through old posts. I was only trying to indicate that I had tried to find the answers in old posts and tutorials and elswhere on the net and I couldn't find exactly what I was wondering about. And I certainly do know about the Team McKinley blog. I have devoured it several times and printed it out for reference. Excellent! But it didn't answer the question I was asking, which had to do with whether it is possible to hardwire a house without having the actual fixtures. I am amazed that everyone who does this knows exactly what lamps he/she'll want in every room before the walls are even glued together. I'm not even dead sure what style my house will be yet for sure and I'd hate to have installed brass colonial fixtures and then find out my house wants to be modern!!! I just thought perhaps some lamps could be wired to already installed wires. If not, then I guess I'd better go out and get miles of tapewire and think this through some more. Thank you!

I introduced myself a while back and mentioned that I was buying a used McKinley with missing pieces. I've been working slowly toward building this thing. I've reproduced the missing pieces (with a little help from hubby and a hands on tutorial on scroll saws) and have dryfit the building together. This may not seem like much of an accomplishment to you pros out there, but I'm happy with my progress. I've been reading all your tutorials for ideas and information and in the meantime, I'm making templates of the floors and walls and I'm working on dismantling some Michael's hutches to make kitchen cabinets. At this point, I have to stop stalling and tackle the electricity ;) I've been printing out and reading every bit of info online to try and wrap my head around this process start to finish. I have a small tapewire kit, but I think with this house it seems smart to do a combination of hardwire and tape. I believe I have planned for approximately 16-20 lights and I think I understand how to drill the holes, make the grooves and run the wires after I've glued my shell together. I have truly been trying to research on my own so as not to pester you all with stupid newbie questions....................................................................... ...................... Now for the stupid, newbie question ......... Everything I've read indicates that to hardwire, I have to have all the lamps, chandeliers, sconces, etc. that I'm going to use so that I can run the wires attached to them through the holes and out to the back. I haven't bought the lamps yet!! I'm not even sure what kind I want at this point Is there no way to just run the wires and wire them to the actual fixtures at a later date?? Do I have to plan all my decor and then purchase every fixture before I can construct the house? If so, maybe I have to rethink the tapewire method........more likely, I'm missing something here. I'd so appreciate a little shove in the right direction Help please!!!