Jump to content

What's everyone working on?


Recommended Posts

Decorating our main dollhouse for Christmas.

we have several dollhouses, the main one (the best one) is in the dining room, there's a little 3 room dollhouse in the living room, and the rest live in the basement along with plastic storage bins full of furniture and dolls of varying quality.  We have a dry basement, so it's not as bad as it sounds.

The master plan is to spruce up all the basement dollhouses, but my time is at a premium because of work. I also have a daughter who likes to move all the furniture around and switch it out among the houses, so it's very like herding cats.  I'm trying to move my best pieces into the dining room dollhouse, but it's a slow process.

if I win the powerball, I'll have all the time in the world to play with my houses!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, DaisyV said:

if I win the powerball, I'll have all the time in the world to play with my houses!

Sounds like a plan, Mary! I'll do a Powerball dance for you. :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Kathy! And Mary, wouldn't that just fix everything? Oh, the things I could do if I didn't have to go to work!!

One of the things I've started to do is make lists of all of the little details that need doing for a build. I keep a notebook for each build with various lists, but started a "to do" list for each one of all of the little details that I can think of. All of those quick simple projects that keep a build moving forward. That way, when I find myself with a bit of time here and there, I can do something (however small) to keep it going forward. I was off like a rocket yesterday, list in hand, so it was nice to make some progress on something. I woke up early yesterday, realized I couldn't do any of the things I had planned to do, cats would not let me go back to bed, so I just got busy.

It looks like today I'm back to chores and my home improvement project, so probably no mini work. Boo!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sort of working, in a way ... I ordered some things from Hobby Builders Supply during a recent sale. A resin male doll to live in the Beacon Hill isn't exactly dressed for the 1880s, but he's holding a newspaper that blocks some of his clothing and if I put him way in the back of his home office, he might pass for the right period. Also got a "haunted" mirror for the Haunted Hangout, and a basket of potatoes and a pheasant for the Bohemian Inn. Now, if I can get back into building mode ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If your man is in a shirt perhaps you could paint or add ribbon galluses to give him a bit more "antique" look.

I've begun gluing up Brimble's entry; trying Mike's revolving door just didn't "look" right, for some reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

If your man is in a shirt perhaps you could paint or add ribbon galluses to give him a bit more "antique" look.

I've begun gluing up Brimble's entry; trying Mike's revolving door just didn't "look" right, for some reason.

He's in a white turtleneck under what looks to be a light brown suede jacket, brown trousers and tan-and-brown oxfords. It's something of a timeless look. What really caught my eye was that he's the spitting image of our cousin Dave in his younger days. I think if I paint his shoes one shade of brown, he ought to pass for 1880s-1890s man at home. I may put a top hat on his chair and hang a black coat with longish tails nearby as part of the smoke and mirrors effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am just about finished on my (29 yr old) daughters baking scene. It's done in a chipboard "hidden book". I have a couple more little vintage items on the way to finish it off, and then I can start on the one for me! Yep! it was so adorable that I either had to keep it for myself or get one for me, too! Mine will also have a vintage vibe, but will celebrate lemons! This is the start of the third week that hubs and son are out of town working, so the mini projects are keeping me from getting sad. If you'd like to see the photos, just click on my blog link below.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I replaced the leg on a metal/porcelain topped kitchen table we had hangin' around.  

The table is a great place to do minis, plus its magnetic - so I can use it as gluing jig too. 

My computer desk was not the best place to be cutting, sanding, gluing & painting. :bear:

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, mesp2k said:

I replaced the leg on a metal/porcelain topped kitchen table we had hangin' around.  

The table is a great place to do minis, plus its magnetic - so I can use it as gluing jig too. 

My computer desk was not the best place to be cutting, sanding, gluing & painting. :bear:

 

Ah, but think of the patina the desk acquired!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have spend a good part of the day looking for a packet of shingle dye. Agh! When I built the Orchid, I made a small batch of it to test it on the shingles, didn't like it, but kept the mixed dye, and safely packed away the rest of the powder. I have the made-up leftover dye, but cannot find the rest of the packet. It's nowhere-not with the mini stuff, woodworking stuff, I even looked in the fabric dye in the laundry room. Gone! It's going to work on the shingles for my little build, so I need it, and I'm annoyed that it's almost $10 and I've lost it. I hate it when that happens!!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, stickyfingers said:

I have spend a good part of the day looking for a packet of shingle dye. Agh! When I built the Orchid, I made a small batch of it to test it on the shingles, didn't like it, but kept the mixed dye, and safely packed away the rest of the powder. I have the made-up leftover dye, but cannot find the rest of the packet. It's nowhere-not with the mini stuff, woodworking stuff, I even looked in the fabric dye in the laundry room. Gone! It's going to work on the shingles for my little build, so I need it, and I'm annoyed that it's almost $10 and I've lost it. I hate it when that happens!!  

I'm having the same problem with the Carrera marble I made for counter tops. I had an 8"x8" sheet of it and I can't find it anywhere. It was made from paperclay and I know I had to store it flat probably under something but I just can't figure out what ingenious place I stuck it. Frustrating!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, stickyfingers said:

Jodi, that little kitchen scene is fabulous!! Where did you get the book?

 

Thank you, Linda! I ordered the chipboard book here: http://www.alphastamps.com/p20614/Large_Faux_Book_Box/product_info.html?osCsid=cb53be39cacd59c865c5e0b8f0cf68c4

It was great to work with - I just applied gesso to start and had zero trouble with glue/Wallpaper Mucilage/Mod Podge. It's a very tough and economical alternative to using wood for room boxes. I also have a couple of their chipboard shop kits on order to make florist shops for my mom and I. They take about 3 weeks to ship stuff, but other than the waiting time they are great.

Hope you find your dye! So frustrating!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Its_a_sm_world_after_all said:

Jodi, thanks for this link. They have some interesting items. I've bookmarked it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2016‎ ‎9‎:‎02‎:‎31‎, otterine said:

Thank you, Linda! :flowers: 

Really, I don't know how you do it, with all of those wee fiddly bits. A Chrysnbon kit is about as fiddly as I can get without giving up, and even those I have to work on in small stages to keep my sanity. I bought a few airplane model kits a few years ago (family of pilots) took them out of the box, started to read the instructions, and promptly put them back in the box and hid them away in a drawer. I do want to make a pilot's house or bar or hanger or some sort of aircraft themed thing in the future, Maybe I'll just scatter the pieces around the house, rather than assemble the whole kit? At least that would be realistic! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw that build on your blog. I sent my brother the link and he was duly impressed. He's an antique aircraft  collector, so he "gets" all of the details.

The yellow house is still not painted. Ugh. I've been busy with a real life house project, now the weather is supposed to be bitterly cold this weekend. I don't like to do any painting indoors when it's that cold, either, as the heater makes it too warm and dry to get a nice finish. Guess I can cut some wood or work on finishing something for the barn.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Granddaughter's dollhouse is back on the work bench. Must finish it SOON!  

At a craft show last month a fellow-vendor told me she had a "miniature kit" that she bought in the '70s or '80s and had never even opened it. Would I like it?  Uh, is the pope Catholic?  So my cousin, who lives near her, offered to go pick it up sometime after the event was over. Fast-forward to yesterday, when my aunt and cousin came for a visit - and she brought the kit! It is one I have wanted for years, and never got - though it is not a dollhouse. It is a wall-hanging shelf, designed for a miniature scene, with either a towel bar at the bottom or cup hooks. I will use the hooks.   I will try to get a picture for you. Can hardly wait to get it put together and hanging on the kitchen wall!  Might be fun to make several scenes for it, removable, to change with the seasons or occasions as birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, etc. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...