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I have recently acquired a amazingly beautiful doll house for FREE, hard to believe, but it's true. There are a few cosmetic issues on the exterior that need replaced and/or fixed: The entire porch railing. Most of the clear plastic window backings are missing. Doors need it be replaced. Trim work needs to be replaced, and from what I can tell, a balcony/walkway of some sort existed above thw3rd floor window and wrapped around both sides of the house. I want to restore & repair it to prime condition & do it correctly. I was never lucky enough as a child to have one of my own. So this is a very special project for me to say the least, lol. I have no information on it what so ever & would really like to figure a few things out about it, if possible: ¹What particular kind of doll house it? ²How old is it? ³What can be DIY/hand-made instead of buying expensive pre-made kits, like porch railing, banisters ect? ⁴Is it possible to add a balcony to the 2nd or 3rd floor? ⁵Is it possible to modify an existing window into a doorway? ⁶Is it possible to add/remove interior walls to make rooms/areas bigger/smaller? ⁷Can a door be added to an existing interior wall? ⁸Can a 2nd door leading to the porch be added on the side of the house? I have no clue and figured the best thing to do was ask. ANY tips & advice on the best way to go about any of this would be greatly appreciated! My ultimate goal is to completely restore & repair the entire doll house top to bottom.

Long time no post, So I've been thinking of the advice I got from my last post and would like to try using foam core for my house, but the more I read the more confused I get. So here's what I understand: Foam core, foam board, and gator board are three different things. Gator board is more sturdy than foam core Foam board has no cardboard or paper sandwiching the foam All three need pins to help the hold Foam core and board will warp when using tacky or elmer's glue All of them take practice to cut well. However I see people talking about using elmer's glue or other white glue with foam core without warping. Is it a matter of luck? Thickness of the material? Whether it is sandiwiched or not? Are pins mandatory? What are the pros and cons of the three versus other materials?

Hi from IL! New to dollhouse building! Received my first one for Christmas from my husband. The Fairfield. Excited! Question why do you dri fit the dollhouse? Sorry I am completely new to this! Thanks.

I'd like to put carpet in the bedroom of a 1:12 scale bedroom and am unsure how to proceed. I've seen felt, but it looks like it would gather dust pretty easy and be hard to keep clean. So I'm considering upholstery fabric. Does this sound like a good material to use? Could I adhere the carpet material to poster board or mat board, or does it have to be glued directly to the floor? What glue is best? And how do I keep the glue from bleeding through? Can I seal the top of the material to possibly make it easier to keep clean? What would you use to seal it? I obviously have a lot of questions and will appreciate any advice. Thank you

Making Beach Signs... One of the details that I wanted to include on the kitchen shelves at Alki Point was a beach sign. I've seen several really cute signs for sale on Etsy and elsewhere, but I really enjoy making stuff so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Here's what I did. Stuff You'll need: Color printed photo of the sign. I got ideas online, but ended up making my own in Publisher. I just sized my design then printed on regular paper. Wood scraps sanded and cut down to the size of the sign you'd like (I left a little room around the edges of the photo on mine). Mine are 2"x1"x1/16". Paint & paintbrushes. I used white to lighten up a turquoise I had, then a dark grey for aging washes. Mod Podge and old paintbrush. Small ball stylus. Ruler. Paint on the base color for your sign and let dry. I used a lighter than I wanted coat first. I also used a color similar to the printed design. This helps to make the print appear to be part of the actual sign. If you want to go for a little color depth, apply a bit darker second coat and let dry. Make sure to cover all of the edges well. And if your sign will be seen from the other side (or you're just a victim of raging OCD) repeat the process to the back. You really only have to cover the edges here, but I like to paint and see the mottled finish. I get a sense of accomplishment from it! :O) Once the paint is dry on the wood, give the edges a light sanding. You're going for the look of an old sign with some of the paint worn down/off. While your wood is drying, apply a coat of Mod Podge to your prints (the ink should be good and dry by now). I Mod Podge before I cut out the signs. I like to have a protective coating on them before I handle them too much. When dry, cut out your signs. You can give them rippled, curved, torn edges etc. depending on the finished look you are going for. I love the look of shabby sprinkled in with modern, so my signs got rounded edges and aging. Once you're happy with the amount of wear, coat the back of your sign with Mod Podge and affix it to the wood piece. Let partially dry. Decide how many "planks" of wood your sign will have. I tried 3 and 4 boards to see what I liked best. Once you've decided, lay your ruler across the sign, and using the edge of your ruler, run the stylus back and forth until you reach a depth you like. It is easier to do this with softer woods, and before the Mod Podge dries. Use the stylus to also make dents on the ends of the boards. These will be your nail holes. Dot the holes with the color you'd like for the "nails". Now it is time for an aging wash! Just water down you dark color (can be black, brown, grey - whatever you have) and apply coats until you are happy. Don't forget the edges! If you have too much, you can wipe away or swish more water on it. Spray with varnish if you like - I didn't because I like the finish just the way it is. I am not too happy with my nail holes. I think I'll tinker a bit more with these...

A while ago someone asked about a tutorial of how I made the roll around toolbox for Anna's house. I have most of it in my gallery now an will be adding the last steps tomorrow.

This looks like a pretty good option for cutting strips.