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Holly thank you, I can see now that the fireplace thingy has a bookcase built in, I thought there was a piece missing there. I can't picture the square holes containing a firebox though but my thinking factory in my head is working very poorly at the moment. usually I can read and digest very easily but I am reading and reading the same thing over and over and not getting it. I guess it is understandable but I have to try and focus on something.  The stairs too I can understand. Thank you. Your houses are always so comfy and colorful with lots to look at.I envy you your talent.

 

Karin, thank you also. I do have a Facebook page although I don't usually use it but I will go on and find MoreMinis. By the way I love your work it always makes me smile and is totally different to anything I have ever done., me very formal, very picky . I think it would do me the world of good to do something completely different. Fairies, witches, maybe  but I wouldn't know where to start. When I was a little girl there was a stretch of wooded highway on the way to a beach that my parents took me to. There were three clearings in the woods ,each with a small cottage,one close to each end of the woods and one in the middle. My father told me the first was Red Ridings Hoods house  , the last was Grandmama's house, and the middle one belonged to the woodcutter who saved Red Riding Hood from the wolf..Maybe the three cottages in a wood would make a great project for me sometime. Ideas for cottages anyone!

 

Thank you  both again, I very much appreciate the help.

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I've been cramming to finish up some items that I'm displaying at one of the local libraries. Today was the deadline and it's finally all in! I was worried I wouldn't have enough to fill the case but the display was smaller than I remembered and there was one item I couldn't squeeze in. Pictures here.

Next deadline is the state fair. I have a roombox and a doll to finish for that. Then I'm teaching the project at the next club meeting and have to prep that. Then I need to be ready with enough miniatures to demonstrate for 5 hours at the fair. After the demo, we leave for Nebraska State Day where I need to have 21 swap items! Why does everything hit at once?! :coffee:  :eek::cheezy:

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12 hours ago, WyckedWood said:

Thanks for the link :) 

Samantha I can understand your frustration when something doesn't turn out the way you pictured. I think this house will be a show piece when finished whether you decide to leave it or redo it. 

Thanks for the support Karin.. I hope so.. but we shall see.. I think my ambition outweighs my skillset at the moment.. :D 

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12 hours ago, sparklepuppies said:

Sadly, the mobile version of the site does not show signatures, or the sidebar that displays names. :( So thanks for the link, I wanted to see too!

Samantha, I can see why it would stress you. So sorry it was hard. But, I kinda like it, and the more I looked at it, it grew on me. The brick foundation on my house is dirty and muddy like that. Maybe have some dirt around the house in your landscaping. 

And for the record, I would never have the patience to grout like that. So you're already doing better than me!

Thanks Sparkle! I hope it grows on me too. :) Good idea for the landscaping.. and thanks for the moral support.. it was needed today and you all have turned my frown upside down. :D

 

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20 hours ago, Debsrand56 said:

Oh, Samantha.  I'm sorry things aren't going well.  It can be so frustrating, I know, but please don't give up and find another hobby.  We like you here, and you do good work!  (And seriously, you would give up that adorable little squirrel? Nooooo!)   I like the suggestions for painting and moss.  To be honest, when I looked at the pictures (admittedly on my cell phone on the way in to work), the somewhat funky grout already looked like moss to me. Maybe you can just paint it some shades of gray and green. :) On the plus side, your stairs are wonderful.  I love the trim on the sides and the beautiful oak treads.  You should be very happy with them.  I also agree with the glass of wine advice.  Or a cocktail.:cocktail:

No the squirrel can't leave. He's being held hostage at my house. :D Love that your husband names your squirrels btw.. We don't have squirrels in Australia so I've always been fascinated by them. They are such cheeky little things. 

I really appreciate the support... I was in full blown throw yourself on the floor kick you legs in the air tantrum mode..:giggle: . and then I got really sad and disappointed, which to be honest scared me a little bit because I like to be positive and I didn't like this feeling at all.... But this evening after reading everyone's comments I'm feeling sooo much better...

And according to this Tragedy to Comedy conversion chart.. I'm 4 steps away from a comedic winner.. :D 

Tragedy to comedy conversion chart

I have no solutions yet, but I have no doubt one will spring up when I least expect it... I have some time as I'm waiting on some lights for the garage ceiling and can't really move forward until I have them installed.

Oh and forget the wine.. I'm going straight for the hard liquor! :cocktail:

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14 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Ah, havanaholly cheats and slops glue on the back of the pieces of whatever and sticks them into the spackle to look like grout, as I did with the seashell tabby on the Magnolia.  I have neither patience nor skill to fool with filling & wiping.

This is a good idea Holly, I think I'll try this next time. :)

 

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9 hours ago, Jeannine said:

I just took a look at that squirrel, he is priceless,  I would call him Samson, cos he looks like he so sweet with a big kind heart and he has a lot of fur for one so tiny.

Thanks Jeannine.. great name choice.. :) He remains nameless for now but this is a good option if I'm feeling like naming him after myself.. lol

And don't be too hard on yourself.. I think you have every right to have any kind of meltdown you want at the moment. (hugs)

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Jeannine, the fireplace sub assembly fits very tightly into its holes and after the first two dry fits I only glued the subassembly together (I had to take the second, inside out version apart after trying another dry fit,, because it had skewed; I do try VERY hard not to have that happen).  I sanded the hole in the floor a few times and used scrap wood and a hammer to finally get the !!#**# thing to cooperate.

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Jeannine that's a great story about the woods, I love it. Reminds me of when my daughter was young and I told her very similar things or walking through the woods I'd say hurry over the bridge there might be trolls and point out the places fairies usually live. Greenleaf has some perfect small cottages, two of my favorites are the Buttercup and Sugarplum. Very easy builds and small enough to fit anywhere. 

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I will look into those cottages, they wouldn't all be the same of course, Grandmama would live alone, but she needs a room with a big bed because the story goes it was piled high with quilts and feather beds, the woodcutter will be a batchelor so he only needs a small house, Red Riding Hood had parents so hers need to be a bit bigger bit stil on a sort of peasant value, I shall have a lot of fun lokking at the ones you named and finding stuff and that I do need to do right now, it would cheer me up.

 

Fairfield has a dry build to a point ,  so far now the chimney thing is in and a couple of walls and floors so it is progressing better than I expected. I have to come up with some way of getting rid of the piece that has the 3 strips of what I think is stair rail as it is totally different to the stairs going in. I guess it will be revealed as I get further on. Would you put siding on or stucco it? I don't want to just paint the plywood anywhere, it is different kinds and the grain goes from tight to very noticeable so it has to be disguised. I have tried sanding on a scrap to see how smooth I could get it but could not get it smooth enough. Holly I know you spackle a lot, what may I ask do you use to get a very delicate finish on a small house.

 

Samantha, I totally forgot about the likeness of Samson to your name, I was thinking of the Biblical Samson, of course he was huge but that is poetic license, but he was very kind with a big heart and certainly had a lot of hair. I would love to get a couple just like him, did you get them on OZ e bay?

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Yay, Jeannine, I think you will really like the Fairfield once you get it going good. The rooms are pretty small though (1:24 scale and all), so I did all the wallpapering before assembly. I don't usually do that with 1:12 builds. I marked the walls during dry fit, then papered with the walls flat. 

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Thank you SPARKLY!!.. I am feeling better about it but I do feel it will be a" go back to project" and may take me some time especially as finding all the furniture won't be easy.. At least I have got over the sanding thing I think so the houses stored under the sofa stand a better chance now LOL and I would buy more of the ply houses now..

Actually I am getting quite excited about my idea for a Red Riding hood trio, I think the frivolity of it combined with some good  childish memories  are just what I could use right now so I am scouring the net for ideas.I don't want them all small as Red Riding Hood  had parents  so there would be two bedrooms there. Also I want it to look a bit English so am leaning towards Tudor style. Right now it would like the  Glencroft as the family house, the Aster for Greatgrandma or the haunted house with some modification.as she has to have a good sized bedroom,and for the woodcutter I do have choices, I see him as a batchelor, probably built his own house so maybe the Adams or the Shadybrook. he only needs a one roomer or something simple for him and his dog..

 

Sale on this week at Minatures.com again which finishes this weekend so I need to be thinking quick.

 

All ideas very much welcomed.

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3 hours ago, Jeannine said:

Samantha, I totally forgot about the likeness of Samson to your name, I was thinking of the Biblical Samson, of course he was huge but that is poetic license, but he was very kind with a big heart and certainly had a lot of hair. I would love to get a couple just like him, did you get them on OZ e bay?

I got him from EBay seller teensyweensy13. Igma artist made. She currently has two grey squirrels being auctioned together http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/OOAK-Dollhouse-Miniature-Gray-Squirrels-Hand-made-Animal-Pet-IGMA-Artisan-/192290721819?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE

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Jeannine I love your ideas, and will you make dolls for them? A little red riding hood would be so fun to costume. Now you've got me thinking I may need to make a little red riding hood lol. Do a Google Images search for the name Rik Pierce (if you're not already familiar with his work) to see lots of inspiration for the storybook style (that's what I call it), he's retired now I believe but used to teach classes and build houses using air dry clay for that brick/stucco/rock look. 

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Hi Karin, yes I will make my Red Riding doll and her parents plus ,grandmamma and the woodcutter too from porcelain slip. I do have a kiln and doll house people molds of all ages. I can fiddle with them when they are wet to change faces etc . I shall give the wolf my best shot too but he will have to be fabric.. I shall certainly look at Rik's work thank you.

 

I think it will be a lot of fun, and will go nicely with my plan for a bear house. Now you have me going..What about The Old Won=man who lived in the shoe..she had so many children she didn't know what to do... A dollshouse Shoe kit!!.

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I'm not sure how "delicate" the "stucco" on the Fairfields looks; I spread the spackle on about 1/8" thick and while it was wet I "spanked" it with the flat of my putty knife, then lightly dragged the putty knife downward to smooth all the points just a tad (I used masking tape around the doors and windows and anywhere I wanted to glue things later):

right side out interior 2.JPG

I paint most of the walls in my houses.  I prime them first with one or two coats of flat white interior latex (emulsion paint), whether I'm going to paint them or put paper on them, and so far it seems to cover the wood grain pretty well.  If there is obvious wood texture problems I run a very thin coat of spackle over it and when it's dry I sand it flat & smooth and then prime and paint or paper.

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Karin, I have to be totally honest with you, a couple of decades ago I owned and ran a  successful porcelain studio teaching doll making, lace draping, china painting etc, after several years of doing that I found I was always teaching and never did anything for me so after some thought I decided to sell out. I kept all my doll house size molds and some of the larger ones and all my personal china painting supplies  but the majority of my things , including my kilns went with the business so I stopped china painting. I then decided to take a break and concentrate on something else, we returned to the UK for a few years then my husband got sick and everything apart from sewing and knitting which I could do on my lap sort of fell off the map.When we came back  I bought a small kiln but rarely got a chance to use it and there it has sat. I have no problem pouring my dolls, carving,.cleaning or firing but I have some doubts about my china painting skills now. The plan is to do them and I will but I have a strange feeling they may all look like hookers rather than sweet ladies LOL but we will see. I really ought to have a serious go at unfired clay but I rather like cleaning greenware. The really sad thing is that most ceramic shops have gone out of business now and hundreds of slip molds have been dumped.Apart from my dolls and hundreds of regular molds I had loads of tiny miniatures, tableware, bathrooms, decorations etc now they are no longer available..

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Jeannine are you familiar with House of Caron? They do have some molds for decorations (a few). http://www.houseofcaron.com/

I used to love the ceramics shops, yes sad they're gone now, I haven't seen one for many years.

It sounds like you really enjoyed dollmaking, hope you can get back in to it. I know one dollmaker who swears by using acrylics for painting the faces. 

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Hi yes I do know of house of Caron, in fact I almost bought some of their molds a couple of years ago but there was a problem with their ordering system, somebody who did it was not there or something like that and it sort of fizzled led out. I have painted tons or regular ceramic with acrylics but never used them on porcelain,

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I picked up a Walmer Tiffany kit, new in box, yesterday -- though I was a bit skeptical as it was opened for them to take pictures. The kit also came with a number of different furniture pieces, seemingly of all different scales. There are two boxes of furniture which I know I should recognize but don't(that could just be lack of sleep), but the boxes themselves were white with little gold stars and gold star outlines all over. In addition to that some 1:16 scale which I recognized as Petite Princess furnishings, and a few other larger scaled pieces. Will probably be letting most of that go, but that will be nice to allow me to really finish off the kit nicely. This will be my donation house for a local Children's Hospital gala next year. They throw the gala annually to help raise funds to both run the hospital, as well as help out families that need help to afford treatment there.

So, that basically means the majority of my day has been cleaning up old furniture and trying to figure out what to do with it. In addition to that the last couple of days I've been out in the shop cutting siding strips for my Nantucket. Was feeling fairly alright about being inside today cleaning furniture, b/c it's been very rainy and just blah outside. Hope everyone is doing well, and am loving seeing everyones' updates!  :)

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