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New, Working On Orchid..Clueless


DestinySara

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Hello,

 

So a lil intro.I didn't know what to do for this Christmas with my nieces and nephew so I got bored on pinterest(my deadly enemy) and decided to make something for each kid using popsicles. Yay.. Not. For the smaller ones, they are getting a barn and stable with real toy tractor and horses.

The older ones are just now old enough to enjoy things like dollhouses so I wanted to make them each a house.

Things changed. My brother and his wife are planning for a divorce which I think Is great(if you met her, you'd be happy too) But It brought up an old issue. Me, personally, I don't like kids. Sorry If you feel offended. I do like kid toys and crafts and DIY stuff. The only thing I have wanted to do with my brother's kids since before birth is make them a dollhouse from a kit. My Sis in law is one of these people who uses her kids as leverage so I don't think they will be around next christmas or after which means, this is my one shot to do the dollhouse thing.

 

I have no idea what i'm doing.

 I bought the orchid because it's small and hopefully means it's less complex but also, if I screw up or give up, I've only lost $30 instead of $200. So I accounted for all the pieces and read the instructions. The instructions actually say "Don't Panic." That's A forte to panicking in my book.

 

So, do any of you have advice for me(dollhouse only plz)

that would be wonderful

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Hi, Alicia, and welcome!  The Orchid is a great little house and many of the members here have built one.  Like the instructions say, don't panic!  There are lots of pieces but it will all go together, you'll see. 

I actually have two pieces of advice (well, I have more, but I am limiting myself to two).  The first is dry fit, dry fit, dry fit! It really helps to see how all the pieces go together, or don't go together.  I try to dry fit at every stage. 

The second is to consider putting all your wallpaper up (or painting if you are not doing wallpaper) before gluing everything together.  In my experience, it is much harder to do after everything has been glued together. 

Have fun with the houses!

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Welcome to the little family, Alicia.  There is truly no need to panic.  If you check out the blogs section there are actually TWO Team Orchid building blogs, and you will see that you can do just about anything to it.  I have built two of them, one in wood and one in plastic.  I have another that I found in a thrift store that was built with hot glue and was falling apart.  Eventually I shall finish taking it all apart with a heat gun and rebuild it properly, using carpenter's wood glue.

I would warn you right up front that you may very well get sucked into building dollhouses for yourself, to play with.  I do, and at present I have a pub, a Florida Cracker house, a farmhouse and the aforementioned plastic Orchid, and I'm presently building a store to house the furniture & accessories I make, until I build more houses to put them in.

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Okay, thank you all for your warm welcome.

 

The link to the blog instructions has been most helpful. I do best when I can see what it is that they want me to do. Right now, I'm trying to get my hands on a small container of white paint to do the windows and accents on the house. Will acrylic be ok to paint windows if I use latex paint for the house itself?

 I bought the exterior paint today and will be starting tomorrow hopefully. can't find masking tape though. I'm thinking of ideas for wallpapering. Nothing set in stone yet. I'd like to experiment on this house but I don't quite feel that i'm ready to do it my way yet. If this orchid works well then i'll buy another and maybe DIY it.

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I use interior latex paint, since I don't plan for any of my houses to spend any time outside.  I use flat finish, and use it for priming as well as when I want to use white.  I sometimes mix a bit of the interior white latex paint with acrylic paint I use the tubes and mix my colors) to get custom color tints.  Hardware stores also sell the little sampler jars of interior latex paints in colors.  Wally World (Wal-Mart), as well as hardware stores, carries blue painter's tape, spackling compound, wood and tacky glues, utility knives & blades.

I also thought my first kit would be the only one I'd build...

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4 hours ago, havanaholly said:

 ......  Hardware stores also sell the little sampler jars of interior latex paints in colors.  Wally World (Wal-Mart), as well as hardware stores, carries blue painter's tape, spackling compound, wood and tacky glues, utility knives & blades.

I also thought my first kit would be the only one I'd build...

My next project, I am going to get those sample jars. Also, I am in love with spackle!  Definitely recommend  to buy some. You can get a lightweight spackle from your  local family dollar. ( most times)  Fills in any gaps nicely. I have a small container of drywall joint compound which is handy for things like ceilings and walls. It did not do as well as the spackle for gaps.  I found the spackle dries quicker and has a more wood looking appearance.  Typed spackle  too many times..spackle. lol 

Agree with dry fitting.  Keep the box picture. You will need to refer to the picture many times. Always take time to think and rethink. Pay attention to inside views and outside views of house when decorating.  If something does not fit, go back and look for some small detail you missed.

I would suggest a small miter box and saw. I seen one from excel I want to get. You can get a set from Lowes ( yellow plastic miter box and saw) but its is big and a bit clunky to handle. This would be handy too https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQT3VK/ref=pd_sbs_469_5?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000BQT3VK&pd_rd_r=4448H1D3W08B13JAE5H9&pd_rd_w=kSc20&pd_rd_wg=a4nwv&psc=1&refRID=4448H1D3W08B13JAE5H9

I want to get it myself but not in my budget..yet.

Anyhoo..most of this is advice I got here and have learned through my recent san fran 555 project.

Good luck on your build.

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If you do invest in a plastic miter box (or even using a little aluminum one, like I sometimes do when the material I'm cutting won't fit my EZ Cutter, invest in a package of tongue blade size craft sticks and use one to protect the bottom of your miter box, and to protect the saw teeth from dulling.

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5 hours ago, havanaholly said:

If you do invest in a plastic miter box (or even using a little aluminum one, like I sometimes do when the material I'm cutting won't fit my EZ Cutter, invest in a package of tongue blade size craft sticks and use one to protect the bottom of your miter box, and to protect the saw teeth from dulling.

I use scrap wood from the kit. It's thicker than a craft stick and doesn't cost anything.

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Ok, can I use regular acrylic paint for the trim? craft arcylic has less pigment than art acrylic and won't last as long. I've painted wood with my master's art acrylics before and it has always turned out fine but I won't use it if you think it will "fight" with my latex paint. even if it is a dollar, I dont want to purchase additional paint if I already have the good stuff. 

 

the walmart closest to me doesn't have the sample paints so I wont have time to shop until tuesday at the earliest but I'd like to have my windows(first step) done by then to move ahead with the house so I have time to build another before christmas. my popsicle stable looks epic though. just no roof yet.

 

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4 minutes ago, DestinySara said:

Ok, can I use regular acrylic paint for the trim? craft arcylic has less pigment than art acrylic and won't last as long.

You can use either one or any combination of acrylic/latex. That there are two grades of acrylic--craft and art-- is news to me. Not sure what the concern is about one lasting longer than another --- unless you're planning to put it in a place where it will receive intense heat/sunlight or sit out in the elements, what difference will it make?

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craft acrylic is more watered down so to speak. less pigmenting means it will need to be repainted at some point like the dollhouse my dad made for me when i was a kid. art acrylic is well, more pure which is why it is more expensive. i wanted to double check before i painted since some types of paint work bond with others, oil and watercolor for example . I painted a canvas using both and the two types pulled away from each other rather than mixed.

 

ugly looking painting because of that.

i didnt want to have the same trouble with my windows and the house.

 

 

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The worst is losing some part then making another or buying it, then finding that part. It was right in front of you all the time. :doh:  I am sure there must be a named for this condition. minilosefindria?   lol  I did this with a window frame for san fran 555. I ended up using some cut pieces to make a full piece of trim. Turns out there was a decent piece of the window trim in my pile of wood strips that I went through 1000 times but never seen.  Good to know I am not the only person. lol 

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56 minutes ago, thresadep said:

The worst is losing some part then making another or buying it, then finding that part. It was right in front of you all the time. :doh:  I am sure there must be a named for this condition. minilosefindria?   

My name is Kathie, and I'm a minilosefindriac. I can lose something within arms length while sitting at my desk or work table. Having recognized this condition some time ago, I have developed a strong ability to Wait It Out, knowing that sooner or later the item will reveal itself. [ Yes, reveal itself. I'm not taking all the blame for this condition! ]

 

 

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I'm not a  minilosefindriac, I have little gremlins who come in and hide my stuff. If I'm lucky, sooner or later they come and put my stuff back right where I've looked a million times!!!

Neither my mother nor I can figure out how something can be missing, sometimes for a few weeks, then, all of a sudden the thing we were looking for reappears right where we thought it should have been all along!!!

But yeah, the thing usually comes back right after I've either ordered a new one, or made a replacement part.

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Welcome to the forum. You will get a lot of support here for all the various conditions that doll house building inspires. For instance. I just learned that I have another condition (minilosefindria) and I have to caution you that becoming obsessed with all things miniature is real possibility, but totally worth it, along with the "high" you get with creating. Take a deep breath, this hobby is so much fun. Enjoy.

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