LisaN

;) Josie, you and I have the same problem with exercise. I get so bored when I exercise, because I usually have time to think of all I could get accomplished in the time it takes to stretch, walk, get on the bicycle, or the treadmill. So hence, since I get bored so quickly exercising, I usually end up getting those things done instead........when I really should exercise. That is one of the hardest things to condition myself to....to take time out and just take a walk, etc. I guess my problem is I love to multitask, and exercising seems to be something you can do by itself, or watching the t.v., which isn't too appealing to me.

I have never built the astor, but have seen it made into a darling little witches' cottage...I would definitely dry fit the pieces together...sometimes you might come up with a better idea for a look than the standard kit version. For colors for your Santa cottage, you could go with heritage colors, like brick red and pine needle green. Your santa's chair is adorable! What a funny idea! Have you thought of adding sound? I added sound by buying one of those music card things that plays five different songs from Radio Shack--they run about $10, so now it is stuck underneath the sofa in the Arthur's parlor. When the tree is lit, lamps are lit, and the music---Silent Night is playing...it really feels like Christmas in the dollhouse!

Have never been much of a new year's resolution person--mainly because they never get done. But I'm definitely on a goal list this year, which is to: Plant flowers in pots on the deck, that is something I never get around to, and like to do..... Redo the living room, and the den. Get rid of those items that aren't used and take up space. take time to get outside and enjoy nature....that's something that I rarely have time for.... And definitely mini!!! ;)

I have already begun to think of packing up the tree and trimmings early....Christmas decor has took over my house! (this leaves very little room for the minis, dollhouses, & kits! ;) ) So Christmas has got me planning new scenes already---as soon as the decorations are down. Does anyone else have the problem of tree, and the decorations taking up so much room?? I am hoping to do some aquarium scenes on the deck this year, with mini statues and stuff, and plants all about. B)

;) Exactly! Since she received alot of that Fisher Price furniture for her birthday, to start her out, since she was young, we wanted the children to come and mainly just play, and have fun...if they wished to bring a gift, then it would have been dollhouse related, and relatively inexpensive from Walmart, or Target. Sort of like an Open House,, where you give gifts that are house related. I was trying to think of being budgety, for the children's parents, and also not demanding. Amanda was more interested in having her friends over to play with than actually receiving gifts. Now that's a sign of addiction, planning a party around your dollhouse!

That's like the Walmarts here in Va. There are two near my Mom that are a pain to shop in...but the one nearest my home in Ashland is great! Before Christmas, I tend to shop early in the morning there, and there was a saleslady marking down clothes that were just in! EVEN better, the sign on the rack said $1!!! These were sports shirts, and nice blouses that the day before were marked at $15 apiece!! ;) Customers descended on that rack,....mainly myself. I ended up buying over $30 worth of clothes for myself, Amanda, my mom, my aunt, my grandmother... The saleslady told us that they had bathing suits and Valentine's day stuff in the back that the managers wanted out on the floor--and it wasn't even Christmas then! I hope to go out today...yestday was a little crazy, so we basically stayed home and did some yard work to get ready for the spring...

Nutti, I saw the White House in mini years ago at the Science Museum here in Richmond, when I was about 13-maybe 15?? It was simply remarkable. You can get a book on this model and also visit the couple's studio where the model was built and is retouched up from time to time. Molly Cromwell conducts this as a tour at her Sarasota? or it might be the Florida shows, when people go to the Naples museum. Can't remember which at the moment. I've seen it, and wish it would visit again.

Reading some of the stories here are touching. I knew long ago that I was addicted......especially this past October, when I gave away the Buttercup that was just sitting in the studio......my mother had seen it, and went wild over it. So I surprised her and gave it to her for her birthday. She now has it filled with little minis she has collected.... The Open Dollhouse party was a great idea. Amanda, her father and I redid my old dollhouse during the month before her birthday, with a special trip to buy shingles, and paint supplies. Did I mention she picked princess pink to repaint that particular house with? :lol: Not many children came to the party, which was really sad considering all the work that went into it.... it is a real downer nowadays, but one thing I learned about small children is that people are not willing to come to a child's party unless it is along with some sort of entertainment--like, a skating party, a pizza party, bowling, etc. at least, I hasten to add, the children and their parents who were invited to a cookout and the open dollhouse party. This was really disappointing and swore me off of parties for children..but she still had a great birthday that year. I was thinking of having a open dollhouse party myself when Olde Shelby Cottage was finished, and just invite friends with the same mini passion! :lol: I recently did a roombox for a friends' shower gift, who I grew up with. His wife was having their second child, (this was stressful as they had just lost their first child last year when he was born--) and since they were having a girl, I coordinated the colors of the nursery roombox with the items that she had picked out for the nursery. I also included a picture from their wedding which included her three children from a previous marriage, and everyone was included, it really made it sweet for her. I found a Heidi Ott baby that looked like my friend Jearl I grew up with, and they were blown away. It has me hooked to give roomboxes or dollhouses now as presents.

Different types of textures call for different types of agents.... the 'stuff' you might be getting in your paint might just be bristle brushes, like Teresa suggested. I get this all of the time, especially when I form an attachment with a 'favorite' paintbrush! Delta makes a great fine texturing agent to add to acrylic paint. There are lots of them on the market in the acrylic paint section. These work for walls and ceilings in a dollhouse. To make the rough plaster, tear napkins(the cheapie kind with a bumpie texture, I got mine for 89 cents at BIG LOTS) and make a mixture of glue, water and white paint. Take your torn tissues and start applying them one at a time on the wall. I used this method in my Arthur (Olde Shelby Cottage) and also my sugarplum cottage . Look in webshots. http://community.webshots.com/user/lisan204 I used this method when I just began dollhouses on the sugarplum's interior and exterior. This method can be as thin or 'rough' as you like it, you decide. Another alternative is Behr texturizing agents available at Home Depot. These are a little pricey, but one can will go a long way. I love this stuff. Another great texturizing agent is Sheetrock joint compound--this makes a great stucco and plaster. You didn't say if you were working on the exterior or interior. And yes, paperclay is wonderful for realistic looking timbers, bricks, and stones.

I think I was addicted after re-doing my house for Amanda's seventh birthday....and we had a birthday party called 'open dollhouse' where the children could bring their favorite doll, stuffed animal, or action figure to 'visit' the dollhouse..the invitations were sent to the favorite doll or stuffed animal of the child, and another invitation, smaller, a picture of a dollhouse, was for the child. People really loved the invitations and the idea of Open Dollhouse. The children were not really so much required to bring a present as to bring their favorite toy to play dollhouse with Amanda on her birthday. Planning that birthday present and party made me addicted, and also made me remember what it was like to play dollhouse when I was seven years old..........so I then bought BOTH the buttercup AND the glencroft.........then the sugarplum, then the primrose, and so on....

since my marriage to Chris a few years ago, family traditions have changed. I used to go over to my grandmother's house with mom, but that has stopped since it takes most of the day, and so as the family members have grown older, our traditions have paired down.... We usually have people over for dinner, or open house, the family and a few friends. This year we will go over to my parents for Christmas eve, and dinner, christmas day will probably go over to our friends down the street.....this cuts down on alot of cooking, which I just don't enjoy very much! Another Christmas tradition that evolved with my stepdaughter Amanda, who was five or six when we married, was about the christmas presents. Since our home was small, we had limited room where we could hide the presents, so I made up the story of the rookie elf to explain why presents were under the tree early. ;) The story goes that one evening Amanda said, 'where did all of those presents come from?' and I said, well the rookie elf brought them... 'who is the rookie elf?' haven't you heard of the rookie elf? He's the elf who is in training to help Santa, and he's REAL clumsy, which is why he's covered in bumps and bruises carrying presents and falling down alot.. 'But why did he bring the presents early?' Well, see that's why he is still in training....he takes longer and Santa tries him out delivering presents to see if he can get the right ones to the homes...that's why the rookie elf drives the Big Brown Sleigh! We always get a kick out of the rookie elf at this time of year....

We had a gender problem in reverse with our cat June Bug. HE was originally named after the little girl in the book, Junie B. Jones, but that was too long, so we called him Junie B. Junie B. sounds like a girls' name and all of the vets and their assistants would call Junie B. Jennie B. :lol: the vet realized the mistake when we brought June Bug into to be neutered! :o Your cats are adorable! Sweetie Pie also caught a nasty thing like that, but worse is when they follow you about the yard wanting to give you a 'present' ;)

He's cute! Don't be discouraged, you'll find as you experiment that clay is VERY addicting, and so are the tools it takes to get the effect you want....i too am addicted to clay, any kind of clay. paperclay, model magic, sculpey, and now i am looking at cold porcelain! :lol: my husband has become quite used to seeing his dinner represented in little piles on tiles on the stove, when real food should be there instead! :o Have fun! Your santa is adorable!

I cannot remember the least expensive gift I ever gave someone, but I can remember the two most treasured ones I have received.... One was from my Dad's dad--my grandfather, I called him Pap like my Daddy did..after my grandmother died when I was about 6, he was preparing to move back home to NC...and he took my mother and I out to lunch and bought me a little miniature porcupine pin in the hotel gift shop before he went home on the train...I have kept that small little pin that cost a dime for over 25 years..... the second one was a card from my Uncle Bill...my grandfather's brother. He died about two or three years ago, he was the eccentric :lol: in my Pap's family...the card said that Angels are our friends that walk on earth....and I keep it about the house always..... I have received gifts from others that I treasure also, but I think these two are special because my grandfather and great uncle aren't here anymore, and also I remember when I received them....

:lol: I am laughing so hard --that reminds me of Henry, the pig. He too is addicted to coffee, especially mine(I put sugar in mine) but loves to drink out of coffee cups, and begs for egg nog when we drink it. I remember one time putting down my cup and forgetting about where I had left it--it had half a cup in it, when I came back---it was gone! :o

I have fallen before and I think that is how I hurt my back. If I sit for long periods of time, I can bet dollars to doughnuts on being VERY stiff in the morning...and it takes about 20-30 minutes to get going....Chris has the same problem. I use hot, hot showers, then cold, cold water to relax the muscles and cool down. it helps alot. my cat sleeps in the small of my back or the back of my legs.

let's see. this is going to get scarey! 1-Amanda's rutherford 2-her barn 3- my old dollhouse she plays with... 4-the glencroft unfinished 5-Mel's diner 6-bannister's doll emporium--houseworks bay window shop 7- the arthur, olde shelby cottage 8-the golf caddy shack 9- primrose, honeydukes' candy shop 10-minnie's lil scrapbook store--the grand room box 11- my miniature conservatory (in the garage) 12- an aged conservatory in the kitchen 13-oh, Amanda's allison 14-the house in the living room--Queen's Row, Chris' house 15-winter garden conservatory 16-ever after vignette 17-playhouse done for the glencroft scratch built from foamcore 18- the hot tub scene, made out of a scrap birdcage 19- my dome scene from club project These are the ones within my sight at the moment......I shudder to think there might be more, and I know there is in Amanda's room........ :lol:

Today it is sleeting. Some of the snow from last week still hasn't melted yet....Teresa, would be glad to send the snow your way...I too could probably use a snow blower when the big storm hits. Everything is covered in ice! I'm too much of a warm weather woman--I too can tell I'm getting old when I prefer wearing my shorts and polos to big heavy sweaters and snow boots. And to think it isn't even officially winter yet! :lol:

Doe, I loved the 'bad horsey' I'm still laughing--especially when you used the dog's toenails for the hoof trimmings! Now THAT is funny! They won't be able to resist your entry! ***by the way, which Breyer models did you use? I love the models that you have in the pen. I collect Breyers on and off again!

:lol: ya'll make me laugh....I was reminded years ago of wanting to give a young girl who lived with a member of the church some baby clothes as a Christmas present, since she had just had a baby and was a student. I asked the 'lady' (I use this term loosely now, as it still makes me angry--) if I could give the presents to her to put under the tree for the young girl, as a surprise, and she immediately looked me in eye (this is in church after choir practice, of all places--) and said "We don't allow Christmas presents in our home." I must have looked shocked, (which I was--) for it took me a moment to recover from the rudeness. I asked then if she would be willing to just take the clothes for the young lady and give them to her-- and she reluctantly agreed. I still have an unsettled feeling about that when people say, they don't celebrate Christmas, etc. Needless to say, I do not attend that church anymore... The possibilities of wishing someone a happy holiday are so endless and rich...I myself have to wonder how much fun these people are to live with! :lol: So Linda, I totally know the 'snotty' attitude you've come in contact with. It is very depressing at this time of year.

Thank you for the kind comments. Yes, going through the training for the website(and my husband and I have had the regular intro, and even eight hours non stop with our webhost--) so there are always things to hash out with support that I might or my husband might not have discovered when we start playing with it. To set aside time, well, that's just what you have to do. And I always find I learn something new when playing with these web tools, so I still have a long way on the website to go... One of my pet peeves from way back is people who don't allow you to say Merry Christmas....

I bought some different colored double backed cardstock in various shades of green--I hit on an idea of how to make tomatoes and cauliflower, and lettuce. I want it to look as realistic as possible, so some garden items I may buy... I also bought a heavier gauge wire for the tomatoes, so this may be interesting. Before I even attempt to begin to landscape it, the base will have to be constructed first...I have a great punch that will make terrific lettuce and cauliflower leaves. By the way, Hallmark has a new coupon out, buy $20 and get $5 off! If anyone would like this coupon, I have a link that I can forward it to you--I have it saved in my personal email address. Just email me at watterlily@msn.com if you'd like the coupon!

All of the opinions here are valid, a customer is entitled to see the back of the house, to see if it fits in with their idea of their 'dream' house. I myself am in the same boat as Tracey, where I am uploading the front AND the back, but the back still doesn't show....so i too, have to sit down with my customer support and hash out the problems....and that, too takes time. Time away from answering customer questions, which I always welcome. I have to also respectfully point out, that as a business person, I welcome customer contact because I can't help if I am not contacted. I do not consider customer enquiries bothersome, or annoying. And if the product I have is not what that customer is looking for, I sometimes direct them to another site, which I know might carry what they are looking for.

I feature the houses on my website. Sometimes it is a question of broadband space, sometimes the picture of the 'back' will not show even after I have uploaded it into the catalog. As a business person, I can vouch that if anyone had a question as to a picture of the back, I would email that info to them, or any info on how much build time it takes to assemble the house. Dollhouse websites are set up so you can email them with questions, like mine is, if all the info isn't there. Though I'm not making excuses as to why sites do not post the 'back' of a house, I know as a business person that I email details and information they may have questions about to my customers who contact me--and this is by phone or by email. And as an interjection here--it takes alot of work resizing, uploading, a catalog onto a website. I still have items that are not yet uploaded, and my site went live in September. So don't be afraid to ask someone for that back picture--Greenleaf and Corona are both good about providing all the pics that a business person needs to sell the kits!

I'm excited to just see all of the entries. People have done so many cool things with this little roombox. It is sort of like the matchbox contest--so interesting to see what everyone creates from one project. I have received a form letter, but on another list they said that the HBS staff was behind in sending out notifications that they received the contest entries.