Shareb Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 My Pierce required occupants. I found them online and had to assemble and paint them - but they were quite happy about that. Val and Norm are a retired couple. Norm is a retired historian whom I did believe a little bit stuffy until I read the series of books by Jodi Taylor - The Chronicals of St Marys (Fantastic fiction!). Then I understood Val's attraction to him! Val is an artist - Norm was first attracted to her when they were in university. She was colourful, outgoing and social - pretty much everything that Norm wasn't! They've restored their gorgeous Queen Anne style house to a warm and inviting modern home - with all the period features kept. They have also opened up the attic space, put in skylights and created a gorgeous bedroom for their grandchildren. Plus Val's art/craft room is up there and in the tower room she has an apothecary room - complete with crystal collection and herbs drying. I'm currently working on a treehouse/lantern type structure. The lantern is home to my 1:12 Mother Nature who I had made for this. The tree-trunk is (or will be) home to my 1:24 critters that she looks after. I also have a Chantilly which is to be come a stone cottage that I'll live in on my own when I'm older! Oh, and I'm currently doing a project for my husband - a garage made out of a plastic gas container complete with a model of one of his cars. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debsrand56 Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 1 hour ago, Selkie said: Someday I hope to be back in the building and designing mode again. Just need a couple miracles and I'll be all set. Selkie, I'm sorry, I have no idea why you need a couple of miracles, but I sincerely hope you get them. You have some wonderful stories to go with your houses, and I hope you get to build more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debsrand56 Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 23 minutes ago, Shareb said: I also have a Chantilly which is to be come a stone cottage that I'll live in on my own when I'm older! Love your story about Val and Norm, and nice job on the Pierce! (That's an excellent spiral staircase.) Are you the person who was looking for automotive tools in 1:24 scale? Did you ever find them? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewMini Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 19 minutes ago, Shareb said: Plus Val's art/craft room is up there and in the tower room she has an apothecary room - complete with crystal collection and herbs drying. Oooooh perhaps a tiny set of tarot cards as well? I have a beautiful deck called "Shadowscapes" that is very earthy and dreamy. It reminds me of a lot of the Middle Earth illustrations Alan Lee did for Lord of the Rings. I use my deck as a guide for journaling; It's been a great way to get me started writing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 2 hours ago, Debsrand56 said: Love your story about Val and Norm, and nice job on the Pierce! (That's an excellent spiral staircase.) Are you the person who was looking for automotive tools in 1:24 scale? Did you ever find them? The Pierce isn't quite finished - finding the shingling a boring process and a bit daunted by the cladding! Yes I was looking for the automotive tools and found a set on Ebay. I'm having to assemble and paint - so modelling, which is a bit different. The painting is more challenging that I assumed!! 2 hours ago, SewMini said: Oooooh perhaps a tiny set of tarot cards as well? I have a beautiful deck called "Shadowscapes" that is very earthy and dreamy. It reminds me of a lot of the Middle Earth illustrations Alan Lee did for Lord of the Rings. I use my deck as a guide for journaling; It's been a great way to get me started writing. I actually made a tiny set of runes for Val! Just had a look at Shadowscapes and yes - it looks gorgeous! My fav deck out of all I have is either the Aura-Soma deck or 'The Secret World of Crystals' which is my usual go-to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Miniature Madness Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 My fantasy dollhouse story always involves a small bungalow, located in a nice neighborhood in the city. That way, speedy grocery, take out and Amazon delivery is not a problem. It would be my little escape house. The location would be kept secret and only I would live there for extended periods of time when I need to get away. There would be a tiny kitchen and bathroom, one small bedroom and a connected dining/living room that could became my workshop. I could go for days on end in my jammies, no one telling me it's late and I should go to bed, no one asking if that is glue in my hair. No one asking what's for dinner, no one grumpily asking how to import a form into an Excel spreadsheet, no one but me to clean up after, no reason to muffle my farts. I know this sounds really selfish, but my life has been centered around taking care of people since I was 18. I had a few blissful months of living alone and caring for only me when I was 17. I'd just like to explore life with me, myself and I, at least for a little while, again. So someday, I'll build my little bungalow in miniature, and when I need a break from all my responsibilities, I'll sit and gaze and dream about what it would be like if it was just me... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minilover62 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 For some reason, as soon as I come up with a house idea, I immediately think about who will be the lucky tenant, nevertheless my Grey's River has no people yet to confirm that there is no rule without exception. Having that said, my RGT country house is occupied by a couple in their 40's with a baby boy! lol! The Lawbre farmhouse has another mid age couple with a girl and a boy. The Brookshire has(yes!) another mid age couple with the wife's sister leaving with them (well done man, well done! not bored at all, plenty of conversations!). The Lundby has a grandma and grandpa living with their grandson. The Elizabeth Anne has a couple in their late 30's, very rich that live with a butler and a maid, and they always have the wife's aunt visiting to gossip!jijii The Highland that I am working on right now will have only a mid age couple and I am already planning to build the current HBS contest retreat to be my daughter's college apartment, and lastly (for now), I am also planning and gathering stuff to replicate Pat Balazs Victorian Gothic cottage, that will be occupied by a single lady. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantheropia Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 (edited) My Thornhill mansion is a time machine occupied by time travelers. These travelers come from all over the galaxy and throughout time. There are six women aliens served by 20 anatomically correct "pool boys." The women are my alter egos and have different color hair and styles. Like me, they love bling and fabulous gowns. And they have a shoe closet. I was going to dress the pool boys in earth style clothes with pants and shirts, but then I decided g-strings would be more fun. Their clothing style is more like Roman or Egyptian warriors Edited March 31, 2017 by Pantheropia Edit 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 5 minutes ago, Pantheropia said: My Thornhill mansion is a time machine occupied by time travelers. These travelers come from all over the galaxy and throughout time. There are six women aliens served by 20 anatomically correct "pool boys." The women are my alter egos and have different color hair and styles. Like me, they love bling and fabulous gowns. And they have a shoe closet. I was going to dress the pool boys in earth style clothes with pants and shirts, but then I decided g-strings would be more fun. Their clothing style is more like Roman or Egyptian warriors hahaha! Best idea ever! On another note, EVERYONE who has commented here MUST read the book 'the neswspaper of Claremont Street' by Elizabeth Jolley. I think you will relate to the twist at the end! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debsrand56 Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 5 hours ago, Its_a_sm_world_after_all said: So someday, I'll build my little bungalow in miniature, and when I need a break from all my responsibilities, I'll sit and gaze and dream about what it would be like if it was just me... A virtual "room of one's own." I hope you get to build it, and I hope you also get a chance to take a break in real life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Fun topic! Surprisingly, I'm not sure who lives in the San Franciscan.. I think it may be a young couple who are slowly renovating their city row house inherited from her spinster Great Aunt. It's going to be a mix of old world (slightly shabby) charm & some modern amenities. There is also a basement apartment that they rent out to help fund the renovation. The first thing they did was upgrade the bathroom in the apartment... so they could ask more rent. I have a much clearer vision for my Heritage, which I think will be my next build. A retired New England Sea Captain lives there. He is widowed and lives with his faithful hound Neptune (breed yet to be chosen) & his old ship cat, Poseidon. The kit will be bashed to include a tower in the attic space, perhaps complete with widow's walk (in this case widower) and his study will be up there. It includes lots of items that were in his cabin on the ship. It will have many old nautical maps, boat models, leather bound ship log books, perhaps a sextant, an armillary sphere, or a globe & definitely a telescope that he can gaze out to the ocean and watch the tides turn. He will have lots of fishing & lobster gear in the attic and the house will be fairly masculine in decor but with some feminine touches left by his dearly departed wife. (Think Historic Nantucket houses for inspiration.) He can't bear to part with them because the tragic irony is, he spent many years at sea away from her, only to lose very her soon after his retirement. His wife is really a faded memory viewed through rose coloured glasses, as their total time together over the years was brief. Never-the-less... he is devoted to the memory and will not marry again. They never had children, which he regrets. He stills his own rum in the crawl space under the floorboards of the kitchen, & it's a mighty fine drop too. He likes to partake as he potters in the shed mending his crab pots & lobster traps & making lures. He's contemplating building his own wooden dinghy, that he can use to get to some fine fishing spots on the other side of the Cape... Neptune & Poseidon will likely join him on these day trips... let's hope Jaws doesn't get them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1martinimomma Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I guess I don't have a very good imagination. I never thought about the residents of the houses I built. In my Beacon Hill, which I built because I would love to live in a house like that, but it's just too big for one person, has a maid in the kitchen. I always wanted a maid. She cooks all day and rarely leaves the kitchen except to sometimes wander out onto the front porch for pictures to be taken. She seems happy just to stand in front of the stove and cook, all day and all night for the past 2 years. In the nursery I have a baby. Poor thing, she has no mother or father. I don't think the maid has even ventured upstairs to check on her. I have know idea how the baby is surviving, but every time I look in on her, she is just sitting in her baby bed, smiling, looking out the window. She seems content because she never cries. I have two dogs in the living room, and like the other two residents they just maintain themselves. They just lay on the carpet by the fireplace sleeping the days away. They must be potty trained because I never find messes in the house. I even gave them a dog house outside, but I don't think they have even been outside to check it out. Maybe, they go out at night while I am asleep. They are such good dogs, they don't even bark when people come to visit the house. I did build a Santa's workshop, and of course Mr. and Mrs. Claus as well as the elves reside in that house. I really need to post some pictures of my houses in the gallery. I am now working on the San Fran 555 and until this thread came up I never thought about the family that will live there. I do know that they must be lower/middle class because they don't have a formal dining room, only a table in the kitchen to eat at. I suppose I just like the creativity of building the houses. The challenges, that each step of building brings. I do love decorating and buying things for the houses. I work in IT, so this my stress reliever when I have free time. Maybe, sometime in the future the houses will have residents and a story to go with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 You will be amazed at what the houses tell you, when you begin to listen to them! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debsrand56 Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 5 hours ago, Samusa said: I have a much clearer vision for my Heritage, which I think will be my next build. A retired New England Sea Captain lives there. This sounds like it will be a fun and interesting build! Looking forward to seeing it. The occupants of your San Franciscan sound perfect. (And, yes, if they are a young couple, the only way they'd be able to own a Victorian in the City is if they inherited it. Thank goodness it has an in-law to provide extra income.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debsrand56 Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 1 hour ago, 1martinimomma said: Maybe, sometime in the future the houses will have residents and a story to go with them. There's no rule that you have to. I'm sure a lot of people build for the artistic/creative outlet it gives them. I was just curious because I'd read a couple of interesting stories and know myself who lives in my houses. Building for the pleasure it gives you or to make something beautiful is OK, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewMini Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 1 hour ago, 1martinimomma said: I work in IT, so this my stress reliever when I have free time. Maybe, sometime in the future the houses will have residents and a story to go with them. I work at a charity and deal with donor data all.day.long. I love it as it feeds the nerd in me but at the end of the day I crave doing creative things. I've done some web development in addition to working with donor data and creating "personas" is really important to that work. You have to basically come up with a fake person who would use your site or who would donate to you and then you have to either turn that into a usable interface for them on the website or change the how you interact with them if they are a donor. You may think you don't come up with who lives in your house but from your story you definitely know who is there. I mean, for me, you'll never see Gabrielle. Just signs that she's been there. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1martinimomma Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 My houses do talk to me. They talk about what decor they want. I guess that's why I have so much unused wallpaper, flooring, furniture, paint etc. I buy what I like and then when I go to install it into the house, the house balks at my choice, and then I have to buy something else that pleases the house! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoalaSam Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I have assorted dolls who tell me what kind of house they want to live in. I used to think my dollhouses were demanding, but dolls have bigger voices! Here are a few of my occupants. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I had heard that the bjds were demanding little divas... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoalaSam Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Yes they are! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thresadep Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 11 hours ago, 1martinimomma said: I guess I don't have a very good imagination. I never thought about the residents of the houses I built. Same for me. I read something like this thread before. Most people for doll house I find creepy looking. Since reading about occupants here, I find myself drawn to cute little mice or little creatures/people. Like the calico critters or something more ...umm..fancier? This is what calls to me. To each their own. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debsrand56 Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 50 minutes ago, thresadep said: Same for me. I read something like this thread before. Most people for doll house I find creepy looking. Since reading about occupants here, I find myself drawn to cute little mice or little creatures/people. Like the calico critters or something more ...umm..fancier? This is what calls to me. To each their own. Oh, I never use dolls. My occupants are totally imaginary. If you peek into a house, they have always just left the room. I did think of using a black Calico Critter cat for Penny in the Fairfield, but I think the scale would be a bit off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaJane Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 I don't picture an actual physical doll in the house either - just the personality that lives there. On the other hand, Emmeline, the cat definitely will have a physical presence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 7 hours ago, Debsrand56 said: Oh, I never use dolls. My occupants are totally imaginary. If you peek into a house, they have always just left the room. I did think of using a black Calico Critter cat for Penny in the Fairfield, but I think the scale would be a bit off. 5 hours ago, AndreaJane said: I don't picture an actual physical doll in the house either - just the personality that lives there. On the other hand, Emmeline, the cat definitely will have a physical presence. Me three.. I don't have dolls.. I find them creepy.. so just the pets are real, the people are imaginary... maybe they're ghosts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 1 hour ago, Samusa said: Me three.. I don't have dolls.. I find them creepy.. so just the pets are real, the people are imaginary... maybe they're ghosts. Or maybe "figments of your imagination" would be less creepy than ghosts? I can identify with the reluctance to use less than believable dolls. The doctor who lives in my Beacon Hill was a figment of my imagination until I spotted just the right resin doll. His wife, Sophia, is porcelain, made and dressed by our own Wolfie. When the house is finished, I'm thinking Sophia will hang out in the foyer, as she's dressed to go out, and the doctor will be in his third-story office, the man-cave of the 1880s. At the moment, Sophia is visiting Marie Laveau (who knows what will be in the juju bag she's after?) and the doctor is stomping around the Beacon Hill, which is still under construction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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