Nancy in Renton

Tracy, what method did you use for the rock exterior?

Another question, I'm thinking of putting a bathroom upstairs. Do you think a tub will fit in the corner behind the stairwell? I was thinking of extending the wall out to allow sink, tub and toilet. (With the opening toward you), against the wall to the left. Although, looking at your Heather's Merchantile, maybe the opposite wall and to the right of the window would be better.

Thanks Tracy, I have MS and felt that it would be difficult for me to get into the space to prime after assembly. Basically I have limited use of my left hand and no strength, very little grip. That is why I picked the Brimble, it seems more open. If what you say about the wood expanding is true, I better not prime first, I'll have a hard enough time as it is.

I have never built a dollhouse before. I got the new laser cut Brimble's Merchantile. I've read through the instructions, read the nitty gritty, looked over the pieces (being careful not to take them out of their sheet). I'm afraid to start. I have real house paint with primer that I got at Home Depot. My plan was to paint each sheet of pieces before anything else. Lifting the sheets, I see how loose the pieces are, I'm not sure this will work. Should I paint both sides and then write on it with pencil to start? My first question is how do I tell which side of the piece is the inside and which is the outside? One side looks rougher grain, the other smoother. Especially if I paint it, how will I know which is which? Nancy

I like the idea of a database, by name. In the meantime, sometimes you can search webshots with the name and find pictures. Some even show in progress photos. The problem is that lots of dollhouses are named common names and your search gets "vacationers to the city" or "kids goofing off" that have the same name. And, of course, the words doll house can bring up items that verg on p-o-r-n, so you have to be ready to click and close FAST ;).

Some people that set up stores on eBay order their inventory as sales happen. This is against the rules. Report them to eBay, enough complaints and they'll be stopped. If they state they have so many items to sell, they HAVE to have that to be in compliance with the rules. I ordered something from a vendor who stated "items available - 7", then got an email telling me they were on order and that this happens from time to time. I debated so long on if or not to give feedback that it went past the 90 days. Now that I see what happened to you, I am sorry I let that happen. Fear of retaliation shouldn't have kept me from telling the truth.

My friend is building a castle from scratch. More in our budget :wub: , I'd guess: http://tinyurl.com/35zfxs

I don't know if it'll help you decide. Whenever I want to look at pictures of dollhouses, I do one of the following: 1- go to webshots.com and search the name with the word dollhouse behind it. 2- go to Google, search the name, word dollhouse. Then click "Images". It brings up pictures of things that could be helpful. Of course you are looking at words that are common in the web world, so you'll also get people or places with the name. That's why it's helpful to look at images. Nancy

This didn't work for me. This About.com is so filled with pop-ups that it's irritating to do any type of seaching around, so I may just give up. Or maybe I'll try later. What comes after od/recycleyour in the above link?

What does it mean "you've all won" ??

I'm working on a 1/2" scale bed kit before I start the bashing of another 1/2' scale kit. It's a banquet table, but I want it to be a kitchen table. I have plenty of time to mess with it because it is for a workshop I'm taking by the Two Guys from Texas. It's a canister (sugar I think) with a kitchen inside. It has a place for a kitchen table and another room with a wall niche for a telephone. So, I'll probably need a chair to go there. I'm also working on a custom shower curtain that I've been commissioned. She wants white, it's for a clawfoot bathtub.

We've slowed down on Christmas decorating at our house. It's jus the two of us, seldom visitors on normal days, let alone holidays. My grown children live in other states. The last 2 years our tree was something miniature, setting on a table (I have a 1/2 circle table against the wall). Whatever wrapped presents we have go under the tree. Litterly, lift up the tree, set it on top of the gift pile. DH and I are pretty self spoiled and if we need something, we get it at the moment. (In October???). My son in the Navy always says "what do you want for Christmas". It's a big deal to them and they insist on sending presents. Since he's hoping one day to be a preacher, last year I told him to donate to a missionary family and not send presents. Oh well, they sent presents any way. (Can't change the adults idea of Christmas giving, it's part of DIL family traditions.) Here's a picture of the roombox from year before last, lights on. Nancy

The method I plan to use to wallpaper my dollhouse is to cut templates (before assembling the house) of poster board. Then wallpaper the poster board and attach it to the walls with YES glue. I've been told you can do the walls of a house that's already built by using wax paper to make the templates of poster board, then cut the wallpaper to fit. The wax paper bends easily and you can use a stylus to make creases in the right place. You can also use fabric with tiny print and attach it to poster board with double sided carpet tape.

I've also seen tin ceiling style tiles as a backsplash. In fact, there's one at Dorian's house on One Life To Live. Those would be easier to make. I also think the front side of a counter or bar. Like at a soda fountain.