Peggy

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.

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!

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.

You are great teachers. Thanks for being so thorough, it helped me too,

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.

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?

What a masterpiece, just beautiful

Love it all, Kathie. You've got the makings of an illustrated children's book -- a best seller I am sure. I am serious, you should check with a few publishers.

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."

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.

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.