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MC

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About MC

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  • Dollhouse Building Experience
    One
  • Real Name
    Charmayne

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  1. I'm now on to my third dollhouse, and unlike the first two which were purchased kits, this doll house is a rescue!! Found on a street curb, it was really in pretty good shape. The original builder did a good job constructing the house; the shingles are a lesson in perfection; the painting and wallpaper show a better than average understanding of how to handle these tasks; floorings were in good shape and installed with double sided tape. Yes, there are a few loose shingles, the door is broken along with the porch. Biggest problem is the outside wall are dado cuts to mimic siding and the builder reversed the front and glued the siding side inside rather than outside. That will be easily remedied with Greenleaf siding strips. This will soon be the Farmhouse I envision. But I desperately want to replace the windows. The large front windows are a bit smaller than standard size--I'll enlarge opening to accept new windows. However, the dormer windows are rectangular rather than square and an irregular size. I have not been able to identify the dollhouse, so there is no chance of finding manufacturer to see if there is a more current window style available. I am now faced with going where I haven't gone before and building my own windows. Any suggestions or words of advice out there?
  2. You'd think I could wire a dollhouse if I can teach 4th graders how to build series and parallel circuits along with electromagnets and how to make a light with a dill pickle, but the brass brad have me beat. I've gone through nearly 100 brads and only have 3 junctions created. They represent nearly 6 hours of work. Any tips on getting those brads into basswood walls? l started with the requisite dollhouse tools: 1/8" brass brads, tape wire, pilot hole punch, brad placement tool,small brass hammer, transformer, junction splice, and lead-in wire. Got the junction slice in and working, but from then on it's been more frustration than the presidential election! Brads bend, fall out of tool, won't go in-- so I moved up to tiny needle nose pliers. Brads bend, fall out of pliers, won't go in-- so I tried using a push pin for pilot holes and that worked a bit better, and I got one junction done. Then had difficulty with next one. Started using larger hammer with mixed success. Have tried small drill hole--creates a loose fit of brad. Tried holding brad with fine tweezers, and the brads bend worse. I know it should get easier with practice, but 6 hours seems like it should produce about a junction every 30-45 minutes. Am I being unrealistic? How long should it take? My husband thinks a larger single brad should work. I have 3/8 " brass plated brads which will work without puncturing the walls, but they are brass plated. What has worked for you? What advice can you share? I built full size kitchen cabinets with less frustration, and you really can light up a dill pickle.
  3. I'm fed up with the tiny miter box and the craft knife for cutting wood! That's what happens when you are used to using the full size saw in the garage. But that much power and size isn't safe when cutting trim and tiny pieces for furniture for my dollhouse. My sweet husband says he'll buy me a table saw for my birthday suitable for dollhouse construction. (He bought me the full size saw when I learned to build cabinets for my pantry.) I've been researching small scale table saws on the Internet, and they all have their positive and negative reviews. I haven't read anything that is swaying me one way or the other. (Yeah, I'm a woman who can't make up her mind!) So, what saws are you using and recommend?
  4. MC

    Siding arrived today.

    I'm starting my Orchid kit and fell in love with what you built. It's inspirational. I do have a couple of questions I hope you will answer. I'm going to add siding, and I am curious about whether you use sheet siding or strips. Did you build the window that came with the Orchid kit or upgrade the Windows?
  5. I've just started constructing The Orchid. It is the second dollhouse I've built. I joined the forum hoping to find some tips for quick construction and creative decor as this project is to be a fundraising donation for the annual Boys and Girls Club Auction in April. So far, Ivelearned a lot from others on this site.
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