angie q Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Ok so it has been a while since I have been on the forum and I just feel like maybe if I come back I will get motivated and finish my dollhouse. Has anyone ever felt like they have made so many mistakes you ever just feel like starting over or sraping all the work you have done on your dollhouse or other minitures? I am in a rut!!! I need to get motivated and finish but I feel like in order to move forward I need to take 10 steps back, instead of taking 10 steps back in order to move forward I have completly stoped working on my dollhouse which really brings me joy. Anyone ever feel like this?? How did you work through it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItzKathyP Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Wow, Angie - you just articulated the way I've felt for the past year, but unfortunately I still feel that way and haven't been back to my house. I was working on both the full-scale Pierce and the 1/2 scale Fairfield. No matter what I did, particularly to the Fairfield, I couldn't seem to get myself to ignore a mistake early on. With this attitude I ended up making even MORE mistakes, and ended up not working on it at all. I'd love to hear a solution also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrary Housewife Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I go do something else for a while. Sewing, painting, computer games. There have been times when the houses have sat... I'm just now getting back to my Pierce after 7 or 8 years.... and it has been about 16 since I started the renovation. So don't be afraid to put the energy into something else. The muse will come back to you with fresh ideas. For short term inspiration I surf the web looking at other people's work. There's also dollhouse magazines. You can pick up single issues or subscribe. Is there a show coming up within driving distance of you? I'm looking forward to the St Louis show coming in April. I've also found that giving the craft area a good tidy-up to be refreshing to my creative momentum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabrina Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 The best motivator for me is to stop working on the house, take a breathe and search this forum or the web for inspirational photos. When I see what other people are working on and watch how they do stuff the answer to my mistake is almost always waiting for me. If I stop looking so hard for an answer it will appear, never fails. I also switch to other crafts for awhile but soon the little houses will start calling again. I recently cleaned my artroom and that was the biggest motivator to me as now I want to spend all my time in there, it's a little haven now. Good luck! I hope your muse returns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreativitea75 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 This happens to me - I move on to a different project, sometimes even starting something new entirely. Just remember that everything hand made has mistakes (if it didn't it would float up to God, at least that's what my mother would tell me ;)) And those mistakes are like your signature on an item, making it uniquely yours. Also, you are going to see things that others won't, just because you know they are there and are looking for them. Sometimes its good to just cover it up and not look at it for a while to gain a little perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Med Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Making a mistake is a big demotivator and it doesn't matter what else you do, that mistake will always bug you so the only thing you can do to get yourself moving again is undo it completely and do it again - if possible. Failing that, you need to find a solution to covering over that mistake so it can't irritate the life out of you every day. One big mistake I made was putting siding on and only gluing the top of the strip - when I painted it all the strips of siding flipped up and away from the wall. I could have spent ages trying to flatten it but as the house was already built so it was easier to rip it all off and start again. At the time I felt like abandoning the project altogether (I really felt like stomping on it to be truthful or dumping it in the pond - I was almost beside myself with fury) but when I'd ripped all the siding off and started again, my enthusiasm came back. If your muse has up and left the building for an unknown reason, I agree with everyone else, work on a different thing for a while until she shows up again with her shoes all scuffed and her dress in tatters. I regularly throw scrunched up doll heads into the bin and try again another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minsanity Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I can relate to this! I remember so many times getting frustrated with my house (like today). Then I start thinking I have no business spending all this time on a hobby when i have so many obligations. I have quite literally envisioned taking our sledgehammer to my Beacon Hill and leaving it with the trash. Then I decided that for me it is all about the process and that my mistakes give it character. While i love to look at the forum and get ideas, it has sometimes made me ever more discouraged as so many people have near perfect (or so it seems) work. But no one's work is perfect, we just dont see or notice their imperfections. I'll make you a deal, if you keep working and try to love your house for who she is, i will too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angie q Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Thanks everyone all your comments have really helped. I ripped the bandaid off!!!! I am going to work through it. I feel better already eventhough I have taken a few steps back I feel more motivated already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Jo took the words out of my mouth. My worst was a mistake I didn'[t have the experience at the time to totally undo and do over, so I fudged around with it until it was workable (shims and cosmetic surgery). Mistakes truly are learning opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollymmoore Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I had this problem about a month ago. I ended up scraping out the house for spare parts and got a new kit. I've felt better since and have been really taking my time and enjoying the new build. Also, Contrary Housewife is dead on, sometime cleaning and organizing the work area helps! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 First of all, this is supposed to be FUN. If it isn't...you should also think about whether you really really WANT to be building a dollhouse. Maybe you're the kind of person who would much rather do the decorating part (and so you need to find an already built house). Or maybe...it's possible!..you find you really don't like the whole thing. At which point the dollhouse pieces you have become scrapwood! But if it's just a matter of frustration over mistakes....hey...we've all made mistakes. For me, half the challenge is to figure out how to hide them so that they look "natural".. "Oh, I intended for it to be that way!!"...or indeed, to start over again with that part. With one of my houses, no matter what I did (it was an old house I was rehabbing) I couldn't get the wallpaper to stick to the walls. I tried every trick anyone could offer me..and none worked. I'd put the wallpaper in place, it would look fine, it would dry....and a few days later, curl up and slide off the walls. Tried 3 times before I finally just gave up and painted the walls (something I hadn't done in the past!) and it turned out looking just fine. I've often stepped away from the project, like the others said. Sometimes it's because "real life" has gotten in the way; other times it's a matter of just tired of messing with it then. When I come back, I'm fresh, I see it with new eyes, and sometimes the instructions, which I swear had been obscure, suddenly become clear. "Oh, THAT'S what they mean!!" and I can progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angie q Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 The problem area was the kitchen so I ripped everything off baseboards, crown moulding, window trim, and even all the wallpaper.....still working on getting all the little bits of wallpaper off but I do feel better already. Today the plan is to finish getting wallpaper off, clean up my workspace( I too find it makes me feel better when everything is better organized), and then do a little shopping for replacement paper.....shopping makes me feel better in any situation. I already feel my motivation coming back now that I have started the process of moving forward. I am glad to be back on the forum and working on my house which I really DO LOVE. Sometimes it is a challenge but in a good way. Last night my husband said how proud he was of me for working through my frustration and he said he notices I am happier when I am working on my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Med Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Congratulations Angie, that's the way to go - rip it all out and start again. Bet your kitchen will be brilliant this time round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyole Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Ditto to all of the above. I have ripped out and redone soooo many things, but it is part of the learning curve. You have to listen to the inner voice (the house??) - sometimes it takes time to hear it & know what to do with it - but then you will know what needs to be done - whether it's a complete tear down & rebuild, or working the mistake into something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygrommi Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm enjoying reading this thread and can definitely identify with it. However, I have a slightly different situation. I am now re-doing the dollhouse I did for my daughter in the 1980s for her daughter who just turned 7. The day after my granddaughter was born my daughter said to me, "Mother, you are going to fix up the dollhouse for her, arent't you?". At that time it seemed I had plenty of time, so I kept putting it off and it seems all of a sudden she needs the house to be enjoying before she grows up. I work full time and it's hard to find the time, but several months ago I began. The house is 1/2 plywood and was built from a plan by the local high school shop teacher and his students. They built the house, cut the window and door openings and I wired, wall-papered, carpeted and painted it. The plan was for a three story house, but I had them add a fourth floor because I wanted lots of rooms. Not long after I finished it I saw in one of my miniature magazines a dollhouse with a basement so I had someone build a wooden box base with casters and 4 basement rooms. Now the house was really big. My daughter loved it and spent many hours playing with it. When I decided to renovate it about 4 years ago I had two 2-story wing additions added to it because on the first floor it had a kitchen, a foyer and one other room which had to serve as the living room and dining room which I never liked. So now with the wings, I have a separate living room and dining room, a breakfast room and a kitchen in addition to the foyer. The second floor of the wings gives me a master bedroom and bath on one side and a girls bedroom and bath on the other side. I removed all the wallpaper which was a VERY difficult job and I will not put any wallpaper back in. Back in the 1980s when I did the house, I did not know to prime the plywood walls before papering and the acids in the wood bled through as ugly brown spots. Also, the wallpaper was not the style I want today. This time I am painting everything - wallpaper is just too hard at this stage of my life. I decided to rip out all the old wiring and start over with new fixtures. Right is I am at the re-wiring stage. I used round wire before and am using it again since I understand it better than tape wire. I changed the configuration of the stairs and that has been a real challenge. It is taking me so long and I get really discouraged, but I am driven by the fact that I have to hurry and get it done so she can enjoy it. Another thing that makes the task so daunting is that before, I had stained all the interior doors and trim and now I will paint it all a crisp white. I decided to start will all new doors, baseboard, crown molding and windows. I am running into all kinds of issues that seem impossible, but somehow I keep plugging along and eventually figure out a way to make them work. Doing a new house would have been so much easier, but the sentimental value means a lot to my daughter and to me. I have learned so much on this group and continue to ask questions as I face obstacles. I will be SO happy to get this house completed. Renea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Renea, hang in there, you're dealing with a true heirloom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygrommi Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 One day I'll learn how to make a gallery. For now, here are 2 "before back and front" and 2 "now back and front" photos with the wing additions added. I reduced the height of the base so the child can access the rooms in the attic. The house will be painted white with black shutters and white trim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Wow ... what a lot of work! It will be worth it though. Keep up the good effort!! :thumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygrommi Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I forgot to say the two wing additions will have porches on top with railings. Looks kind of funny without the railings. I have also removed all the windows and will replace with working windows. One of my worst problems has been that the original interior doors were Houseworks and I bought the new replacement doors at Hobby Lobby. They look identical, however the Hobby Lobby doors are ever so slightly larger than the openings in the house and they would not fit. I had the doors for awhile and couldn't return them, so I sanded and sanded and sanded to try to enlarge the door openings. i decided to try using my Dremel tool and a cutting blade since I got so tired of sanding. NOT a good idea. The blade cut so quickly that now I have one side of the opening too big and will have to fill that area with wood putty. No more using the Dremel cutting blade. I finally got all the opening enlarged enough for the doors to fit, but I will definitely not get any paint on the areas where the doors fit into the openings. Even a coat of paint would probably cause them not to fit. My latest problem is assembling a Mini Mundus spiral stairway for the foyer. The directions are unclear to me and I will have to cut an opening in the ceiling above. The directions also do not indicate what size opening the stair case needs. When I figure it out, I will be cutting the opening by drilling holes so I can insert a small hand saw and I figure I will be doing lots of sawing to make the opening. This is truly a LABOR of love. Renea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angie q Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Renea your house is beautiful. Wow I could not imagine doing what you are doing, I think it is amazing and your daughter and granddaughter will enjoy and cherrish the finished product for many years. I hope one day to have a little girl to share the experience of minitures with. At the rate I am building my Garfield I might have a little girl before I ever finish. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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