belladonna

Lists are the best. I get stuck the same way with dollhouses and they take me forever to build. I discovered recently that making a list in a little sketchbook rocks! You can make the list and draw out your ideas all around it or on the following pages. Plus it's less likely to get lost, especially if you tuck it in one of the rooms you're not actively working on. Afterwards, it's a fun memento to go back and look at your ideas evolving. I still have the original sketches of the people in my last house even though they came out looking different.

PS I just noticed that the story of my cottage is heavily influenced by "Return of the Native". Hm....

My houses only start to come together when I figure out who lives in them. One house is peopled by a quasi-Victorian couple with a young baby. The house is a cottage in an isolated area and the wife is slightly sad because she is all alone. The other home is an old Victorian that has seen lots of owners and strange remodels but was most recently overhauled in the 60's. I don't know if the single mom and son who live there exist today or in the late 60's but their personalities are very strong. I do know that all of my dolls end up as self-portraits of various aspects of my personality. They have particular tastes and their dreams are really wrapped up in the feeling of the house. The whole process of creating, peopling, and filling the homes is curiously and intensely personal for me. It's one of the reasons that I don't display my houses or post many pictures of them. Does anyone else have the "Secret Garden" syndrome when it comes to their creations?

Your room looks wonderful (I like the stripes on top) and that doll is awesome. It's great that you are making everything!

There's a big ol' dollhouse extravaganza on SUNDAY, MAY 2, 2010 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. It will be held in the parking lot of The Elegant Dollhouse 1120 Fulton Avenue Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 484-0411 There will be around 100 vendors including ME! If you're interested in selling or buying, you can get more info at http://www.elegantdollhouse.com/home.html I hope we'll see some of you there. Ain't no party like a West Coast Party....

PS The link that was at the bottom of the original post is now fixed and I will add new photos to my gallery so y'all can get yer sugar. I totally know how it is when you wonder "what happened to that person?". In fact, I just read a thread about that a little bit ago!

I was reading new posts and saw my own avatar on this thread and was all confused. It's been about a MILLION years since I started that house, three moves, two states, a doctorate in progress, a new job, and a baby. Plus three other doll-houses, a shop, a travel trailer, and more. I just recently started being active on the forum again and I don't know where in the world the originals of those pictures went. I took down all of my blogs a while back and never updated anything but I did find a copy of the infamous pot-rack photo with the stripey wallpaper in the background. One fine day I will take some pictures of my house(s) and put them up. In fact, I hope I can do it soon but being a working mom with a toddler, I don't get much "me time". And for all the sweet and encouraging things you have said, a sincere THANK YOU. I often feel isolated in my strange little obsession so it's really nice to hear that people like my work and want to see more. As a delightful teaser, let me just tell you that this house took three years to get to the stage in which it now exists and it has GROWN. I promise to post photos soon!

A few months ago, someone put a Willowcrest on Craigslist for maybe $60 and I didn't buy it. I still go nuts thinking about it. Sigh, the one that got away will always haunt you. And it's true we don't need dollhouses but technically we don't need toothbrushes or underwear, they just make us happier, healthier, and a little more well-adjusted. Like dollhouses, right? In short- GO GET THAT DOLLHOUSE!!

I think ceiling beams or a false foam core ceiling are the best bet. I am running into the same problem with the exact same lights and the issue is that the wires are much thicker than dollhouse round-wire. With the thin plywood, carving a deep enough channel for the wires in either the floor or ceiling can cause serious structural weakness. I am thinking of making a foam core ceiling panel with grooves cut into it for the wires or putting in beams. Those wires are just so darn huge!

Genius!

Your work is amazing and inspiring. All the finishes are so clever and skillfully executed. Wow!