Kells
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Posts posted by Kells
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25 minutes ago, fov said:
I've never seen this before, a short Newport: https://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/bab/d/bellmore-real-good-toys-extra-large/7392411299.html
It's funny that the ad calls it an "extra large dollhouse," but maybe they're just taking wording of RGT's site for the regular Newport. I wonder if the house ever shipped this way, or this was a bash? I think it's kind of cute! The Newport never sang to me, but I like this little version.
I love that! I'm with you, the house never did much for me for some reason, but I like what they've done to this. Cute! Chopping down a house is pretty easy. Or at least it is if you do it while still in kit form. I'll eventually be doing it to one of mine to replace the French Quarter house I'm trading for a chateau, but that will get me off topic again!
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19 minutes ago, Kari Lynn said:
So, who out there would easily be able to say no to a free dh that they adore?
I've actually turned down more free dollhouses over the years than I can count and still occasionally do. I don't get offered them as much as I used to. Most, however, were easy to say no to. If badly built or the horrible decorating will require too much work to rehab (full-scale linoleum floors adhered with tar??? Not even kidding), I just don't bother.
I accepted one tab-and-slot house (a Beacon Hill) -- and I will stress this was no fault of Greenleaf!! -- that after a great deal of work eventually ended up on the curb with a big FREE sign on it. I will never, ever take another that isn't cabinet grade plywood but that's just my preference. The Chantilly is a beautiful house, though, and this one sounds like a blank slate. You could always sell or donate it after you've had fun rehabbing it.
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46 minutes ago, Kari Lynn said:
I am allergic to raw woods, mostly pine. At first I thought I was just reactive to Christmas trees because when we would get a real tree for Christmas I would always get slight allergies and was told that the trees can harbor a certain amount of mold spores and that was what was probably affecting me.
I am not allergic to raw wood, thank goodness, but like you I am also allergic to pine trees. Or at least pine needles. Just brushing up against them makes that spot break out in a rash. I grew up right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park so guess how bad that was for me?? Live Christmas trees are never an option. I don't know what I'd do if I were allergic to wood! Suffer through for the sake of dollhouses, probably, haha.
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On 10/6/2021 at 4:14 PM, Elsbeth said:
Make a gallery!
I love the interiors. You don't have to go all rococo with it - you could easily do shabby french country with a little extra ooomph here and there. I'd recoomend looking at the Lea Frisoni book for ideas of how you could furnish it - she does many different styles - I love her french country chic art hoarder style in some of the photos.
Just ideas! I think it's a wonderful unique looking piece.
I finally got around to book shopping. Ordered this book used but in like new condition plus a few others (cheap, cheap cheap!) of French Country, Swedish Style, Gustavian Interiors. ABE Books is one of my favorite sites.
Searching for dollhouse things, of course tons of hits for the Ibsen play. While nothing to do with a doll's house per se, I liked what was on the cover of this edition. Look familiar to anyone?
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9 hours ago, _Roxy_ said:
I went to Paris for another job interview today. Whew, nervous but proud !
Since I was there I passed by Pain d'Epices to pick a few things for my Brimbles ; but how it is that I go in looking for stairs banisters and leave with a mini cat, keys, a dinosaur skull and a beaker ???
For the same reason I go into Costco for coffee or Target for dishwashing liquid and leave after spending $150 in each for things I didn't know I needed.
Ooo, and Paris, how jealous am I?? Good luck with the job interview!!
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This pic alone makes me wish I could attend!
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39 minutes ago, Muriel said:
When you're ready, you'll just have to choose the one or two rooms of furniture you like best from a house and make a room box for them, then get rid of the house. I know I'm unlikely go get ready for that stage 😉
We think alike. When the day comes that we downsize, this is likely exactly what I'll do. My problem is that I am a huge architecture buff, so the exteriors of a full house are just as important to me as the interiors. Alas, a compromise will have to be reached one day and room boxes are a good solution.
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1 hour ago, Susan18 said:
HAHA! Good one, and so true.
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13 hours ago, steiconi said:
Would it fit under a glass dining table? That might make for interesting dinner conversation.
I just do room boxes and vignettes. Much easier to relocate!
No, unfortunately, the tower/turret makes it 46" high. The footprint is about the size of a full-sized mattress. Room boxes and vignettes are the way to go. I said to someone recently how they make so much sense not just for size, but you don't have to do an entire house in one style. A colonial kitchen, Georgian drawing room, Victorian bedroom, etc. I often wish I'd stuck with those instead of dollhouses.
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My friend is visiting her parents at the end of this month and is bringing this house with her. I told her there's no way I could have the French Quarter house done by then but she doesn't care. "Whenever, take your time." Guess we'll be driving to Los Angeles next spring.
We'll be in Portugal and Malta while they're here. I told her to stay in our house, they'd have the place to themselves. Her husband is ecstatic about that because her parents can be a bit overbearing, to put it mildly.
So this will be waiting for me when we get back! What a welcome home gift. I didn't expect I'd get to see it until next summer. I am beyond thrilled! **GIGGITY!!**
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17 minutes ago, havanaholly said:
Easily reupholstered/ repainted to go with final decor. What fun!
I'm having a great time looking at things I can't afford on Etsy! Hubs will have no shortage of choices on this year's Christmas list, HAHAHA!
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I have a house that won't fit through any standard-sized interior door. What a nightmare. It resides in the garage, gathering dust. I can't post pics of it, sorry; I signed an NDA. A talented craftsman built a full-on 1:12 replica of a Victorian house museum and then donated it to them. 7,000 hand-laid bricks and by my calculation (multiplying pieces per square inch) over 100,000 pieces of parquet.
Guess what, Victorians had narrower doors than the modern day, and they couldn't even get it indoors! It languished in storage for a few years until a docent offered to give it to me. They really should not have given it away (hence the NDA), but it was a stone around their necks. Stupidly, I gleefully took it only to find out it would have to live in my dining room or living room because I didn't measure first!! Not going to happen.
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I'm going for it. Agreed to finish the exterior of my French Quarter house and trade for this one. This chateau is OOAK, finely made, and has some pretty costly interiors whereas, with all due respect to RGT, my French Quarter is just a modified mass-produced house. I can always do another if I feel I must (likely won't happen). Not sure when the transfer will take place.
I went through some things and found I had more of a head start on furnishing than I thought I did so that helps. Quite a lot of extremely dark Bespaq mahogany pieces and another set in "White Oak" (it's a very weird finish), both of which I detest, so I don't mind one bit painting those! Some Country Cottage-style upholstered pieces and hand-painted case goods I think will work nicely mixed in here and there. I won't distress anything so far as to look derelict but this chateau definitely won't be filled with Louis the Pick-a-Number gilded finery. Anyway, I'm excited!
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59 minutes ago, Kells said:
Someone here did one (I think a Duracraft San Franciscan?) like that, and I think it's absolutely wonderful! If anyone knows who that is, please share a link to their gallery.
Easily found. Two awesomely talented members did San Franciscans in a style I love and would love to try in a chateau like this one.
and @Qubanqtee
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Just now, fov said:
No worries! I moved the posts into this thread.
You are really on top of things! I just sent you a PM about it. Thank you!
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Started a new thread. If a moderator wants to move all relevant posts from here to there, please do.
https://forum.greenleafdollhouses.com/topic/45986-french-chateau/
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It's really gnawing at me that I got off topic in the Ebay / Craigslist thread when I should have started a new thread so here it is. It was relevant to that topic when I first posted the original Craigslist link but not at this point! It's all for this house in case you missed it.
https://forum.greenleafdollhouses.com/gallery/album/8702-french-chateau/
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27 minutes ago, Kbonno said:
I would love to see pictures of it.
18 minutes ago, Elsbeth said:Make a gallery!
Posted the pics I have here:
The four chandeliers need some repair work. Just missing crystals and the like, but they're all by Phyllis Tucker so worth the effort to repair for sure!
I will look into that book, Elsbeth, thank you! I'd love to do this up more Gustavian with painted furniture in greys and creams. Someone here did one (I think a Duracraft San Franciscan?) like that, and I think it's absolutely wonderful! If anyone knows who that is, please share a link to their gallery.
The only things I have that *MIGHT* sorta-kinda work in this house is my mom had a bunch of Bespaq chinoiserie stuff. Why, I have no idea, she never used it. I only found it after I had to sort through her things; I'd never even seen it. My taste runs more toward run-down farmhouse so those were right out, haha. Found some blurry pics on-line, it's all of these pieces. I probably should have started a different thread for all of this, I feel like I'm hijacking this category. It's just that I shared the original link here. Sorry everyone!
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On 10/2/2021 at 12:03 PM, Kells said:
$1500 French chateau. The Lawbre library wall, fireplace wall, interior doors and mouldings would have cost at least as much as they're asking for the house. I don't get why one would build a beautiful house like this but then cheap out so badly on the exterior windows and doors.
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/art/d/irvine-your-new-doll-house-mansion/7388351761.html
This sold for almost half the original asking price, and now it poses a quandary for me. A friend bought it. She's the one who sent me the original link saying she'd pick it up if I wanted it. For $1500, that was a hard pass on my part. She saw the price keep dropping so she went ahead and did it, figuring she'd keep it for herself. She already has a French chateau that puts this one to shame but hey, never too many dollhouses, right?
She's willing to trade for my Rosedawn as it stands, though I am really keen to do that up as a run-down Creole plantation house. She'll also take my French Quarter house, if I'd finish the exterior first. She'd do the interiors herself. She's even willing to bring it for free next time they visit. If I could get her to take the Barstow Belle off my hands, I'd swap in a heartbeat! She isn't interested.
I haven't a scrap of anything French to put into this, and I am disinclined to spend the thousands of bucks (!!!) it would take to furnish and decorate it to do it justice. Hate those Houseworks doors but I'd probably just face it toward a wall anyway, putting plexi over the open side to keep it on display.
First World problems, right? Any thoughts? If anyone cares to see all 22 pictures, I can make a gallery for it.
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54 minutes ago, Elsbeth said:
That was a good trip through the book - thank you for getting me to revisit it!
Thank you for looking into it! I think I will order one of those plan books to have it for reference.
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17 hours ago, Elsbeth said:
It's sort of a Pepperwood Farm dollhouse on steroids to bulk it up a little bit. Wow.
I love it - but it would be unwieldy (like the Pepperwood). And yes I'd fix that bathroom!!
Also - I have the Remember When house book - and each house is supposed to have an interior based on the builder's nostalgia and memories. So technically they should all be different. It's funny there are so many identical houses out there.
I like the look of this one better than the Pepperwood, but I love the high ceilings the Pepperwood has. Those are marvelous and hard to find in a dollhouse.
In the plan book, does she suggest finishes and paint color? The few I've seen have all been the same color, as I said, and had the same vinyl printed planked wood contact paper for most of the flooring. I just assumed those must have been part of the finishing instructions in the plan book?
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9 hours ago, havanaholly said:
Kell, at least the windows on yours have the illusion of sashes.
And they are an illusion! The windows aren't double hung and don't actually open, there are just pieces of strip wood across the window inside and out. Perhaps the sashes on that one just fell out. Lord knows I'm dealing with that problem on a Stanley colonial with 32 windows with tiny mullions that are all falling to pieces.
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31 minutes ago, Mid-life madness said:
@Kells I really wanted to see a full view shot of all the rooms. Do you have one? I ordered the plan book....although i will probably never build it LOL! I think the blue is a lovely color.
It might be monitors showing colors differently but the house is mint green. At least, mine and all the others I've seen are. Here are some pics that show the open sides. The first is the front open, second is the rear, third is the side of the roof. I'm sure you can tell by the plans but the roof opens on the right side of the house, if you were looking at it from the front.
There is one thing about this floor plan that bugs me to no end and that is the bathroom. Look at the second pic, the upstairs bedroom on the right, just past the bed. That's the bathroom beyond it. It's the one bathroom in the house, with a hall door. Fine, except the only way to access it is through the master bedroom. There's a big opening between the bathroom and the bedroom. Great, so if one were actually using that bathroom, they'd be on full view to that bedroom!
I get that it's a dollhouse, which requires substantial suspension of disbelief, but that still rubs me the wrong way. Were I to build it from scratch, I'd enclose the bathroom properly and hinge that side wall for bathroom access.
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2 hours ago, Mid-life madness said:
That's the "Remember When" dollhouse from a plan book by Phyllis Jellison. The book is still available. I rarely see the houses for sale though. I've had mine for ages and I think I've only seen another, besides this one, twice in the last ten years.
I find it funny that all I've seen, mine and this one included, all followed the plan book to the letter. They're all the same color, they have the same contact paper printed vinyl fake wood flooring, etc. Almost no deviations from the instructions whatsoever. It's a charming house though. I've decided to let mine stand exactly as is, printed vinyl flooring included.
Ebay, Etsy, and Craigslist posts
in General Mini Talk
Posted
"1940s Handmade Antique Vintage Dollhouse"
Wrong. Try late 1970s most-basic-kit-offered by Batrie. I gave away one just like it but in better condition to a friend's son who was studying interior design and wanted to try out his ideas. I surely hope no one out there pays $895 for it! Maybe remove the 8 then divide by 2...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/115045858988