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Hello! After a lifetime of fascination with miniatures, I finally decided on my first true kit. I'd built a dollhouse in childhood, but nothing as complex as this. I chose the Glencroft based on size and style, and look forward to the challenge of getting it together, then the pleasure of choosing the finishings, furniture, etc. My plan is to make from scratch as much of the interior as I can (another reason for choosing a cottage instead of a more formal Victorian style). I am excited to have this forum, as I can see from a quick look that there is tons of information and experience here! Cheers
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Hello, I'm new to the dollhouse building world. I do have a few furniture and just bought a mini table saw for hobby building. I was going to complete a dollhouse that someone else started but decided to build my own. I purchased the RGT painted Lady and hope to build a house for my daughter that will be ready by Christmas hopefully. Here in El Paso all we have is Hobby Lobby so I will most likely be making some custom made pieces. I do get overwhelmed easily but I really want to finish this project.
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Hi My name is Linda. I live in Hesperia, CA (San Bernardino). This is my first dollhouse... the ORCHID. My daughter gave it to me for a Christmas present three years ago. I was so overwhelmed (after reading the directions) I couldn't even begin building. Also, I didn't have the space for such a project... so the dollhouse was put on hold until two years later when I moved into a two-bedroom and set up shop! The two years prior to setting up shop was not wasted... I spent that time reading blogs, watching videos, scrolling through Pinterest... educating myself on tips and tools needed to complete my dollhouse. The time was also spent purchasing ALL the furnishings needed to make the dollhouse a home! The first purchase was the China dishes! The first "COULD NOT BELIEVE" find was the full-size mattress with satin pillows! My first DIY project was making nail polish bottles and lipstick for the bedroom vanity, and my first "kit bashing" was eliminating ALL three dormers and converting to an attic bedroom! My first mistake was priming before removing the pieces.. I couldn't remove them after priming so I had to buy me another dollhouse. I am now hooked!!
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Hi All, Just wanted to introduce myself. New member here. So I've been lurking about for a while but didn't join because I'm building a non-Greenleaf dollhouse. But then I noticed the Dura-craft section. I bought a Dura-craft San Franciscan 557 on Ebay... haha.. where else! It's my first house and I'm already totally obsessed. I really wanted a Greenleaf Garfield but I thought I might be biting off more than I can chew given my current skill set.... Might of bitten off more than I can chew with the SF 557 too! I'm totally inspired by all of your builds.. the gallery is a wonderful resource.
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Hey all. So, I know there was a few people in the forums when I just googled 'willowcrest building instructions', and then I signed up and can't find those same threads. I inherited the willowcrest kit (bought in 1990) when my mother in law passed. But, there are no instructions in the box. Does anyone have an electronic copy they could email me? Pretty please?? Thanks in advance.
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Hi Everyone, I'm new here, just introduced myself to the forum last week. I finally grabbed a couple pics of the dollhouse that has started me down this path. I found it at the Salvation Army and walked by it a few times, but couldn't leave it there. For $9.99 I think I got a pretty good deal, even though there is quite a bit of repair to be done. I'm a mom to 3 little girls, so I am planning to make this a Christmas gift for them - I'll furnish it simply to start and upgrade as the girls get older and can manage more delicate pieces. I have no idea what kind of dollhouse it might be - I suspect from the copyright on the wallpaper it was built in the eighties. I was thinking it was likely from plans, not a kit, since it is sooo very heavy! Anyway - if anyone has any thought on the origins I'd love to hear what you think.
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Hello! I'm new to here and to the hobby as the title states. I have only a tiny bit of experience making dioramas, but I want to work on dollhouses as well. I'm like so new I hardly know what forums and places to talk to people and learn, and I found this place through google so I figured it was a good place to start. A bit about me: I do like making things in general. I make props and costumes, paint, and have some sculpting experience. I do not know much about woodworking and the tools needed (ex, I would like to use craft plywood but the scroll saws kinda scare me). But I'm always ready to learn and in the meantime will focus on working with kits. If any of you have tips or advice, it's very welcome, thanks. <3
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Hi! My name is Jane and I've fallen in love with miniatures. Last year I started by entering the Undersized Urbanite contest and won in the novice category. Since then I've just been making things! I love it. I'm entering the creating contest this year (deadlines keep me realistic) you can view my work at janesminicreations.com
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Is it better to start with a smaller, less complicated house (I have the Lily)? If so which one would you recommend?
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Hi there Greenfield community! I've been lurking for several weeks on the forum and finally worked up the guts to post. I gave away my childhood dollhouse and extensive collection in my teenage years - I thought I grew out of the hobby. Little did I know that I would become massively obsessed with creating a new dollhouse in my mid-twenties! I believe it is due to this middle point in my life, where I have a growing career and finally have money, but don't have enough to buy a house, and I don't have anyone to buy one with, yet. Solution: make my own miniature version. For that reason, I am drawn to more modern, glam styling reminiscent of West Elm and all of the bright white, grey and gold styling of Pinterest. What can I say. For my first build ever, I chose the modest Greenfield Arthur. I thought four rooms wouldn't overwhelm me too much, and it was an inexpensive kit that I could cut my teeth on. I'd like to get some of the community's feedback on what techniques I've used so far, and also ask for some help. 1) I popped out of die-cuts only the pieces that each step called for to prep. I sanded lightly those pieces, then primed (latex primer from Home Depot). Sanded again, sometimes primed again, and sanded again. For the little pieces of trim and the stairs and such, I actually painted primer over the entire sheet while the pieces were still die-cut in the sheet. Good/bad? Yay/Nay? I did this to most of the main pieces (base, second floor, sides, partitions and roofing) before I even pieced them together for a dry build. 2) THEN I dry fitted the main pieces together. I found that most of the slots didn't fit, so I ended up using an exacto knife to ensure they fit flush with their counterpart. I used masking tape to hold it together. 3) At this point, I knew that It was going to be more difficult to wallpaper and install flooring while the house was constructed; so I opted for wallpapering and flooring before the house was glued together, while the pieces were flat. This was an option given in the handy Warm-Up Instructions in the kit. So far in all of my research, I haven't seen much of that done, is there a huge disadvantage to doing these items before it's glued together?? See my photos for my handmade hardwood floors and one side of wallpaper so far. What I did was made sure the pieces were nice and primed and sanded so that they were smooth, then sprayed them with spray adhesive, then laid the piece onto my paper, right away. After that, I took my exacto knife and cut around the piece and through the window holes. 4) ROOKIE MISTAKE NUMBER ONE: I wallpapered the wrong side of the house on accident. I'll put that in the books. 5) ROOKIE MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: I wallpapered the right side of the house, but I put the piece down on the wrong side of the paper. I had to quickly rip it off and turn it around. Now there is a little sticky darkness on my paper. Sad day. It's easy enough to cover with a picture frame or painting, but still. I'm sort of a perfectionist. 6) So, right now the status of my house is that most of the interior walls are intermittently taped together in the dry fit, but I'm stuck on what color to paint the bedroom. Kitchen - Bottom right corner room - marble flooring and subway white tile wall accent on right side, still unsure of other walls' color. Probably white.Living Room - Bottom left corner room - reclaimed wood style hardwood and white brick accent wall (should I do actual textured brick, or wallpaper?? Any good suggestions for where to get this?) I want to put a pink fireplace on this wall. Chic!Bathroom - upper right corner room - grey longitudinal stripes and pink walls, fabulous gold hexagonal tiling for flooring (yay for cute scrapbook paper!)Bedroom - upper left corner room - grey latitudinal stripes with whitewashed boarding (created with large popsicle sticks) that goes up to the window height. Still debating on other walls in this room and also the flooring. I have nothing for the bedroom really figured out at all.
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Well, technically I'm from MD, VA, CO and currently in TN... although moving to Germany at the end of the year. Lol.... my husband is in the military if that's not obvious now. I am 25, no children, 911 Dispatcher, and newbie to miniatures! I just finished assembling the Orchid, and look forward to learning lots!
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Well, I've got my Orchid on her feet & standing freely...but I'm hoping to find some help on issues I have created. 1. I quickly learned the importance of painting certain pieces BEFORE assembly, but since it's too late... I painted my windows. Like the whole window. Including the "glass". Oy. So then I took a craft knife and sliced them out... Any ideas on what to put in the windows now, or how? 2. Somehow (and by somehow, I mean user error. ..) I managed to make my floors bow in the middle. Any ideas on how to disguise this, so that it might not be so obvious? 3. Shingles - has anyone tried to stain with tea? Does this work? Thanks to anyone in advance for reading & sharing some insight!
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So, there I was... perusing Pinterest... when I somehow got sucked into looking at some amazing dollhouses. Shortly after, I found myself in Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon ready on my cell as I made my decision on a dollhouse. The Orchid. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I am a COMPLETE beginner.... and was shocked by how many pieces were included. So, I started, got addicted, and 2 days later the "dollhouse disaster" as I've been calling it is now standing. And I have learned so many things I'd do differently next time! So, this is my practice house Can't wait to start another once this one is complete!
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Hello all, I'm from New Hampshire and currently building the Beacon Hill which is my third dollhouse, while renovating the first one, the Apple Blossom from another manufacturer. The second one I built was completely from scratch with a floor plan I designed with 2 floors and 6 large rooms that approximate the size of actual rooms so they can hold more furniture. I've finished Steps A and B, I have the 1st floor staircase partially glued together and I usually can't wait until tomorrow to work on it again. Building a dollhouse is a lot of work, combined with fun, talent and a creative outlet.
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Hi there! I'm a 22 year old homemaker who really enjoys crafting and working with my hands. I also love miniatures I have spent the past couple of weeks researching and I really want to buy a kit. Miniatures are very expensive as are dollhouses and I'm trying to be semi-on a budget! I am looking for your recommendations on a dollhouse kit that ships to Canada and is a reasonable price. I'm also a beginner at building so I'm looking for something I can handle doing myself. I'm really loving the Arthur, the Willow, Coventry Cottage, and one other I can't remember at minute ;) I love seeing all the beautiful creations, I hope to stick around a while! Stefanie
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Hi everyone. I'm happy to be here. Little bit 'bout me... I've been a miniature enthusiast since I was knee high to a cricket. Humble beginnings started with an aunt who had a large suit case full of plastic dollhouse furniture for me to play with on her dining room table. I've been a miniature bear artist for years, and enjoy all scales of miniatures - 1/144th to 1". I've built a few houses and room boxes but when it comes to electricity and many other things - I get ghost white and run away intimidated, thus the little bears I create have yet to know what electricity is like or other modern conveniences in their homes. I live in the PNW but have been a member of many clubs around the country and I'm an active name member. I've been out of miniatures for a bit and am happily returning with my head spinning joyfully, full of creative ideas to make and do. I just have to add: I went to visit my adult daughter recently and found her the most gorgeous light pink, custom made, two story, miniature house. I'm so excited for her to get lost in her imagination in her new little home.
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Hi everyone! I wanted to introduce myself to you all: My name is Maria, I'm 27 years old, married and have two little girls ages 1 & 3. I've always loved dollhouses since I was a little girl but my parents were never able to buy me a dollhouse. I've finally decided now that I wanted to start a new hobby that allows me to do something other than being a mommy. I've recently purchased the Lily dollhouse kit and I'm anxiously waiting for it to arrive! I've read in some places that this kit is difficult for beginners but I'm still confident about tackling my very first dollhouse project. If any of you have built (or are in the process of building) the Lily dollhouse, any tips for this beginner are definitely welcome! Thanks in advanced and I look forward to being active in this community!
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Hi, my name is Laura. I will try to make this quick. My parents had a doll house built for me in 1984. It was is really great condition until accidentally swiped it with my car because we had just moved and it was in my garage. Yes, I cried! Anyway, I have decided to fix it up. I am just not sure what to do first. I bought new carpet, wall paper, new shingles and paint. I have no idea if or how i should remove the old shingles or just replace the ones that are broken. I don't know if I should paint the house and shutters first. ( i hope i bought the right paint) And I don't know when i should put the wall paper up (i hope i bought the right wall paper glue) Basically, if anyone could please give me any advice i would really appreciate it. I also knocked down the beautiful pillars. I will attach some pics. Thank you in advance. (it wouldn't let me upload the pics so I had to try this way) Thanks, Laura http:// http://
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Hi all! I've loved miniatures as long as I can remember, and having a dollhouse is a lifelong dream... sort of a bucket list type thing. I'm told that I'm getting the Beacon Hill for my birthday, and I'm over the moon! It's so wonderful to see what my fellow miniacs are up to, and I plan to make some of my own furnishings. It's hard not to rush out and break the bank though. I'm trying to remind myself that I'm going to work on it for a very long time, so I don't need top of the line everything right away! I'm wondering if I shouldn't try a smaller model to start out though... I found a le maison Tiffani online for cheap. Any suggestions?
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From now on I'm just going to post any "work in progress" posts of my experience with my first dollhouse (the Corona Concepts, Willow) onto this thread in case anyone wants to follow along with me as I go. Hope it's ok if I post it all here! I don't want to block up the threads by making new posts all the time but I wanted it to stay all in one place. Of course I'm still posting it all at my blog as well. It's been a little while since I last updated, mostly just because life has been hectic and I haven't had the chance to get on here and post what I've already posted to my blog. But here is what has been happening lately with my Willow dollhouse. -------------------------- Posted on April 24th 2013: Just wanted to make an entry about where I’m at with my dollhouse. I really haven’t done much at all, but I’ve been busy and haven’t been able to get supplies. I finally got some over the weekend but unfortunately not the things I need to really get started. I apparently (according to my dad) bought a grit level that is probably too course. I need something more gentle… But I can probably find some spare sand paper laying around here somewhere. I need to make a sanding block though. I also want to make a grey wood stain for the shingles. I intend to make this steel wool and vinegar stain but I still need to buy some steel wool (apparently we only have the copper kind )… Hopefully that will happen over the weekend (I’ll probably buy some tonight and not be able to use it til this weekend since it needs to sit). I also need to get the wallpapers printed. I bought this decopad but the pages are obviously too small to use directly. I intend to make some larger layered graphics out of them and get those printed. Then I’ll mod podge them on to the wood I think. Some things I bought. A brayer for mod podge (will use for regular art projs and the wall paper for the dollhouse), Sandpaper (I need some different grit levels), Wood stain (#233 English Chestnut), painter’s tape, masking tape, and a deco paper pad for the wallpaper. I actually scanned all the pages if anyone wants me to send them to you for your own use. Just email me! (beyourpet AT gmail.com) I made some plans for color scheme and such by layering and filling in images of the techniques I hope to use onto the blank dollhouse images. Here’s what it ended up looking like. A grey stained roof. Crackle paint on the outside shingles, although I’ve never used that stuff and have no idea if it will work well or what color to use… I want it to look like an old house that has been left for a long time without any care to it’s paint. So I figured the crackle paint might work well for that. The two greys are from steel wool stain. The crackle is some crackle paint jobs. The roof here is also the steel wool stain. The sample there is the stain I bought… Might not work as well as I thought it would with the more grey toned aesthetic… Here are some samples of the papers from my decopad. I liked these, they looked like old torn up wallpapers and painted wood. I spent some time labeling each little tiny piece on every single sheet in the kit (with pencil) in case I misplaced anything… I took photos of each sheet, mostly for my own reference guide in case I need to know where a certain piece is, but also as a reference guide for anyone either interested in getting this dollhouse kit, or if you already have it but mixed up your pieces. Sorry the photos look awful but I was trying to get the contrast to show the outlines. Sheet #1. You can see the rest of them here. I don't want to bore everyone by posting every single sheet! Shingles and junk wood in a bag. After putting them in here to get them out of the way I decided to pull apart all of them because they were coming out anyway. So now they’re all individual pieces. The junk wood is ‘kept somewhere else in case I need it. This is a regular size shoebox, this is how much the shingles fill it up (after they’ve all been separated). Quite a bit of shingles!
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Hi, all... total newbie over here! If there were a name for someone even less informed than a "newbie," that would be me. So, I thought I would introduce myself before I begin peppering you all with dollhouse questions elsewhere in the forums! I'm a freelance illustrator and mom living in Minnesota, and I'm planning to build the Gloucester for my daughter. I love the simple lines and symmetry of the Glaucester and the absence of "extras" -- since my daughter is still quite young, I chose a house that didn't come with any cute little fences or other pull-off-ables! I also love that the Glau can be opened and closed. I am really excited to get started! The incredible amount of expertise and enthusiasm evident in the members of this forum are really inspiring -- I can't wait to learn from you all. If I may ask -- where is the best place to pose general house-building questions that are not specific to any one dollhouse? (Or is there a general dollhouse-building faq for complete beginners?) For example, one of my questions is: when the house description tells you how many bags of shingles or siding you need, can you assume that you can choose ANY of the shingles/siding sold on the Greenleaf site? If not, how do you know which shingle/siding is recommended? Warmest wishes and thanks in advance, Aimee
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Hello there, I introduced myself briefly in the Community Trading area, and gave a website intro HERE , but I'd like to make this one a little more personal. My name's Niccy and I'm 26, from England, UK My background is in Art and Design, after graduating from a Fine Arts course at college in 2005, and up until a year ago my creative flair was capped by my employment - I worked in catering and then onto a nursery (Kindergarden) setting for several years. Due to a family crisis, my mum, who owns an online dollshouse company, called upon me to help whilst my grandfather turned suddenly very ill. I left my Nursery job to be here for the business, and I'm finally able to throw my creative eye into the real world. I am beginning to experiment with polymer clay, and have just purchased a couple of books on making miniature food. My aim is to be confident enough at doing it so they can be included to our site stock and taken to customers worldwide. It's a pretty daunting thought, as I'm such a perfectionist that I'm not sure how this is going to turn out- but i'm up for a challenge! If any of you do mini clay works I'll be grateful of some starting hints and tips! there's an instagram feed on the bottom of our homepage that she what i've been up to. I'm rather pleased with how the eggs turned out, but going to start experimenting a lot more when these books arrive!! I have a 4 year old daughter who was given her first dolls' house by Father Christmas last year. She is absolutely bursting with imagination, and frankly that girl is my world! Good things come in mini packages Hope to get to know some of you lovely folk! Regards, and bye for now! Niccy.
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Hello, this is my very first post here as I've only just joined this community forum, so be kind!! My name's Niccy, and I'm 1 third of Magpies-Miniatures.net... Magpies-Miniatures is a family run business, from Near Ulverston, in Cumbria, UK. We are based on the edge of the stunning Lake District, and have a good deal of country air running through our lungs, and we consider ourselves to be extremely lucky to bring our services to you from such a beautiful corner of the world. There are three faces here behind the scenes - Mandy is the business owner, founder, and holds great knowledge in all things miniature. She has been behind the scenes from the very beginning, and with the help of her husband, Jon - is the one responsible for the website!. Jon has been the quietest member of the team, but his talents in computer programming, databases and the fact he's extremely artistic and fantastic at any craft he sets his mind to- he's incredible valuable in our eyes, and those of our business too. The newest member of the team is myself, Niccy. I am the daughter of Mandy and Jon, and hold college qualifications in Art and Design, which is where my passion lies. I have taken on the role of keeping the website updated and looking fresh, with improved stock photography, and dealing with social media. All of us have something different to give to the business, which is why we work so well together as a team, in keeping our business running smoothly, and bringing you the service you'd expect as a customer, which has so many of you returning. We stock dolls' house miniatures from a host of suppliers- including heirloom-quality Jia Yi Miniatures, Bespaq, wallpapers from Jackson's, and furniture and accessories from Streets Ahead, Warwick Miniatures, plus fabulously impressive self-build (DIY) kits from McQueenies, and Phoenix Models. If you are looking for something specific and are struggling to find it, again please get in touch and we can have a scout around our suppliers to find what you are looking for. We will always go the extra mile for each and every one of our customers. We hope you enjoy looking around our webstore, find us at www.magpies-miniatures.net I will be popping on to the forums again soon to participate elsewhere, but for tonight my bed's calling!! Goodnight folks, hope to wake to some replies and friendly waves! - Niccy
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Hi, my name is Brittanie. I just joined this group today, the same day I received my Willow Dollhouse Kit in the mail (this model in case you're not familiar). I haven't begun working on it yet, I intend to take my time and do things as well as I can because I've never worked on a dollhouse before. I had one that my dad built when I was little but that was long ago and it wasn't from a kit (plus I didn't help build it!)... But I'm an artist so I have a vision for it. I hope this will be a good project for me to relax and have fun with in my down time. I'm hoping to achieve an old somewhat abandoned house look, although I have no idea if that will be possible or not. I work in mixed media with my art so I do a lot of distressing and staining with paper, I'm hoping I can apply similar techniques to wood and wallpapers and such. Wish me luck! :surrender: I've always really loved dollhouses. Something about the creepy but calming image of the miniature house in a child's room has always appealed to me. I really love antique dollhouses but they're too expensive for me right now. My fascination with them has been apart of much of my art and writing! A little about myself: I'm in my 20s, living in central Virginia US (I'm originally from TX) with my boyfriend and our 3 pets (1 blue heeler, and 2 kitties). I'm a freelance artist and I'm also currently working on my first novel. I spend a lot of time online, making art, and hanging out with my bf and pets. I'm a pretty big homebody but I also love nature and going exploring. I have an aesthetic love for Victorian era, Georgian era (which is the era my dollhouse is from, architecture wise), abandoned buildings, shabby chic style, girly style, natural earthy tones, dark and gloomy things, and lots more... An example of a style I love for dollhouses, this is an antique that sold for thousands! I'll be recording my experience with my dollhouse on my blog which you can see here. :type: I admit I'll be posting there more often than here but I'm going to try to use this site to get help, inspiration, and to make friends! :yes:
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Hi all! Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm a stay-at-home wife of a great guy (been married 33 years this coming March) and mother to one adult son who lives on the other side of the state with our wonderful daughter in law. I've done just about any craft you could imagine over the years and thought I'd give dollhouses a go. I thought it would be a great outlet to use all those tools and supplies I've acquired throughout the years. I bought the Orchid and I'm really feeling overwhelmed! I just started trying to build it following the packaged instructions and felt like crying! I had no idea what it was saying. Then I decided I should look online and signed up for this forum. I'm so happy I did because I found the wonderful expanded instructions pdf. Now I can dry my tears and continue. I look forward to reading as many of your posts as I can and picking your brains when I can't find the information I'm looking for. Thanks in advance!