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Hi from SE Michigan!


kfkelly

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I just posted a question and thought I should have introduced myself first! I'm from southeast Michigan (anyone else out there?) I have always loved crafts, building, gardening etc. My youngest one just started college this year, so I thought that building dollhouses would be a fun thing to try while I fought "empty nest syndrome". My Grandfather built one for my sister and completed and painted the outside of Westville for me before he passed away.

I bought the Newberry Cafe on ebay to practice on, and although I made a TON of mistakes ("Mom, that staircase is so totally in backward" and "Honey, shouldn't it look more like the picture?), it is now only two steps away from being done! (and yes, the staircase WAS in backward - it has since been retrofitted. And, yes, it should look like the picture - that has also been corrected!)

I've painted and wallpapered as I went, so when I'm not actively building the house, I've been making some furniture to go in it - got a couple booklets on the internet and read a ton of tutorials. People who do miniatures are such GENEROUS people, and creative beyond belief!

I'm hoping to have a furnished house by February and either donate it to a shelter here or donate it to an organization who have fundraising auctions to benefit their cause. My next house, that I also got on ebay, is Duracraft Heritage 150 which I hope to do the same thing with. If I make it through that, I would like to try a bigger, higher end doll house that I would keep, light and furnish in hopes that one of my children would want it someday (or maybe have a daughter who would like it!) I also want to try to repair and finish the one my Grandfather started, but for that one I want to wait until I really know what I'm doing.

Looking forward to the Forum!

Kirsten

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Welcome to the little family, Kirsten.

My Grandfather...completed and painted the outside of Westville for me before he passed away.
It sounds like you're off to a good start!
...although I made a TON of mistakes ("Mom, that staircase is so totally in backward" and "Honey, shouldn't it look more like the picture?), it is now only two steps away from being done! (and yes, the staircase WAS in backward - it has since been retrofitted. And, yes, it should look like the picture - that has also been corrected!)
Mistakes are learning opportunities, and also opportunities to express yourself. Let me correct a misunderstanding you express, NO, the house does NOT have to look like the picture! Let me invite you to study the Team Coventry Cottage building blog for just one example.

I'm hoping to have a furnished house by February and either donate it to a shelter here or donate it to an organization who have fundraising auctions to benefit their cause. My next house, that I also got on ebay, is Duracraft Heritage 150 which I hope to do the same thing with. If I make it through that, I would like to try a bigger, higher end doll house that I would keep, light and furnish in hopes that one of my children would want it someday (or maybe have a daughter who would like it!) I also want to try to repair and finish the one my Grandfather started, but for that one I want to wait until I really know what I'm doing.
First of all, there is no rule that says you must not keep more than one house that you build; secondly, it is perfectly acceptable for adults to play with dollhouses.
Looking forward to the Forum!
And we're looking forward to hearing more from you! When you have made five posts you can start an album for each of your houses you build.

Go ahead and ask any questions you might have.

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Thank you everyone for such a warm welcome! I'm so excited to be here!

Monica - my very best experience was seeing all the FABULOUS websites and tutorials which gave me some confidence to start a dollhouse. (Yours was one - the grandma and granddaughter!) But a key one was the printable wallpaper sites - wow. In the house I'm doing now, each room has different wallpaper that doesn't really go together, but that I really liked. (which is good because I used left over Purdue gold color paint (from a son's coffee table project) for the kitchen and it was awful - really dreadful, but printable wallpaper covered it up.) And, I can print it out on fabric for curtains. Totally, totally, cool.

Alpangle, Barbara and Jon - I'm east side Detroit in Grosse Pointe Park. Wishing and hoping that 2010 will be a better one for our beloved state. Barbara, thank you for the invite - are meetings ever on weekends? I could road trip!

Havanholly - too funny! The part that didn't look like the picture was an upside down outside wall when I dry fitted the house - the milled in siding side (not sure the right term.) So, I re-righted it. I'm pretty much using this house to develop building techniques and some familiarity, especially before I try the Heritage 560, which looks very, very cool, but over my head. There are some others I would like to try as well before gardening season hits. So I guess at this point, I just enjoy the building and decorating. Plus, the only one so far that I have any connection to is the one my Grandpa started - that one, I'm keeping. Plus, this way, it's a win, win, win, win. I get to build it (and buy really cool tools doing so), someone gets to buy it for a special person, a good organization gets the money, and my husband gets the tax deduction that funds it all (well, some of it anyway, which is what I tell him to justify it!)

A couple of you suggested a gallery - I would LOVE to send pictures, but don't have the first clue on how to do that. I do have a techie husband though . . . mmmmm, maybe I could get him to help me?

Kirsten

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You do need to have five posts to start a Gallery here, but once you've done that you can click on "My Controls" at the top of the page and there's a place on the lefthand side, "Your Albums", to get you on your way.

Ah! upsidedown walls! In dry-fit that's not considered a mistake, it's part of the experimentation that dry fit is for! We learn by doing, and if you ever see any references to my "fund" of mini knowledge, know that's how I acquired most of it! :lol: In case you've noticed, miniaturists may take one another and their work seriously, but ourselves? NEVER!

As for stairs, sometimes they work better backwards, especially if someone is going to PLAY with the house.

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Hi Cheryl, check out the printable wallpaper on this site (called printable wallpaper gallery) - a ton of great patterns. Also mysmallobsession.com has a ton of tutorials and printables and links to other site. Jim's printable minis is another great one. I found most of them by Google.

Kirsten

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I'm new and from Michigan as well (Lansing). When are the Toledo meetings (ever on the weekends?)

Also, where are the tutorials with the printable wallpaper? That sounds really cool.

-Cheryl

Welcome also! So it was easier for you to take advantage of the Hobby Lobby sale! I went up with a friend to the Lansing store last Saturday.

Also check out this site for good printies: http://www.jennifersprintables.com/

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