WyckedWood Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Im having a challenging time transitioning to the smaller details on my current project. Switching from power tools and hand tools and wrangling large pieces of wood requires a completely different energy than sitting down, getting quiet inside and drawing enough patience from yourself complete a garland or a sewing project. Does anyone else have a hard time switching hats? Whats your favorite hat to wear between general contractor and interior decorator...and all others necessary...cabinet maker to baker...painter to brick mason to seamstress to electrician to landscaper and florist.....this hobby certainly demands it all We must be a talented bunch! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I could never make a choice. I love it all. I think that it stems from wanting to try new things, just to see if I can do them. To me, that is always fun. If I can, it's great. If I can't, there's always something else that I haven't tried yet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I like all aspects but I do love running my band saw and assorted power tools a great deal. The part about how easy is it to switch gears is an interesting thought. I do switch around simply because I get tired of standing or sitting or being inside or out in the wood shop. I need to do the opposite for awhile. It's less about the task than it is the position/location I have to be in. The absolute hardest part for me is painting. I'm not patient with it at all !!!!!!! I want it done in one swish of the brush. Having to do multiple coats is sheer torture for me. And small bits like window casings are just about enough to send me to the insane asylum. Other than that, I love all parts. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 I love painting, but not assembly line painting...like trims,etc. I agree about that! I think I actually love the shopping as much as anything...the hunt for that perfect detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieS Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'm fairly new to miniatures, but that's exactly what I love about this hobby! It's multifaceted! I love that it isn't the same everyday, and I sometimes even have several different kinds of mini projects (all for the same house) going at a time. (Very impressed by folks who work on multiple houses at the same time!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I like to play with my power tools, and I like to use my hand tools to make the fiddly bits and I like staining or painting what I need to; I like figuring out how to make drapes, curtains or window shades look like the house wants and I like sculpting the families that live in the houses and dressing them, making their food, etc. I even like upholstering furniture. I guess I'm like Casey, I enjoy it all; and I really like learning to do new things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I love it all. I enjoy the challenges (sometimes more than other times) and I like how this hobby leads me to research topics and experiment with materials. I find myself "going down the rabbit whole" about copper roof styles, or windows, or famous master painters, or landscaping, or, or, or. There is always something new to explore and learn about. I also love the way it has made me view the world and my surroundings differently. The one drawback I've discovered is that I miss entire parts of movies and dialog now because I'm distracted by the gardens, or interiors, or whatever. I love movies too, so this has been a funny, and sometimes exasperating result of this hobby. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 I love it all too, very much...its only the sudden transition from one to the other..especially where it concerns the yin/yang switch from builder to florist (for example) that is challenging for me. Yes, historian, student, researcher, collector....all more things we must be learn to be, even teacher sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I see what you're saying. For me I don't feel the transition; it's all part of the flow of the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Holly, maybe it's because we have been doing it for so long... It seems, for me, a natural progression. No problem switching from one thing to another. After 30 years, it's just what needs to be done, gets done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonberry Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Holly, maybe it's because we have been doing it for so long... It seems, for me, a natural progression. No problem switching from one thing to another. After 30 years, it's just what needs to be done, gets done. You said it! I'm still such a newbie, that I am totally ignoring my Arthur (Santa's House) and have been since the 22nd of December. I put the scrapbook paper on the roof and need to give it some glossy varnish to protect it. Do you think I can bring myself to do that step? :nonono: I also cannot finish the upstairs wallpaper/flooring because none of the beds in my stash would fit in the room! At least now I have the brass beds, maybe one of them will fit in there and still look like it belongs. Now I've done the spackle/sand/spackle/sand/spackle/sand merry-go-round multiple times on the Maggie and it STILL looks horribly bumpy in some areas. I foresee a lot of hanging planters mounted on the walls with trailing plants in those sections - I just CANNOT SPACKLE ANYMORE :surrender: While I'm collecting furniture and things for the interior, I'm still building the exteriors and nothing practical gets done in-between. My poly clay is lying in wait, but I feel so guilty at not finishing the shells, that I'm about as effective as a hiccup against a tornado at this point. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 ...I also cannot finish the upstairs wallpaper/flooring because none of the beds in my stash would fit in the room! At least now I have the brass beds, maybe one of them will fit in there and still look like it belongs. Now I've done the spackle/sand/spackle/sand/spackle/sand merry-go-round multiple times on the Maggie and it STILL looks horribly bumpy in some areas. I foresee a lot of hanging planters mounted on the walls with trailing plants in those sections - I just CANNOT SPACKLE ANYMORE... Stop spackling and just sand. Once it's smooth, stop. And now you know why I finally gave up and began making all my furniture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 The transit from one project/tool set to another is often an interest thing for me. If I'm on a mission to make something, what ever the next thing is, I go! It does help the flow if I stop and clean up going from one thing to another. Think time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Lene said, " My poly clay is lying in wait, but I feel so guilty at not finishing the shells, that I'm about as effective as a hiccup against a tornado at this point." Lene, I didn't know that they had tried using hiccups against tornados!LOL My philosophy is do what you are in the mood for. It will all get done eventually. So far, I have not found a rule book for miniature makers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonberry Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Stop spackling and just sand. Once it's smooth, stop. It WAS smooth, I could feel no bumps after sanding on two occasions, and then the light hit it at a different angle this morning and now I just want to cry (I already painted it too!). My fingers deceived me, but since I need them, I cannot punish them and SOMEONE has to pay for this shoddy work! Lene, I didn't know that they had tried using hiccups against tornados!LOL My philosophy is do what you are in the mood for. It will all get done eventually. So far, I have not found a rule book for miniature makers. Hehehehe, this was a rough translation from an Afrikaans saying (but the original is much ruder) Thank goodness there isn't a rule book. At least that way I can be all mysterious when visitors ask about my unfinished-dragging itself out-project. My husband is a structural engineer and project manager - you can just IMAGINE the pressure and glares I have to put up with! I love the interior decorating part the most and will probably get lost in all the little details. For example, I want to make a photo album for Santa and already have about 50 images I found on the internet that I want to print as tiny photos. Ambitious, much? Are any of you jumping ahead of yourselves with preparing final touches before even getting halfway through the project? Do you recommend maybe a planner for each build, to list all the items/steps/things to incorporate? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I always jump ahead! That's half the fun! Right now I am shingling Daisy's cottage while thinking about Steampunk. The project I am doing always gets in the way of the next one, coming up! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra from Olde Cape Cod Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 You know we're jumping ahead when you see photos of totally arranged rooms in partially done houses! It's always so fun to try it out. And sometimes the idea for the perfect accessory comes to mind and you quit work on the house and make the accessory. I do dislike painting trim though...the picket fence on my Glencroft has 7 coats of white paint! Will soldier on though. Once I have a "finished" house, I go on to other things. The fun is in the process, not so much the finished product. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 ...Once I have a "finished" house, I go on to other things. The fun is in the process, not so much the finished product. I do go back and play with the "finished" houses, since they continue to tell me their stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Lene thanks for reminding me of two more hats we wear, engineer and project manager! lol I really forced myself to finish the build part of this current house before I went on to the smaller details. If I stopped to play around with making cupcakes and quilts and pinecones I would be lucky to finish the house by Christmas. Im glad I did that because its %99 done now and I can start the much less messy (at least sawdust and clay wise) part. Ok, that was a ridiculous statement as I was typing this I looked over at my workspace which is a completely covered in minis dining room table and large sections of two kitchen counter tops covered with everything from fabric, planters...etc etc...it looks like a mini bomb went off...oh well :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 I do clean up between phases of the build, every 4 days or so I organize everything, put down new paint cloths, put away things I know I wont need anymore. I think that does help with gaining clear thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me-barbie Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Strictly interior decorator here. I can't build. The shoe and kleenex boxes I build as a kid were very simple...I stuck in more cardboard and rolls of tape...but I could decorate the heck out of them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Behbet Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I don't think I could do this if I had to do everything. . The dollhouse I'm working on is a collaboration with my mom. She made a dollhouse for me when I was a kid and it was nice, but kind of plain since she's not really into painting or interior decorating. It was destroyed in hurricane Katrina. For the house we're making now, she put me in charge of painting, wallpapering, picking colors for things, installing electrical stuff, and she gets to do the stuff she's really good at like making miniatures, wood floors, furniture, cabinets, and stuff like that. She's making a spiral staircase and I'm in the process of wallpapering. I guess if I had to make a house by myself I could do it but it wouldn't be as cool. It definitely requires a varied skill set. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 It must be really neat to create a house with someone else helping and contributing, that will be a special house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 ...if I had to make a house by myself I could do it but it wouldn't be as cool. It definitely requires a varied skill set. Acquiring the new skills is part of the fun of making miniatures for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 And sometimes it is a matter of doing something that you already know how to do in real life. You just have to make it smaller. I know that Holly, like myself, crochets and does other needlework in mini. Adapting things that you already know how to do is fun too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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