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Optimistic Newbie from Las Vegas


H-Ann

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Hi! 

I am officially a dollhouse owner! However, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Someone was selling their Garfield via yard sale, and I of course bought it on a whim. How hard could it really be to remodel a dollhouse, right? I have a 5 mo. baby girl, and want her to have everything she could ever dream of, even despite not knowing what a dollhouse is. 

I was doing some research on buying kits, and it all just seemed so overwhelming, when I found this ad for an old dollhouse. I thought, I'll be doing the work without having to do ALL the work. Little did I know that it ALL needed to be redone. The house was not properly stored so it had years and years of dust caked on EVERYWHERE. So what started as ripping out the carpet and floors, quickly led to ripping off shingles and siding. I have a completely naked house. I even removed the roof so that I could really get in there. Anyways, I'm needing guidance with the proper steps. I am hoping to:

add new windows

add new doors

flooring

wall paper

crown/wall moulding

siding

shingles

painting

 

Thank you so so much, and resources are appreciated!

Wish me luck, because god only know I need it. #inOverMyHead #LittleEngineThatCould #iThinkiCan
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On an iPhone you can downsize the pics by sending yourself an email of the picture. 

Step 1 write yourself an email and attach the photo.

Step 2 as you are sending the photo your iPhone will ask you what size you want. I usually pic in the 500kb to 700kb  range.  See below 

Step 3 open your email and save the attached photo to your iPhone's album.  Use that photo here.

image.png

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This is what I'm dreaming it to be. You can never dream too big, right? :doh:

I definitely could've painted over the shingles and siding. But since it was poorly stored, it smelled of dust and smoke, so it needed to be gutted out. 

As you can see, this is where I'm at, and that is where I want to be. It's going to be a long road, but I feel quite confident in my capabilities! 

IMG_2896.PNG

IMG_2895.JPG

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Welcome to the little family, Heatherann.  Matt rehabbed a Garfield:  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=browse&album=4989  You will have enough time to fix it up for your daughter by the time she's old enough to play with such a big, elaborate dollhouse.

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Welcome Heather!

I def agree with you, can't dream too big, anything is possible with patience and determination! :) Don't let the challenge intimidate you, looks more complicated from the outside but it gets easier after a while. The house looks in pretty good shape, some components seam to be missing but I see you plan on doing replacements anyway. Wish you lots of fun remodeling this beautiful house! 

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KathieB & wormwoodz! Thank you so much! I'm definitely a little overwhelmed right now, but I have lots of time to make this happen. Your words of encouragement is greatly appreciated!

 

 

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1 hour ago, havanaholly said:

Welcome to the little family, Heatherann.  Matt rehabbed a Garfield:  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=browse&album=4989  You will have enough time to fix it up for your daughter by the time she's old enough to play with such a big, elaborate dollhouse.

Thank you so much for this link! I started reading and he said that he's been working on it for 6 years. I'm not going to lie, but I had a minor panic attack! But then I scrolled down and realized why it took him 6 years! He had put so much detail into this! I would love to, but I don't think I could be that dedicated. But then again, I have onl. Just began, so who knows how I'll feel over time! For now, I just want to do the main essentials, and then once I'm good and ready I can add the detail, that Matt has done

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6 hours ago, Sable said:

On an iPhone you can downsize the pics by sending yourself an email of the picture. 

Step 1 write yourself an email and attach the photo.

Step 2 as you are sending the photo your iPhone will ask you what size you want. I usually pic in the 500kb to 700kb  range.  See below 

Step 3 open your email and save the attached photo to your iPhone's album.  Use that photo here.

image.png

Thank you so so much! I would've never thought of that! 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Can anyone tell me how to remove spray paint from the windows? I glued 4 windows on and placed tape over the clear part, and the paint went through the window hole and sprayed lightly on the inside. *insert monkey emoji covering eyes* 

Clearly, for me, I need to paint first, then glue.  thankfully it's only the Garfield, so I still have more 100 windows I can mess up on before I'm finished. *insert nervously sweating emoji* 

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Yes definitely paint then glue! What kind of spray paint is it? Is it water based? Don't scrape at it, it will scratch the plastic surface. If water based, try warm soapy water and a very soft cloth or q-tip

If it's not water based, you are going to have to break out the methylated spirits.. and that may make the plastic cloudy. You could also try nail polish remover with a q-tip/cotton bud.

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5 hours ago, H-Ann said:

Can anyone tell me how to remove spray paint from the windows? I glued 4 windows on and placed tape over the clear part, and the paint went through the window hole and sprayed lightly on the inside. *insert monkey emoji covering eyes* 

Clearly, for me, I need to paint first, then glue.  thankfully it's only the Garfield, so I still have more 100 windows I can mess up on before I'm finished. *insert nervously sweating emoji* 

Goop Off or 3in1 oil might work, also. If you can't get the paint off you can make new Windows using the plastic packaging from your grocery bakery or fresh fruit department.

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14 hours ago, Samusa said:

Yes definitely paint then glue! What kind of spray paint is it? Is it water based? Don't scrape at it, it will scratch the plastic surface. If water based, try warm soapy water and a very soft cloth or q-tip

If it's not water based, you are going to have to break out the methylated spirits.. and that may make the plastic cloudy. You could also try nail polish remover with a q-tip/cotton bud.

Thank you! I didn't think about that. I bought opening working windows. Are they plastic or glass? 

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