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Hello From Utah! :)


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Hi I am new to this site but not to dollhouse building.  I helped my daughter build one a few years ago, ok, let's be honest, I built it myself.  It was a tudor house and it was really cute.  I have a large-ish farmhouse that's been in my storage unit for a few years but I am having surgery this month and will not be able to work for three months so I thought I might get it out and work on it. 

My daughter's house didn't have electricity but I want mine to have it and have NO IDEA what I'm doing.  Also, I could use some advice with this one because it's my mid-life-crisis project and I want it to be really nice but I'm not very patient.  I have ADD and OCD and they fight each other a LOT so I am a little nervous about this project - hence, sitting in storage for years! 

 

I live in a REALLY small space so it'll be in my main room, making a mess, so I hope I feel up to the project and don't just let it sit there for months!

 

Any advice on getting started?  Anything you wish you would have known before you started yours?    Tips? Tricks?

 

Deborah

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Welcome to the little family, Deborah.  Depending on what's involved with your surgery, your doctor's post-op orders and how crappy you'll feel whilst you're on the mend you might want to work on small stuff for your house, like furniture, rugs, curtains, rather than jumping right in wanting to build and then quit because it isn't "perfect"  (real life houses aren't perfect, by the way).  Then, when you feel better, you can start your build.  I built my first two Dura-Craft kits while I was still working; the first one whilst I was attending Nursing School full time.  The trick was to do a little bit at a time, and not to get in a hurry.

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Hi and welcome! i'm from Utah too! up near Hill AFB. dollhouses are great projects to work on while you are recovering, just take it easy tho and don't overdo it or you will be miserable. this forum is great for helpful hints and eye candy! have fun, spend the first part of your recovery looking for ideas and write them down, save photos to look at to give you an idea of the direction you want to go in! Welcome :) Margarita

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Welcome to the little family, Deborah.  Depending on what's involved with your surgery, your doctor's post-op orders and how crappy you'll feel whilst you're on the mend you might want to work on small stuff for your house, like furniture, rugs, curtains, rather than jumping right in wanting to build and then quit because it isn't "perfect"  (real life houses aren't perfect, by the way).  Then, when you feel better, you can start your build.  I built my first two Dura-Craft kits while I was still working; the first one whilst I was attending Nursing School full time.  The trick was to do a little bit at a time, and not to get in a hurry.

 

Nursing school?!  I am doing my pre-reqs for nursing school! :) 

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Hi and welcome! i'm from Utah too! up near Hill AFB. dollhouses are great projects to work on while you are recovering, just take it easy tho and don't overdo it or you will be miserable. this forum is great for helpful hints and eye candy! have fun, spend the first part of your recovery looking for ideas and write them down, save photos to look at to give you an idea of the direction you want to go in! Welcome :) Margarita

I happen to love cats too :).  Thanks for the tips, will do. 

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I was 50  when I attended nursing school goodness, that was 23 years ago!

Holly I was thinking back the other day...I graduated 20 years ago. I cannot believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Which farmhouse specifically do you have? You've come to the right place for questions :)

I'm in Utah as well, in Sandy at the base of little cottonwood canyon. Unfortunately for us there are no dollhouse shops here, utah is a dollhouse dead zone. Which is odd to me, because it's otherwise a crafty area. Scrapbooking seems to be the hobby of choice here.

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By the way...in case you didn't know..this is a screen shot of what you will find (along with several now defunct miniature businesses) if you google utah dollhouse.

post-185-0-39932800-1431966627_thumb.jpg

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Which farmhouse specifically do you have? You've come to the right place for questions :)

I'm in Utah as well, in Sandy at the base of little cottonwood canyon. Unfortunately for us there are no dollhouse shops here, utah is a dollhouse dead zone. Which is odd to me, because it's otherwise a crafty area. Scrapbooking seems to be the hobby of choice here.

I can't remember which one - it isn't made anymore.  I still have to go to the storage unit to pick it up.  I know what you mean about Utah and dolllhouse shops.  I've often thought about opening one up.  I scrapbook a little as well :)

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By the way...in case you didn't know..this is a screen shot of what you will find (along with several now defunct miniature businesses) if you google utah dollhouse.

That's awesome! LOLOLOL  I definately won't call my future store "The Dollhouse!"  If I ever get the nerve to do it....

Edited by deborahdadams
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Which farmhouse specifically do you have? You've come to the right place for questions :)

I'm in Utah as well, in Sandy at the base of little cottonwood canyon. Unfortunately for us there are no dollhouse shops here, utah is a dollhouse dead zone. Which is odd to me, because it's otherwise a crafty area. Scrapbooking seems to be the hobby of choice here.

I didn't know you lived in Utah :)  I'm up in Clinton. I remember the dollhouse shop in salt lake, maybe murray? it's been a lot of years since I've been there but it was like on 700 east or that area. I went in there once,before I was into dollhouses. I was trying to find anything I could use for a Barbie diorama that I had always wanted to make but never did...lol. ....I still have the few miniatures I bought from them. there is an online store in draper, I haven't purchased from her in a few years, but she was always nice and helpful . http://www.enchantedminiatures.com/. i'm sure you already know about this, but just in case :) 

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Isn't that funny about the escort service, I couldn't believe that when I saw it, I was just glad I didn't go try to visit based on the name alone, lol.

There is one shop, at least as of one year ago, operated out of a nice lady's garage in Bountiful. I went there once and we had a nice visit, I bought a few cute things and have never been back, it's a long drive for little reward. Forgot the name of it. Hobby Lobby is the only place convenient that has some minis/supplies.

I hope you do open a shop, you'd corner the market for sure and have at least one frequent customer!

The lady in draper..I did know about her, got really excited when we first moved here thinking it was an actual shop but then found it to be just online. The website is hard to tell if it's even current or updated.

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I didn't know you lived in Utah :)  I'm up in Clinton. I remember the dollhouse shop in salt lake, maybe murray? it's been a lot of years since I've been there but it was like on 700 east or that area. I went in there once,before I was into dollhouses. I was trying to find anything I could use for a Barbie diorama that I had always wanted to make but never did...lol. ....I still have the few miniatures I bought from them. there is an online store in draper, I haven't purchased from her in a few years, but she was always nice and helpful . http://www.enchantedminiatures.com/. i'm sure you already know about this, but just in case :)

Thanks for that info - I didn't know about the draper store.  I remember the miniature shop up there, bought a LOT of things for my daughter's dollhouse there.  I'm so ecited to get started!

One question, do y'all paint before you put it together?  What about the flooring?

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That's a good question. I would write a new post asking your questions and put it in the "general mini talk" section. There more people will see it and give you a plethora of answers. I do it different every time, depending on many things. I would at least have paint options and floors at the ready for the time when it makes sense to you to add them.

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...One question, do y'all paint before you put it together?  What about the flooring?

The purpose of the dry fit is to make those decisions.  Usually whilst the house is in dry fit it will tell me what it wants and how it wants to look, and then I fiddle with the order of working, depending on what it wants.  I also do things different from one kit to the next, even back when I was building the same kit more than once.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for being so late to welcome you to the forum! I'm trying to catch up with our new members - Welcome to the family, Deborah!!!

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