Am I the only one....

[uppitycats]

..... who has several bins, boxes and other containers full of stuff to furnish houses, that I probably won't ever use?  I mean, really....I have 7 houses, 3 roomboxes, a couple of wall decorations all built and decorated, and an eighth house coming to me at the end of the month.....yet have enough furniture to furnish that one plus a couple more.  Not to mention kits for flowers I'll never put together (anyone "in" to flower making??), a set of dollhouse bedroom furniture for children (big and blocky for little hands), a half-bushel of various bits of wood, a box of veneer (suitable for dollhouse flooring).... the list goes on.  Guess I need to open a store someplace and start selling It off..     But surely, I am not alone???

[Mid-life madness]

Nope, you are not alone.

Don't stress about it,you might need it someday!

Or how about....they don't make it anymore......

 

 

[rodentraiser]

Absolutely not alone. Lisa was just saying the same thing to me the other day. And after years of picking up houses on Craig's List that are now long gone, I still have most of the stuff that came with them.

I was thinking of recreating a block long fire sale. Maybe just make up about 6 garages (that will fit on a wall shelf) and then empty all my stuff into them. It wouldn't be hard to make the garages. Just a couple of 3 sided room boxes with a strip of wood pointing out of the top (to simulate an open garage door).  some kind of paper to simulate cement (it's all going to be covered with stuff anyway) and a strip of lawn between them. I wouldn't even have to make the tables - I have plenty of furniture like cabinets and stuff I can put the little things on.

C'mon, Ann, take this idea and fly with it! I'm too lazy. LOL

[Selkie]

I have boxes and tubs and baskets and drawers, all full to overflowing, not to mention neatly stacked kits tucked under all my work surfaces that I'm absolutely sure I'll "need" someday ....

[mesp2k]

Right now I have all kinds of hand-me-down shelves, plastic bins & drawers, bookcases & cardboard boxes.

I don't want to get rid of anything, ^_hoarder, I just want to organize & find stuff when I need it - dang it!!

This doesn't help anyone, unless you want to build this,

but I was think'n of making a drawer/organizer thingy out plywood. It would have grooves every 3" to hold the drawers.

The drawer depths start at 2.25" to fit papers, etc. & increment from there in size.

So I can build a set or column of drawers for books & magazines, another for tools, projects, stash items & new items, etc. as I need them.

One set or column of drawers would be all the same width & depth.

The plexi lets me see whats inside & a sticker could go on the front or inside the plexi facing out for more description/info. 

Notice the magazine cover faces the front for quick ID & when the drawer is opened all the spines face up - to flip thru like a file - EZ - thats if there's info on the spines?

I could have base cabinets 36" high by 24" deep then secure another set, shallower, on top of the base cabinets.

Only thing is I may have to beef up the sides with 2x3s so they don't warp outward?

Oh well just think'n out loud again...

[uppitycats]

The garage sale is a great idea!  I probably have enough to stock several of them.  I already have one room box which is a resale shop, "It's New to You!!".... and I move stuff in and out of it depending on whim.  My General Store which I'm just finishing will take up some stuff, too, although I'm going to be moving the stuff in my roombox, "Graham's GrubNStuff" into the new bigger store, and turn the roombox into "Sew Suite", a sewing, weaving and yarns supply store, run by Lady Goodkats daughters.... Life is busy in Catterville, these days...    

[rodentraiser]

Way cool!

In a little bit, I expect to have to get bins for all my dollhouse stuff and labeling them: kitchen, living room, bedroom, etc, just like the online dollhouse stores do with the things they sell. Or better yet, replace the closet door with a glass one, so I can see everything all the time. What I really want, though, is a set of thin drawers wide enough to hold mini wallpaper so it can lay flat. I could label the drawers pink, blue, floral, etc, etc. Or better yet, make a small sample book and have the drawer each paper is in numbered in the book. Well, I can dream, can't I?

I wonder if anyone would try to make a miniature bedroom with a bunch of mini totes peeking out of the closet door. And those little dollhouse kit boxes? Those could be peeking out from under the miniature bed.

[havanaholly]

I have most of mine filling up shelves, bins, boxes, etc. out in my workshop.  In fact I am not only redressing Cara Jo (the 15" porcelain middle-aged lady doll I found last week) but making her a small wardrobe using some of the "stuff" I have.

[madtex1967]

I did an inventory and resorted my "collection".  I think I have cornered the market on no longer made windows and doors.  Plus all kinds 1/2 scale of furniture kits.  My supply of wood trims and strips are staggering.  But slowly, it is being put to good use.  

I think it is just all part of the hobby!  

[WyckedWood]

I stash a lot of things because I'm afraid they won't be available to purchase someday. So much of the stuff we buy, or brands that we like (like the flower kits you mentioned) are produced by one person...when that person retires, doesn't feel like producing them anymore, etc...that's it, they won't be available again. Ever. Gives me a panicky feeling that I have to get them while I can   

[Dalesq]

I have a lot of pieces in my stash that I've bought because they are hard to find in half scale and I expect to use them at some point in a future build. I've got boxes of kits and lots of supplies. Nope, not gonna feel guilty about it.  

 

[Selkie]

3 hours ago, WyckedWood said:

I stash a lot of things because I'm afraid they won't be available to purchase someday. So much of the stuff we buy, or brands that we like (like the flower kits you mentioned) are produced by one person...when that person retires, doesn't feel like producing them anymore, etc...that's it, they won't be available again. Ever. Gives me a panicky feeling that I have to get them while I can   

 

1 hour ago, Dalesq said:

I have a lot of pieces in my stash that I've bought because they are hard to find in half scale and I expect to use them at some point in a future build. I've got boxes of kits and lots of supplies. Nope, not gonna feel guilty about it.

I like your thinking. Great rationale for all our stashes!!

But on a somber note, it's definitely true. Availability and future building plans are serious considerations if you are planning on staying in the miniature art/craft world. I have some of our original pieces from the early 1980's that are long gone from the marketplace as are the shops we purchased them at.

As we watch brick and mortar shops closing right and left and click on now defunct websites and blogs we used to enjoy, it should demonstrate to us that we really do need to plan for times when certain things are not available anymore. Sad to think about but it is a circle of comings and goings, ups and downs, fads and current popularity that happen with all things in the art and crafts world as well as in life. No thing, no matter how precious, and not one of us will be here forever.

[Sable]

And it is also important to not think if our stashes/collections as appreciable investments. The money we spend on our inventory will never be recovered when our children are faced with handing it over to an estate company or attempting to resell it all at garage sales or on EBay.  Case in point, I went to an estate garage sale this weekend and the daughter was having a terrible time dealing with having to sell her mother's collections and stash for pennies on the dollar.  Her mini collection was not extensive but she had spent many thousands of dollars on a doll collection which no one had any interest in.  One doll she said, her mother had spent $800 on and according to EBay was only worth $100.  She was devastated especially since her mother kept telling her that the dolls would appreciate and pay for all of her estate expenses. 

[WyckedWood]

I had mentioned this a few days ago, but I recently bought a copy of Judees Beds, an instructional book written by Judee Williamson about her canopy beds. They're stunning and very complicated, with price tags to match. Anyway, all of her canopy beds were made with a certain type of post made by Real Life Miniatures. When she wrote the book (in the heyday of the hobby)I'm sure she wasn't considering that Real Life Miniatures would not be around forever...I can't even find the posts on eBay, especially not at a price that would enable you to make several beds using her techniques. The posts available now are much clunkier and thicker than the thin, refined ones she used. I'm sure you could spend a lot of time and cobble something together, but that "Judees canopy bed" look is probably lost to dollhouse history. I wonder if she stashed away some of the posts...

[Elsbeth]

18 minutes ago, Sable said:

And it is also important to not think if our stashes/collections as appreciable investments. The money we spend on our inventory will never be recovered when our children are faced with handing it over to an estate company or attempting to resell it all at garage sales or on EBay.  Case in point, I went to an estate garage sale this weekend and the daughter was having a terrible time dealing with having to sell her mother's collections and stash for pennies on the dollar.  Her mini collection was not extensive but she had spent many thousands of dollars on a doll collection which no one had any interest in.  One doll she said, her mother had spent $800 on and according to EBay was only worth $100.  She was devastated especially since her mother kept telling her that the dolls would appreciate and pay for all of her estate expenses. 

Yeah...I think it is so sad to see lovely dollhouses on craigslist priced for waaaay too much because the surviving family has mistaken the emotional/nostalgia value for dollar value. Makes me sad. I plan on clearing out some things pretty soon so that my family doesn't have to put unopened boxes and bins out on the curb. Plus, I am getting to that point where I just want to enjoy what I have. 

Or am I just tricking myself into making room for more/newer/better? Hmmm. Perhaps.

[rodentraiser]

1 hour ago, WyckedWood said:

I had mentioned this a few days ago, but I recently bought a copy of Judees Beds, an instructional book written by Judee Williamson about her canopy beds. They're stunning and very complicated, with price tags to match. Anyway, all of her canopy beds were made with a certain type of post made by Real Life Miniatures. When she wrote the book (in the heyday of the hobby)I'm sure she wasn't considering that Real Life Miniatures would not be around forever...I can't even find the posts on eBay, especially not at a price that would enable you to make several beds using her techniques. The posts available now are much clunkier and thicker than the thin, refined ones she used. I'm sure you could spend a lot of time and cobble something together, but that "Judees canopy bed" look is probably lost to dollhouse history. I wonder if she stashed away some of the posts...

Back in 2008 I wouldn't have dreamed of asking an existing company to extend their line. I can only imagine how expensive it is to make a line for new items. But I think now is the time to start writing some of these companies and asking for something new.

I have 5 porch posts (only 4 of which I can use) which are so beautiful and delicate that I've been saving them for a special occasion. Since it's taken me almost 30 years to find two of them, I've been looking at some from Houseworks and RGT. As you said, Karin, those are clunky and I don't even want to consider them. So maybe it's time that we as miniaturists get together and ask for the things we want. How about new windows from Houseworks, for instance? They really haven't introduced anything new in years.

The companies aren't going to make things there isn't a demand for and we need to show them there is a demand.

[WyckedWood]

Great point, great ideas! And we can use traditional letter writing and social media.

[shannonc60]

6 hours ago, Sable said:

And it is also important to not think if our stashes/collections as appreciable investments. The money we spend on our inventory will never be recovered when our children are faced with handing it over to an estate company or attempting to resell it all at garage sales or on EBay.  Case in point, I went to an estate garage sale this weekend and the daughter was having a terrible time dealing with having to sell her mother's collections and stash for pennies on the dollar.  Her mini collection was not extensive but she had spent many thousands of dollars on a doll collection which no one had any interest in.  One doll she said, her mother had spent $800 on and according to EBay was only worth $100.  She was devastated especially since her mother kept telling her that the dolls would appreciate and pay for all of her estate expenses. 

I think collectibles can be worth a lot, but you need to know where to sell them. Ebay or auctions or estate sales possibly aren't the right market - this is where the online forums come into play, where you have a concentrated group of enthusiasts. Unfortunately, you probably won't know they exist if you aren't into the subject matter.

4 hours ago, rodentraiser said:

Back in 2008 I wouldn't have dreamed of asking an existing company to extend their line. I can only imagine how expensive it is to make a line for new items. But I think now is the time to start writing some of these companies and asking for something new.

I have 5 porch posts (only 4 of which I can use) which are so beautiful and delicate that I've been saving them for a special occasion. Since it's taken me almost 30 years to find two of them, I've been looking at some from Houseworks and RGT. As you said, Karin, those are clunky and I don't even want to consider them. So maybe it's time that we as miniaturists get together and ask for the things we want. How about new windows from Houseworks, for instance? They really haven't introduced anything new in years.

The companies aren't going to make things there isn't a demand for and we need to show them there is a demand.

Agreed. The miniature industry has been pretty staid for a long while. Although the availability of quality handmade stuff has taken off and that's great. But some new doors, windows, trims and mouldings would be great. And Bespaq doesn't seem to release as much new stuff either.

[Sable]

49 minutes ago, shannonc60 said:

I think collectibles can be worth a lot, but you need to know where to sell them. Ebay or auctions or estate sales possibly aren't the right market - this is where the online forums come into play, where you have a concentrated group of enthusiasts. Unfortunately, you probably won't know they exist if you aren't into the subject matter.

The daughter had somehow found out that I was the local Mini club president and called me at home. I gave her a few options on how to sell her minis and sent an email to our 30+ members informing them of the sale. Although it was a 35 minute drive to get there, a few members showed up.  She somehow equated dollhouses with dolls and assumed that because we are into dollhouses we would want her dolls too.  Hoping she finds a doll group.

[uppitycats]

N.A.M.E  Has something going where collections can be donated to them.  I have considered that as one option, and left instructions in my will... but I really need to find out more about that.

[WyckedWood]

I saw some NAME auctions on eBay. I thought that was a great idea.