Peggy
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Posts posted by Peggy
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To me, it was like an obsession while working on the Orchid. I planned my day budgeting my time to be with it, to work on it. A lot of days I spent 8-10 hours. And I planned my shopping to find accessories for it, both in shops and on the net. I even dreamed about it. Ebay and all the Mini sites stayed at the top of my "Bookmark" list. Since I had no clue what I was really doing, I bought furniture and other items that never quite fit in. I, too, bought tools that I do not know how to use. I created a whole work room in my house for my little Orchid and all the supplies I have left over -- it is like a mini warehouse.
So I either junk it all or build another house. Plan to start right after Christmas! This time I hope to curb the obsession -- to plan better before I buy, stop impulsively grabbing every cute thing I see. More than the buying, this time I do not want to be so compulsive about just getting it done. It will be still be there after I do more important things like spending time with friends and family, doing my charity work and so on, RIGHT? I am retired now and never had a hobby while working and raising a family. I think I may deserve a hobby now but also want to stay involved in the "real" world. Hopefully I can rope myself in while working on my next little house.
P.S. Maybe I am still obsessed. Seems every time I go out to do a little Christmas shopping I come home with a little something for the Orchid -- I never before noticed all those adorable mini Christmas accessories -- THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AND SO HARD TO RESIST!
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The talk about the saws really intrigued me. I found the Rockwell on Ebay new for $74.90 http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/332045735315?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true. I think I want one, but like you asked, "what would you buy IF you had a $100.
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You are great teachers. Thanks for being so thorough, it helped me too,
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It is a beauty. Show us more as you make more. I like the idea of making furniture rather than buying ready made but so far have only made a simple bed.
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Finally finished the Orchid (it is in my album). I tried to post it here but somehow it did not load. Anyway, I have a RGT Beachside Bungalow waiting to be opened. Now I see there is a Beachside Classic that I like much better. Others, I read, have bashed the one I have into what appears to be the classic but I doubt my skill level is advanced enough for that. My plans for it are not to be built on the beach. To me it looks like a cabin overlooking a fishing lake, with woods for hiking all around it. Should I just exchange the one I have for the classic? I think I'd have to order on-line, I do not remember seeing the Classic at Hobby Lobby so would lose the 40% off. What do you think? Would the classic be worth it?
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What a masterpiece, just beautiful
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Thanks for pic, Kathie. You are right, of course. My real house is brick, and when I study it, it is not absolutely precise or uniform (not quite like your pic though), and it does give it character.
Rbytsdy, wow, what an album of houses you have! Your orchid is wonderful -- love everything. I wish I had done all my exterior trim white like yours. What an imagination you must have to think of the chimney. Everyone of your houses is full of such creativity. Do you mind if I try to mimic your Orchid porch? -- you know what they say, something like "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery."
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I finally figured out the bay window, finished cutting out the brick and did the dirty wash. Just picked up all the paint colors that Linda recommended in her tutorial and ready to start. The picture I am showing hopefully describes what I am saying I learned: 1) it was not until the bottom of this last side that I think I truly got the technique of drawing the bricks. I had been kind of dragging the tool to make the lines which created lumps and bumps and a bunch of mortar to be cleaned. FINALLY it came to be that Linda said to "INDENT" (not dig and drag). So the bottom half looks much better than the rest of the house. Also, next time I will be more careful when I roll the clay and lay it on the house. Some clay was a bit thicker than other places and it created waves in the house, not terrible, but could have been prevented. Live and learn. Next time I will do a better job. Off I go to paint!! Excited.
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Thank you for the subject. Because my 48-year-old son's life has been severely altered due to depression, combined with swings of mania, I have immersed myself into the world of NAMI (www. NAMI.org). They have national, state, and county chapters throughout the United States and around the world. This organization's mission is to educate and advocate for the millions of people and their families who suffer with mood and thought disorders -- everything from mild clinical depression to schizophrenia. So much of their effort is centered on the goal of stopping the stigma that is associated with chemical imbalances -- to lead to the understanding that mental health conditions are illnesses, just like cancer or diabetes, and ought to be treated as such. So all discussion and openness should be welcome.
That being said, I want to caution too much political debate here; there are other sites for that. I will not respond to this conversation after this because I do not want to argue or debate political points. Just suffice it that there are two sides and when one side is being favored, the other side has hurt feelings of being misunderstood. Afterall, millions of Americans lived with being the "outsiders" the last 8 years. I know personally that although my immediate family is multi-racial and multi-ethnic, political views were misinterpreted as being racially motivated and bigoted. It hurt then and it hurts now.
So may we please keep this a "safe" place, share out hobby (and yes it is a great mood lifter and a healthy outlet), and at least here in this place do what we can to unite, accept our differences, and know that MOST of us truly do have good intentions? What unites us is greater than what divides us. I like what Mike said, "Our country is greater than any one man".
Like I said, I will not continue the conversation about political issues and I hope I am not shunned here because of mine but if I am, so be it, and I will move on.
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Kathie, what a great blog you have -- it is now in my favorites list to be studied. I will do my best with the painting, it has been too much work to be ruined by messing up now. Erin, here is Linda's tutorial on bricking. When you get there, look it up as she went through it (Day one, Day 2, Day 3 - etc.) http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=blog&module=blogs&controller=entry&id=756 She is an awesome teacher!!
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I think you are right, I wanted all brick from the start so will work toward that goal. Kathy, thanks for info on the brushes, I never thought of nail brushes and will try them. But if you look at Linda's brick tutorial, the first paint kind of gets "slopped" on. The following coats are more defined.
Holly, the bricks so far are "Creative Paper Clay", natural white, which I can only find on line. My Hobby Lobby does not have it. They have other clay but I am afraid to switch because of the blending I will have to do. I did buy from Hobby Lobby a "Crayola Air-Dry-Clay". Playing with it, it looks the same but do not know how it will hold up over time. I have read NOT to use the Crayola Magic Clay but this is not "Magic", just says "Air-Dry". Has anyone used it?
I will try the frog tape when I paint. I have used it in real life and it is better than painters tape, like you say, but nothing seems fool proof. Thanks all, for your kind words and encouragement.
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Well, after almost memorizing LPCullen's tutorial on bricking, I dived in and the pictures show it in the drying process. Notice I bricked only 1/2 of the sides. Two reasons: (1) I am not sure I have enough clay to finish (but have mail ordered more), and (2), I am still working on the bay window (really beating me up but I think I understand it now). Linda recommends bricking around the windows installed.
What do you think? When (if) I get that bay window in, will I be able to blend the bricks and just continue where I stopped? Thinking maybe I should use a trim as a divider and start the new brick under it. Or, maybe I should use siding instead of bricking it. Here in Ohio, a lot of houses are bricked in the front and have vinyl siding on the rest of the house. My own, though, is all red brick and I sort of planned to make it look like mine. My big problem, though, is how in the world do I paint it without getting the windows and door dirty? I have to paint right up to the trim and I am not sure taping it all will do the trick? Maybe I should just leave it white.
Any ideas? Thank you.
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Debra said, "It will probably come to you in the middle of the night". She was right. I woke up with some insight that I had not had before which includes, like Holly says, spackling and filling in the gaps. For now, at least all the major pieces are glued and waiting to dry. Also have the gable and dormers ready to go. Going to work on the porch. It is so nice to be able to share. I was feeling a bit alone with my frustration till I shared with you all so thanks so much for your input.
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Thank you, Holly.
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I continue to work on my little Orchid and it is showing a little progress. At the moment, I have prepared the dormers, am working on the front door BUT I am totally stuck on the bay window. The illustrated instructions are not sinking into this wee brain of mine so I am giving it a rest and doing things that do not take as much brain power. I plan to follow LPCullen's tutorial to brick it trying to make it look like my real house. Wish me luck and patience. Thanks all for all the great help I find here on the forum.
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Your food is so realistic, makes me hungry. I also checked out your album and love the Buttercup, the smoke coming from the chimney is just beyond impressive. Thanks for sharing.
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I am constantly amazed at how talented and creative people who work this hobby are. Every inch of this house is beautiful.
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Looking through your gallery, Linda, especially the Orchid, it is hard to imagine you having a hard time. I saw your Orchid before I got mine and it was one of the reasons I got it. Yours is so beautiful. I am still working at getting all that glue off the windows and house where I made my big boo-boo -- what a bear! Oh, Holly, I did dry fit the windows before I glued them to the house and even doing that, I did not see my mistake. Pressing on, though, I am working on floors, wall-papering, etc. Eventually, I plan to follow LPCullen's tutorial and brick the outside, a huge project for a newbie like me, but I want to make it sort of like my real house and that is the look. Thanks for the encouragement and letting me know I can work through my mistakes.
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As an aside, yesterday I started my 1st album here on the Forum of my 1st build, the Vermont Farm House which my niece and I put together in less than 2 weeks for her grand daughter's birthday. It is not much to look at and I did not know it would be automatically posted for all to see so sorry I took up space with it. But I did appreciate that the house is sturdy enough for a 6-year-old to actually play with. And that house is what led me to this Forum and everything I see here gave me the bug to try something more creative which led me to THE ORCHID.
I have been working on it over a week. It is challenging, sometimes overwhelming, but it draws me like a magnet to keep moving on step after step. Boy was I proud when I figured out the double hung windows, painted them all, glued everything good and tight to the frames. THEN I tried gluing them to the house and nothing I did could get them to lay flush to the house -- something was wrong but for the life of me I could not figure out what and the illustrated instructions I downloaded from here (which are so much better than what came with the kit) were not helping. Finally, after much searching I found this tutorial on "The Gazette" :
http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/AUG2008/Dollhouse-Windows.html Finally, something even I could understand. Of course I have to disassemble what I already did and I've created myself a real mess, but I think I can do it now. All of you post such master pieces, maybe I will post something like "What NOT to do" HA HA Thanks for all the help I am finding here.
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Just staying in touch to say that I opened the Orchid and have pondered it a few days. My first house was the RGT Vermont which was challenging. The Orchid is beyond challenging. Without seeing the pictures of completed ones here on the Forum I would think it was impossible. It all seems so flimsy compared to the RGT. How everyone turned them into the master pieces I see here is just beyond me at the moment. I wanted to do a dry fit of the complete house but that doesn't even look possible. As I study the pieces and instructions, it seems some pieces are missing, too, but they may show themselves as I move along. For now, I spend more time looking at everyone else's creations than I do trying to do my own. Wish I could sit with some of you one on one to see just how you do your amazing stuff!
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Thanks for telling me about Linda's album. Just amazing what the did. The floors are especially spectacular, the roof is gorgeous, I love it all. She has set a high standard but also an inspiring one.
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Thanks Everyone. I just got home with my new Orchid Kit from Hobby Lobby for $34.99 and 40% off that as Minime (above) told me. What a great deal! I can't wait and will try to show all of you how I do, succeed or fail. Want to take my time, enjoy, and make it special. I will, however, keep my eyes open for a rehab. In real life, before retirement, I was a Realtor and also did some rehabbing to real houses on the side, so the idea of finding a neglected miniature really appeals to me. There is something especially good about bringing a house back to life. For now, I know I will have lots of questions. So glad I have found all of you.
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Thank you for your replies. It was so helpful to know the name. The Orchid kit sells for only $39.00 from Greenleaf so I think if I have my choice between already being built and building my own, I would rather build my own so will know its quality, etc. Thanks so much, you guys made that an easy decision.
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Could someone help me id this house?. It is on Craigslist for $34.00 and they say is a Greenleaf. I am a new member here and still learning my way around. Not even sure if I am posting this correctly. My original plan was to buy a new Greenleaf but now thinking this may be a good remodel project. It is all Gothic on the inside which is not my style at all. What do all of you experienced and talented people think?
Not too bad for a first attempt
in General Mini Talk
Posted
I know nothing about the technical stuff. To me it is amazing that you can see real furniture and build a mini. Looks wonderful to my untrained eyes.