Long time lurker here.....

[Soapz]

... and I'm finally getting around to introducing myself and my (soon to come) version of the Worthington from Artply.

Hello Everyone,

I'm originally from Germany but somehow ended up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - and this Christmas I decided to work on a dollhouse kit I bought in 1986 when I was visiting a friend in St.Louis, Missouri. It is a bit sobering to admit that I am building a vintage dollhouse that I bought when it was anything but vintage.... Anyhow, I remember the sales-clerk telling the much more gullible and younger version of me at the time, that: "...there is only basic assembly required..." I wonder if I can sue him for lying and taking advantage of a young girl after all those years

I also remember making a first attempt at building it about 15 or 18 years ago and then becoming so overwhelmed that I packed it away until now.

So, now I have been working on the base plates and the front panel and I truly wish I could say I'm having a ball but...

- the bay windows are a horrible fit so I had to make a new roof for all four - that was fun.

- the windows themselves are not what I like so I am making new trims for the interior and I'm currently working on making windows that will open - because an old lady like her needs that.

Other than that, I've been trying to repair the havoc my young enthusiasm has wrecked upon the Worthington.

I believe I don't have to tell you all that it will be a great adventure from start to finish (whenever that might be) as I see many, many hours of work looming ahead of me. I love that house, however it is a bit too rough looking for my taste and what's a few hundred hours more or less anyways, right?

I'll see if I can upload a picture of my measly progress (if I find one that does not have my feet in it), meanwhile you can find me at the crafts store buying things I never thought I needed and spending money I never had.

Feel free to ask me anything (I have files with all the templates I created to customize details) and I know where to get the best wood filler here on the coast....

- soapz -

[Jane S]

Greetings!

I think your off to a really great start ;) These processes take a long time any way so don't worry about that. Your going on the rollercoaster that is, being on the verge of, completely addicted to the miniatures/dollhouses phenomenon!

That's the one that starts with "I am going to build my dollhouse" and ends with you being in the craft store for hours buying things ..you will need..someday...anyways...

I look forward to your slow decent into our welcoming arms down here at the bottom of the trench that is mini addiction!

And lots of photos!!! mmmmmm candy!!!

[jbnmini]

Welcome! Glad you finally came out of the shadows and into our obsessed little world!

Artply houses certainly do present a bit more work than some other kits - they are wonderfully detailed houses, mind you - but a pain in the patootie nonetheless. I know from experience - I was also that foolish young enthusiast that purchased an Artply Barrington Victorian as my first endeavor.

Anyway- welcome aboard, and best wishes on your Worthington project!

[Soapz]

Thank you for the welcome!

Well, for the 'buying things' part - you are so right! While in Germany I ran over some Reutter miniatures (and yes, they are just as expensive there as they are here) and had to buy them, as well as some other accessories...

I think my biggest issue is that while I barely started, I already consider the Worthington the 'warm-up' house. I caught myself looking for a dollhouse with a huge entry and a grand staircase on each side - so there! I said it! I want bigger (although the Worthington is pretty big....) I'm already reconsidering using the more expensive miniatures in a more 'detailed' house instead of the one I'm making right now...

This dollhouse stuff is evil! Plain evil! :yikes:

I guess we'll see how it goes.

Here a picture of the window inserts I made last night:

The first version is made of balsa wood strips with the pane between two layers - I thought it might be easier to make pin hinges for them.

The second version (on the right) is made of pine with the plastic glued to the inside - I'm tending towards that one and use plain old-fashioned flat hinges.

[kat57]

Welcome to the fun! I know you see that you've come to the right place to share your renewed interest in your dollhouse and I look forward to seeing your build progress! What really caught my eye is your location-I moved back to my home state of Alabama about 21 months ago after living in Jackson County for 27 years. I'm right across the stateline in Grand Bay. So good to see a 'neighbor ' on the forum!

[Stacey6163]

Welcome back to the wonderful and addicting world of miniatures , and the forum ! Looks like you're off to a good start ! You'll find all sorts of ideas and inspiration here , it is a fun site. I have an Artply Franklin kit in my stash , the Artply Allison was my first house. Looking forward to watching your build come along , and glad you've joined us !

[Dalesq]

Welcome out of the dark...to the forum!

I think your progress looks good. I like the window lights on each side of the front door. Nice details.

When you've made your fifth post you can start a gallery, and yep, we love photos

[CheckMouse]

Welcome - glad you could join this little family of mini-addicts Looks like you're off to a good start.

[Selkie]

Welcome. We are such a great enabling family here at GL.

I've visited Germany several times and was always fascinated with the countryside and architecture.

Everywhere I went it seemed magical. While I thoroughly enjoyed my visits to France, England and Italy, they didn't have the magical feeling that Switzerland, Austria and Germany have - for me anyways.

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the little family. I wish I had an Artply Worthington kit to build... I am also in SW AL. Where in MS are you? We like to go over to Ocean Springs to shop.

[Soapz]

Hello Holly, I am about 9 miles away from Ocean Springs - in d'Iberville - next time you come here we should meet up for coffee. Maybe we should organize our own little mini-meetings - looks like there are a few people living in MS and AL...

Anyways, so yesterday I was working on wood inserts for the bay windows and learned that you can't stain over glue spots even if you wipe them off and even if the glue says it can be stained... oh bother! I'll use them anyways.

[havanaholly]

Chris, you can paint over stain and you can carefully sand off dried glue and stain again. Next time we're coming over your way I'll PM you and maybe we could meet at Pheonicia for lunch.

[KathieB]

Hello Holly, I am about 9 miles away from Ocean Springs - in d'Iberville - next time you come here we should meet up for coffee. Maybe we should organize our own little mini-meetings - looks like there are a few people living in MS and AL...

Next time we're coming over your way I'll PM you and maybe we could meet at Pheonicia for lunch.

We go to Ocean Springs now and then to visit the Walter Anderson Museum. Joining y'all for lunch at Phoenicia would be incentive enough in itself. Holly, PM me, too, please!

[havanaholly]

We go to Ocean Springs now and then to visit the Walter Anderson Museum. Joining y'all for lunch at Phoenicia would be incentive enough in itself. Holly, PM me, too, please!

Absolutely! As a potter, I bet Chris would enjoy a trip out to Shearwater Pottery, too. And if either of you are interested, when we were there with DS last June we discovered a needlework shop, Threadneedle Street, that carries kits from some of Walter Anderson's paintings.

[morgansmith]

Welcome, Chris! What an exciting kit for your first build. Yes, it's a vintage kit you bought new and that may make you feel a little older than you like, but...I assure you, once the mini addiction takes over, you'll feel like a kid again

I understand your thinking regarding a house with more detail for your 'nice stuff'. (See Greenleaf's Beacon Hill, my personal favorite) The house you are building would be a beautiful Christmas house. Or a holiday house you could decorate seasonally or ANYTHING. You see, every miniaturist NEEDS more than one house.

Best wishes for your wonderful new addiction!

[Soapz]

The Phoenicia sounds like a plan, ladies...

Anyways, I uploaded the first pictures to the gallery - if anyone wants to see my feet - go check it out....

Morgan, I'm actually thinking about making connecting room boxes and fit/slide them into a shell: thought-process behind it is that separate room boxes should be 'easier' to finish (and it would allow me a "Scarlet O'Hara - Grand Staircase" moment of my own. I really would like to built either a two-story ballroom or an entry-hall that could accommodate a single or combined staircase...

I've been looking at old blueprints from European castles and mansions - the good thing is that a lot of them are basically simple in structure - rooms to one side of the building with a connecting hallway along the whole length...

I'm thinking building block system... and if the shell is done right, wiring should not be a problem there could be connectors from the boxes to the shell - the only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to solve the windows and door issues with a shell. I thought a frame construction but that would 'kill' the facade.

Ideas anyone? I hope between all of you master-builders there is a solution in sight...

I'm mulling it over while trying to make progress on the Worthy...

[Soapz]

Holly, I want to keep the wood stained for the 'seat' of the bay windows. I decided that uneven staining is not necessarily a problem - it could be interpreted as a sign of wear and give the house a more used look.

[havanaholly]

You can either make an upholstered cushion to fit and some bargello pillows and make windowseats in your bays, or make doilies to fit and display vases full of flowers; there's no limit to things you can cover your uneven stain if you wish. I LOVE your house. I promise if I had one I'd make a lot of "nice stuff" to go in it.

I used to have a book by Dorie Krusz and one of her techniques was to make up the box with mattboard and 1/4" stripwood, like studs, and basically make her house similar to a stickbuilt RL house. You can run your wiring between where the stripwood pieces from one box will glue up to the pieces of another.

[elfprincess]

Welcome!

I, too, have a Worthington. It was badly damaged by the delivery courier so both side 'wings' are 'totalled'. I will have to patch them up and glue them back in place.

I don't like those bay windows, either. I love bay windows but not on the Worthington! I will be replacing them with windows that match the rest.

I look forward to following your progress. The Worthington is a beautiful house -and huge! I bought it because it had ten rooms, little realising how much room it would take up LOL.

I am about to start work on my dream house - art deco (streamline moderne). Many months of searching for a kit, or plans proved fruitless. I can't afford the few that are commercially available. So I've been researching, checking out pix of art deco houses both miniature and full-sized. I will try two different approaches; the first is to combine two vintage Tri Ang houses - shells, basically - I bought on eBay very recently (told you - I can't stop!) and create a house of my own design. inspired by those I've sourced online.. The second is to build from scratch, using foamboard or even cardboard,again to my own design. The only readily available deco house plans seem to be the 1937 ones taken from an Engineering magazine. I bought them, only to discover that the word 'plans' is used in a very loose sense! The buyer gets an artist's impression of the finished house, and a ton of measurements - that's it. The house itself is gorgeous but those plans are no good for a beginner.

I considered converting my Worthington LOL - but decided against it.

Good luck with yours!

Edited January 10, 2014 by elfprincess

[Soapz]

Hello Pauline,

I thought about changing the house but decided against it because it is just not quite what I want in the 'perfect' house. I don't want to sink too much money in it - I'm using it primarily for experience and mistakes that I don't want to repeat.

I actually have two floorplans from the Hart-Cluett house that might be converted into an art-deco. I'll upload the files to the gallery, it might help you (or others) out. I thought they were definitely usable for a dollhouse and the house definitely has something going for it. I'm re-sizing the original images - if you are interested I can mail the originals to you. I have some connections to an architect that used to make plans for casinos, he might be interested to do a plan or two - I'll see what he says next time I see him...

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&album=6598

Let me know what you think

Chris

[pdlnpeabody]

Welcome to the forum, Chris!

I use a framing technique that is slightly different than the one Holly mentioned. I framed both of my houses and plan to build all of my structures that way. Beside reducing the weight of the structure, all of the wiring fits nicely inside the walls. The uncovered product looks like this:

[Soapz]

Hello Jeremy,

thanks for the welcome. I see what you are saying by framing - I'm afraid that is way beyond my skill set and my time options... But what a great house. (I'm going to sit in my closet for a while and be envious/jealous...) The frame construction for the shell is an awesome idea for the wiring issues. Let me try to explain a bit better what I'd like to do though.

My idea is more to make room-boxes and figure out a shell interior that works like shelves? I picture being able to slide the boxes in and out as I need to. The idea behind is doing each room with floor, walls and ceiling - finish it - keep height and width measurements in mind so they fit like building blocks. Although I do have a big enough place - I also have a lot of other space-intensive projects going on.. (pottery-wheel, house-renovation, and so on...). I think being able to focus on one room at a time without having to worry about the shell (it will be built last) will keep the minis contained - possibly/maybe? - to a smaller space as I do not have a dedicated workshop. Right now I set up a work table in my office and in between my thesis and research I get up and glue something together... it makes the tedious desk-work somewhat more bearable.

I saw cabinets for room-boxes which, in itself, is fine; however, it is not what I'm looking for. I have either to come up with an idea for a shell that looks like a house, but still allows for windows and doors without the interior dividers of the shell in combination with the box-walls becoming too thick. I want each box to be a finished piece (interior/exterior) but still be able to be combined into a complete house.

I'm not sure if I am able to explain it right. I thought about making a sketch for the shell-system (until I saw yours) and - let's just say I'll have to rework that sketch somewhat....

Most here have probably run across the 'arsenic and old lace' room box - if you had one of those but you would like to add more boxes to make a complete house while still able to separate the boxes as needed - how would the shell construction have to look like in order to allow that.

As soon as I find my artistic vein among all that scrap-wood I'll make attempt to make a drawing - maybe it will make better sense then.

Sorry for being so unclear - but thank you for pointing me towards another piece of the puzzle. Hollow walls are definitely what I need to think about.

Chris

[Selkie]

So, are you basically looking for a bookcase with a dollhouse roof and exterior that the different room boxes can line up side by side and above and below each other? I found this link to an idea that might work and wouldn't take up too much space. You could do it easily with thrift store pieces put together how you envision it.

[Soapz]

Hello Selkie,

like a shelf: yes, but I want that 'shelf' to have removable rooms. Not shelf-looking, really house-looking. I haven't found an image anywhere yet - except for the one I'm attaching. It looks like what I'm trying to do - but I can't figure out how to solve the window issue - you see how the windows are on the box but there is no corresponding opening in the shell and the same goes for the interior doors. I need ideas on how to make the separate boxes with exterior walls that look good when they are not in the shell and still look good when they are in the shell.

[havanaholly]

I think you would need to paint on the details for the box exteriors that you could replicate (or do entirely differently) for the exterior of the shell. I'm not sure I understand why you want to do the rooms as separate boxes, though...