Hi, I'm Kate

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

Hi, I'm Kate and you can find my Etsy shop here.

I work mostly in polymer clay but also a bit in wood, paper and whatever else i can make work.

I had a dollhouse as a girl; saved my allowance and Christmas money for ages. I still have it and am torn between fixing it up a bit and selling it and just selling it. 

With a background in art and small children to take care of I have fallen back into miniatures as a way to create something in the time and space available.

 

[havanaholly 10555]

Welcome to the little family, Kate, your work is lovely.  Is there some reason you cannot keep your dollhouse?

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

I can i suppose. I just want to build something new and need the space. Making is more fun than having, for me.

[Sable 2946]

I think you will regret selling your childhood one. Do a complete makeover on it. Electrify it. Make it into a show piece. What type is it?

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

You know I don't know exactly, two story sort of southern plantation style. It actually is wired, but kind of strangely with some Radio Shack parts because my dad decided he could do it cheaper that way ;)

I will try to get some pictures up this week. 

[Mimajo 207]

Just checked put your etsy shop, everything looks yummy.  Great work.

Welcome.

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

Thanks! 

I will be building up my inventory bit by bit. My goal is to create a little something every day. Today I made some broccoli

I have a two year old and a four year old so sometimes I don't get any time, but I am really enjoying it as an outlet.

[havanaholly 10555]

I'm also a builder, but with no small children any longer,  so I have more than one.  I agree about keeping your childhood dollhouse; my mother decided I'd outgrown mine when I was in the seventh grade and I never saw it again.

[wormwoodz 552]

Hi Kate! Your miniatures look fantastic and absolutelly decilious, do you take custom orders? Favorited and saved ;)

I would love to see pictures of your dollhouse, is it very large? I can understand the space issue, I would love to build larger 1:12 dollhouses but at the moment don't have a lot of space to keep them. But if this is a childhood nostalgia piece, I would have a hard time parting with it. I would suggest maybe trying to fix it up a little first, have some fun redecorating and changing things up, and then decide if you want to keep it or sell it.

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

I am open to custom orders, yes. I am new at this and still figuring out some of the features (tomorrow's task, figure out how to make shipping free on additional items).

The main issue with the house, other than size is that it's basic style doesn't really appeal to me any more. 

[kathi17 911]

Your food is really wonderful Kate!

You have enough posts to create an album, and I would also love to see photos of your house. If you don't like the style any more, why not keep it for your kids? I just built a second house for my granddaughter, and had to build one for each of the boys for Christmas last year. Miniatures are so much fun to share with them, and they are all as addicted to them as I am!

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

Ok, here are a couple of pictures of the house I am on the fence about.

If you would all be so kind as to ignore the surrounding basement mess ;)

It was at one time fully furnished though most of that is in boxes. 

I chose that alarming yellow color when I was probably 10.

[Mimajo 207]

That's a lovely house, I would definitely rehab it.

[Elsbeth 1348]

If there is little sentiment invested in your house, then by all means send it away and get the space back and get something you really want (that is the fun of being grown up! - you can buy those dollhouse things that mom said were too expensive! whooo!). It's a really nice house - and it would make someone somewhere happy.  I like the colonial blue attic.

If it were me, I'd keep it. I kept my childhood Van Buren (assembled by parents!). So happy I kept it. I planned on rehabbing it...but mostly I just can't give it up for sentimental reasons.

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

Yeah, I am strangely unsentimental about a lot of things. I may work on it a bit, but I'd rather someone else enjoy it. I will likely build something else with each of my girls and let them pick what they want.

Right now, they have this house that I literally found on a curb and cleaned up and painted.

[Sable 2946]

That is a sturdy heirloom house. The room sizes are fabulous. You could trim over the tapewire, change the color, add posts to the balcony. It would be very expensive to replace that house, today.  

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

I do actually have the rails for the balcony. They are in a box. I think when my parents put it together they were just friction fit. Of course over the years everything has dried or warped just a tiny bit such that none of them fit properly. It will take some fiddling around with!

[rodentraiser 1790]

Kate, your yellow house is one by House That Jack Built HJB128 called "Rebecca". Melissa and Doug bought the company House that Jack Built, but I'm not sure if they're selling all the different houses. I looked for yours on Amazon and couldn't find it.

House That Jack Built are very nice houses and also very expensive. The small ones are currently about $300 and the larger ones are usually over $400.

[kathi17 911]

I love that house too Kate. Painted white, with balcony and porch railings, and it would be beautiful!

Of course, if you aren't sentimental about it, and you need the room, you can sell it, but as your children get older, since it was built by their grandparents, they may wish you had kept it for them. What are the genders of the kids?

A four year old would be old enough to play with a house as sturdy as this, and that would leave the other house for the younger child. If one of them is a boy, the curbside find would be perfect as a super hero house, and the yellow one would be wonderful for a girl.

Anyway, it's really none of my business, but with a house that rare and well built, I would wait a couple of years before selling it, and see how the kids interests develop. I know my grandchildren would never part with the houses I built for them!

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

No, i totally love hearing everyone's opinions

The kiddos are both girls, 4 and 2 and the older one is pretty fascinated by the house. The kids aren't in the basement much as that is where my studio space and my husband's workshop and office (one and the same, really) are.

[kathi17 911]

26 minutes ago, Farmermarketminifood said:

No, i totally love hearing everyone's opinions

The kiddos are both girls, 4 and 2 and the older one is pretty fascinated by the house. The kids aren't in the basement much as that is where my studio space and my husband's workshop and office (one and the same, really) are.

If the older one is fascinated by the house, let her play with it for a while, and give the other one to the younger daughter. That way, you will get a better idea of whether or not she will want a different house later on.

She's old enough to be interested in playing with it and decorating it, and she won't have to worry so much about the two year old messing it up. At their ages, it might be better for them to each have their own house, since they are at such different levels in development. I remember how frustrated my granddaughter always was with her younger brothers getting into her house, before they had houses of their own. She is only two years older than the next younger brother, and even though they played well together, he still was too young to play as nicely with her house as she was. Now that they all have their own houses, it's much more peaceful!

[mesp2k 1006]

Hi Kate, welcome!

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

Ok, for all who had good comments and advice. I am keeping the house at least for now. I have repainted the exterior white and aged up the shingles a bit and I think I am going to do a two story addition off the kitchen side. The upstairs addition will be another bedroom and on the first floor I am deciding between a sunroom and a single car garage.  I am leaning toward sunroom. 

[jbnmini 1945]

Glad to hear that you are going to keep it and update it a bit- such a good quality house deserves another chance at life!  ;)   

Hi Kate- and welcome to the forum!  

[Farmermarketminifood 11]

So, I have been working some on the house; thought you all would like to see.

I have repainted it in a more traditional color and, deciding that it is suitable for the Savannah Georgia area I have been adding some details and age that seem appropriate for a warm, damp climate. I am working on moss for the bricks at the moment. Anyone have good moss tips?