Hello

[ada8919]

Hello,

I'm new to the doll house community but am very excited to join. My daughter gave me the Orchid doll house for Christmas. I have been eying it everyday since the wondering when I would have time to start. Well... the time is now. I got laid off from work and have decided to taken on this wonderful project. I plan to work on my doll house during the times that I'm not looking for work. I live in Oshkosh, WI with my oldest daughter and her huge German Shepherd , Lobo. I am at the pre- stage of building my house. I opened the box and read the warm up sheet. I about to head out to the hobby shop to get a glue gun and all the other supplies needed. I am setting up my work area in an unused room. I just can't tell you how pumped up I am to begin my project. I'm off to the hobby shop . I will keep you updated.

[jbresr]

Hi and welcome!!

About that glue gun = dont.  Hot glue guns and dollhouses do  not mix.  That is one part of instructions you ignore.

Have a wonderful time with your build.  

[mesp2k]

Hi Ada, welcome!

Download new instructions for the Orchid: HERE

[wormwoodz]

Welcome Ada!

Hope you have lots of fun building and customizing this lovelly house. As someone pointed above, hot glue is not very well recomended for wood dollhouses. A PVA water based wood glue is a safer option for long lasting results, or alternativelly tacky glue if you want a less permanent solution. For papper you can use wallpapper glue, paper mucilage, or other safe paper glues that won't stain or contain too much moisture. Have fun, and hope you'll share your progress with us :)

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the little family, Ada.  Over time the hot glue will let go.  I have an Orchid I found falling apart in  thrift tore that is in line for rehab, when I will take it all apart with a heat gun and rebuild it using a good carpenter's wood glue.

[amyole]

Welcome! The Orchid is a great house & you will enjoy it a lot. Try not to get overwhelmed with the instruction sheets and any time you have a question, this is the place to ask.

[DaisyV]

I'm sorry about the layoff, but it's great how you're turning this lemon into some lemonade and using the time to start a fun project just for your enjoyment!

welcome to the forum

[ada8919]

Jbresr, thanks for the advice but what should I use instead?

[KathieB]

2 minutes ago, ada8919 said:

Jbresr, thanks for the advice but what should I use instead?

Carpenter's wood glue or a good craft glue, like Aileen's or Elmer's (but not Elmer's School Glue). If you use Gorilla glue, make sure it is the non-foaming kind.

Hot glue will eventually turn hard and lose its stick-to-it nature. Several members here have rescued hot-glued houses that practically crumbled from their own weight. 

[ada8919]

Hmm I've gone through the instructions several times and am waiting for some supplies. I think I have to sand the windows first , then paint them and finally , once dry, put the plastic windows on. I've looked on YouTube and found some videos but most show the finished product. I wonder if there is a first steps video that shows how to "r&p" a piece of wood? 

Oh well , tomorrow , I go to Walmart for the rest of my supplies. 

Thanks 

Ada

 

 

[KathieB]

R&P varies. Mainly it involves a swipe with sandpaper. Depending on the size and shape of the piece, that may be conventional sandpaper, a sandpaper sponge, an emery board, a jeweler's tiny file or even an electric sander for large pieces. It doesn't usually take much.

Some pieces may have very rough edges if bits of some of the laminated layers have broken away. This can be smoothed by rubbing in some Spackle or wallboard mud with the tip of a finger. (Watch out for splinters.) 

Hint: You may want to put the windows aside until the house is nearly finished before installing them. If the acetate window panes get glue or paint on them, they're a bear to clean up. In the Orchid, part of the window is glued to the inside wall and part to the outside. If you're using siding, place the window frame where it will be glued and make a pencil outline so you'll know where to avoid putting siding. 

[havanaholly]

1 hour ago, ada8919 said:

Jbresr, thanks for the advice but what should I use instead?

 

14 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Welcome to the little family, Ada.  Over time the hot glue will let go.  I have an Orchid I found falling apart in  thrift tore that is in line for rehab, when I will take it all apart with a heat gun and rebuild it using a good carpenter's wood glue.

Kathie's description of r&p is straight on.  I generally glue the acetate inserts to the interior window trim using a clear-drying tacky glue like Elmer's white all-purpose glue, with the side with the white ink facing into the house.

[KathieB]

22 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

I generally glue the acetate inserts to the interior window trim ... with the side with the white ink facing into the house.

Here's a great example of how there is no right way in miniatures. I glue the windows with the print side facing outward. Add there is no right way to the smoke and mirrors mantra and you're on your way.  

[havanaholly]

14 minutes ago, KathieB said:

Here's a great example of how there is no right way in miniatures. I glue the windows with the print side facing outward. Add there is no right way to the smoke and mirrors mantra and you're on your way.  

The rule of thumb is whatever works for YOU.

[ada8919]

Thanks Guys, Everyone has been so helpful . I want to get color ideas, is there an orchid gallery or a place where i can see what others have done with their houses?

My daughter bought me a Melissa and Doug living room set. It's very beautiful but the scale is1:12 not 1:1 like the orchid.  

 Will these fit in my house once done?

I want to get the other Melissa and Doug sets but not if they won't fit my house. 

[havanaholly]

6 minutes ago, ada8919 said:

Thanks Guys, Everyone has been so helpful . I want to get color ideas, is there an orchid gallery or a place where i can see what others have done with their houses?

My daughter bought me a Melissa and Doug living room set. It's very beautiful but the scale is1:12 not 1:1 like the orchid.  

 Will these fit in my house once done?

I want to get the other Melissa and Doug sets but not if they won't fit my house. 

There are two team building blogs for the Orchid, the regular building team's:  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=blog&module=blogs&controller=view&id=26 and the team recruited from the rest of the forum membership at the time:  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=blog&module=blogs&controller=view&id=25  This is what I did with my first one:

and then I got to build a limited edition white plastic version:

Since the scale is 1:12 most furniture in that scale ought to fit.

[KathieB]

30 minutes ago, ada8919 said:

the scale is1:12 not 1:1 like the orchid.  

Not quite. The Orchid is 1:12 scale -- that is, 1 inch in miniature equals 12 inches in real life. So, for example, a table that might be 36" high in your real life living room would be 3" high in your dollhouse living room.

1:1 scale is real life size.   -- or 1 foot equals 1 foot

Your Melissa and Doug furniture will work just fine.

[rodentraiser]

You can think of it as 1/12 scale or 1inch to 1ft (or 12"). They're the same. Likewise 1/24 scale is 1/2" to 1ft (we call it half inch scale) and 1/48 is quarter scale and finally, 1/144 scale is a dollhouse sized building that will fit in a 1/12 scale dollhouse, as a dollhouse project for your dollhouse people.

There is also 1/6" scale for Barbie doll sizes and you'll see that called Play Scale in the miniature magazines sometimes. And last, some of the older Masonite houses and Lundby houses you see were made for 3/4" scale. Some of that old furniture would look a little small in a regular sized dollhouse.

I know, it took me a long time to figure it all out, too. And when I started in dollhouses, there was only kids' dollhouses, 1/12 scale and 1/24 scale. And I still had trouble with it!

One thing about Greenleaf is in their smaller houses, scale isn't as realistically done as it is with larger 3/8" wood dollhouses, especially with regards to the staircases. There are some cases with the smaller Greenleaf cottages that you can sneak in a piece of Strombecker or Lundby furniture and it will seem to fit just right. Let your eyes do the talking for you.

I am someone who seems to gravitate to large houses and large rooms, but I have to tell you, don't be afraid of a small house. And don't get too hung up on houses needing to have rooms the same size as a real house. A 10' x 12' might seem small in the real world, but it's a good size in the dollhouse world. Don't ever be afraid of small dollhouses. You'd be surprised at how much you can fit into a small room and still have it look comfy, if not cosy. You may not be able to fit in a full living room in your Orchid, but you can place a couple chairs in front of a fireplace and fill in the rest of the room with corner bookcases, plants on the floor, magazine racks, end tables, etc. It will look lovely when you're done.

One good thing to do is start looking at the finished depth and width of the Orchid and comparing it to other houses similar in size. Then do a Google search for those houses as well and you will get a good idea of what will fit and what won't. Just pretend they're all tiny houses. And incidentally, tiny kitchens are awesome!

 

 

 

[havanaholly]

56 minutes ago, rodentraiser said:

You can think of it as 1/12 scale or 1" to 1ft, which we just shorten to 1:1. They're the same...

No, they aren't.  Kathie is correct.  1" to 1 ft is 1" to 12", 1:12.  1 ft to 1 ft is 1:1.  You cannot mix measurement units in ratios, all the terms must be in the same units of measure.

[rodentraiser]

I told you I hadn't gotten them straight yet!

I corrected my post - I think. Give it a read and see if I make sense now. So much for math skills.

[Guest]

Hi & Welcome. Have fun!