Thimble Hall Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 This is just my opinion but I don't think you can just build a house and then fill it ,which is exactly what I would have thought in the beginning. I am of the belief that the other way round is better, You decide all the things you want in a house, then find a house that will suit your needs. Actually when you think about it, is that not what we do when house shopping for our families. I think I may have been working backwards and against myself, I certainly did with the Fairfield,. it is lovely little house but was useless for the purpose I had in mind . of course I didn't realize that till it was half built. My mystery house which I thought may make a Christmas house is not doing it for me, although it is a nice little house now it is stripped and ready for ??? I am trying to decide which to use for a Christmas house but I think I will go in reverse and collect some stuff before I make the final commitment. I have a little Artply that is built that is looking at me with pleading eyes but I can't come up with a firm purpose for it Maybe it is just me... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Who woulda thunk it was so complicated......I think people who lean towards perfectionism have a harder time. I am that way, but I have started to teach myself to let some things go. One year my family wouldn't let me host Thanksgiving because I had built up all these unrealistic expectations, and when they weren't met I made them miserable. Now I am trying not to make myself miserable.....Is it the ride or the destination that is the most enjoyable? Try to enjoy the ride and not worry about the destination. On the ride, stop at the 'worlds biggest ball of yarn" and have a gander......(on my bucklist now!) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minilover62 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Jeannine, the problem is that to find the the "house the suit your needs" could be a real challenge. It happened to me several times already, and I had to end up giving up the project and with a bunch of stuff with no immediate use for. I think every way has its ups and downs. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Well, my method is a little of both. I look at the house and get an immediate idea for it, start planning on what goes into it, then slowly start buying and collecting things for it. But a little bit of that is that I only have so much money to commit to minis per month... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigC Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I think its a little bit of both Jeannine...For me in the early stages all that matters and my interests lie in the building itself...would kits be any different knowing that the picture is already in front of you and many people have bought this kit before that you are reversing the role.?? I really dont have an interest in interior design other than keeping it in period....will this change as I complete the exterior ...who knows Regards C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thimble Hall Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 Well I have to admit I am a perfectionist but I don't make others miserable about it ,my family think it is cute and I don't try to make them agree with me and they don't try to change me. so it works well. .I am no good at some things and good at others , but if I hadn;t demanded high standards especially spending the time perfecting some things I woudn't be good at anything. I am glad I am a perfectionist, as long as I keep in mind the fact the perfection is unlikely it is just a benchmark . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 The journey IS the destination! (I'm a hiker) I pity perfectionists, I really do, because the world isn't perfect. I do work for realism as much as I can achieve it. I have the advantage of conversations with both the houses and some of the items that go in them. I'm always thinking of things to add to or remove from my houses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormwoodz Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I prefer building the house first as I picture it in my mind, then pick decorations that will fullfil the way I imagine it. I love collecting miniatures and sometimes things I already own don't fit, so then I buy something specifically for it. But one of my favorite aspects of decorating is trying to mix and match, often in ways I couldn't have predicted. I suspect that if I did the other way around I might end up picking colors and styles that would be matching the furniture, but not so much my aesthetic. For example on my last kitchen I decided on green + yellow, and then painted the furniture to match. If I had blue kitchen furniture to start, I'd probably feel like I would have to use that color. So I try not to think about furniture and decor until the room is built :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beulah Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I think it can go either way. It does for me. My first bungalow for my granddaughter, scared me and I had no idea what to do to make it, let alone decorate it. She actually took a year to decide she wanted it to look like a beach house. My next was the Orchid. It was a beautiful little house I fell in love with. I call it my. practice house, it never got decorated, It was repainted to use as a Christmas house. That failed. It is in the attic. (only after I picked it out of the trash). My next the half scale bungalow I knew I wanted to make a Craftsman style house out of it. I had so much fun. It turned out the way I wanted though I had no idea what I was going to do inside. Now I am working on my Shabby Chic. I would have preferred a front opening. It is huge, but hey, it is what it is. Ive come to the conclusion it will just be an old house, decorated with stuff I love. I want it to be as perfect as I can do. Ive seen better, and Ive seen worse. I can only get better from here 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I guess I ought to add here that I began by building and then finding things to put in the house, and ended up having to make so many items to get things that fit. When I decided to build two Fairfields as halves of a single large house I did buy a whole house full of "1:24" furniture and kits to make what wasn't available ready made. When I began to dress my itty houses the purchased furniture looked a bit small; when I set the kit furniture I'd made it looked odd; when I made up couple of 1:24 pieces from scratch and put the 1:24 people I'd made with it, the hubs announced that the bought furniture all looked to be in a MUCH smaller scale; so I wound up making every last stick of furniture (there are one or two items left of the other that is closer to 1:24 than the room sets). So I have to wait until I have built the house to make what goes into it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsbeth Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Jeannine you sound like you're on a path to scratch building an amazing house for the furniture you love. It may be that there is no kit out there for you...you may have to create the right house for you. I actually love to find finished, furnished houses and then add things from there. It's fun to hear different stories from other miniaturists - different paths that lead us here to enjoy and share the same things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I decide what sort of furniture pieces I want in a room or house, then I start designing the house around them. Most dollhouse rooms are just too small, which is why I got into scratch building. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I strive for a high level of "realism", even in fantasy settings, such as the houseboat inhabited by a family of frogs. I let the kit handle how it wants to be built and do my best to execute well. I'm something of a perfectionist, yet I'm comfortable with the concept of realism not requiring perfection. We live in an imperfect world. I accept that in the miniature world as well. Like Holly, I find the journey to be exhilarating. The houseboat demanded a two-story ballroom, so it had to be bashed from 1:12 to 1:24. There was no other way to accomplish what the boat wanted. And it demanded a water base in which to be moored. Marie Laveau's cottage said I needed to bash together two Adams kits with a sliding door between them and furnish it as an historically accurate Creole cottage. What fun I had researching Marie Laveau and conferring with Lloyd's Creole cousin as to decor. (Can't tell you how many pieces of lace she rejected before accepting one as just right for the lace curtains. She even went to an architectural reclamation shop to photograph the right kind of fireplace screen, which I then replicated with Fimo, jewelry findings and the metal mesh from a kitchen scrubber.) The White Orchid told me not to mess with its beautiful pearly white surface that resembled white mushroom skin. (Somebody painted it black, and both my White Orchid and I cried at the sacrilege.) With a red roof with white spots to resemble the lucky mushroom ornament on our real Christmas tree, it could become nothing other than a Christmas house, a home and workshop for elves. Because of the size of the elves who were at the time living in my stash, the interior had to be bashed from 1:12 to 1:24. Because I couldn't gouge the walls to hide wires, it was electrified with a battery pack hidden in a staircase carved from builders' foam board. The Haunted Hangout began as a joint project with my 10-year-old goddaughter as a farmhouse. When she lost interest, so did I. The house sat under the basement stairs for a few years and then told me in no uncertain terms that it was to become a clubhouse for skeletons. I had a great time making a lot of the furnishings. This, I think, was the shyest of all the houses. It really didn't want to be a farmhouse but didn't tell us early on. The pottery shop required an outdoor brick kiln, a potter's wheel, and special tools. It was a grand journey researching and creating all that and more. Lloyd taught ceramics at the college level for years, so having an in-house expert helped to keep it "real". The already built Glencroft that just came to live here didn't take long to tell me it wanted to stay close to its roots and become an English cottage suitable for Miss Marple. You can believe I'll be researching period English cottage interiors and having a good time finding and making the furniture and accoutrements. And I'm going to enjoy creating a traditional English garden behind the lovely little white picket fence. (In another post I mentioned leaning a bicycle against the fence. The house told me I was on the wrong track -- that was Jessica Fletcher, you fool. Miss Marple did not ride a bicycle!) The Pierce demanded to become a late 1800s restaurant/tavern/inn from the day the box was opened. It means adding an addition and doing considerable interior bashing to accommodate all of those activities. Many of the furnishings are ready, some purchased, some repurposed, some crafted by me. A large kitchen garden in the square formed by the L-shape of the house is another demand. I haven't even begun to consider how this will be done. One thing at a time, house! The Beacon Hill told me at the get-go that it was to be a New Orleans Garden District home owned by a free man of color, a medical doctor, and his lovely wife Sofia. The doctor and his wife have been waiting patiently for me to get it finished. Most of the furnishing for it are boxed and ready for move-in day. I'm sorry to have run on so long, but as I think back on these builds, and some others I'll not bore you with, it has become very clear to me that the adventure for me is in the execution. The research and, experimentation bring me joy. It occurs to me that perfection lies along a scale. I'm happy to come as close as I can to the top, knowing full well that to reach perfection is an impossible goal. Thus is the philosophy of KathieB. <getting off soapbox now> 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Great topic, interesting hearing everyone's thoughts. Just my 2cents...learned from experience. Let's say I have a cottage in mind to build so I start collecting cottage stuff. Then I build the house. Then none of the cottagy stuff I bought fits in the house. Been there done that. Then I start to grow a huge "shoebox collection" of stuff that I don't need because I don't have a house for it. Waste of money that could have gone toward things that actually fit in the rooms. The kits are all so different as far as how much space you're going to have to decorate, a sofa or stove placed in a cottage could take up half the room, I have to shop by measurements. I do paper mock ups if necessary. On the other hand, if you see something you love, like say a beautiful lamp, doll, furniture set etc...it could inspire you to create an entire house around that one thing. All of the houses have major issues that have to be worked around, that's part of the creativity. Like too small kitchen...windows in an inconvenient place, etc. If there's a perfect house out there I'd love to find it too. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldenrodfarm Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 This is all very interesting, I suspect since we are all creative individuals our approaches are going to be all different. Since I like to build furniture also I am sure that like the last one I will be doing both at the same time. I do not believe in hurrying to finish a creative project, I do admit to being a perfectionist, but that is not a bad thing, it makes me try different approaches until I get the one I like. I like things to be finished properly, and as in real life a carpenter's best asset is being able to fix mistakes so you can't tell they are there, and to be able to hide imperfections with nice trim. My mind gets a picture of what I want to accomplish long before the project is even started, sometimes that gets adjusted to fit and sometimes I can't let go of my minds eye. I like realism, but realism according to me, in the process of my Stump fairy house I want it to look real, like a fairy will live there, but not necessarily a fairy that likes tea cups from acorn caps, one that is a little more civilized. I am itching to get back to work on the sanding, but not while it is so cold, and that is not a house project at this moment. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Kathie, I'm gong to see if I can coax an acceptable Jane Marple out of my clay stash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I am a perfectionist and also someone that can't stand having things unfinished. My dollhouses have definitely helped me to slow down and enjoy the process more. I suspect that both of my current projects won't be totally be done for a long time, if ever! Lol I am taking my time to work on each tiny detail and slowly accumulating the furnishings and decor. Many of the really grand antique dollhouses I admire were built and furnished over many years so I just try to remind myself when I get really anxious to "just get it done." I had really specific ideas for my first house and quickly realized that I enjoy much more figuring it out as I go. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 1 hour ago, havanaholly said: Kathie, I'm gong to see if I can coax an acceptable Jane Marple out of my clay stash. Thanks, Holly, I appreciate the offer, but I think Miss Marple will be away from home. I have a very specific image of her in my mind. It is purely imaginary, based on reading the books, not connected with any of the on-screen iterations. No doll is going to match it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Swearengin Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Wow. I'm totally out of this loop. I build houses for the personal satisfaction of being able to take flat pieces of wood and turn them into something special. Decoration comes later, I don't think I have ever really planned any of them until I started the build. Even my Mexican restaurant has three lives before I settled on the restaurant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 2 hours ago, KathieB said: Thanks, Holly, I appreciate the offer, but I think Miss Marple will be away from home. I have a very specific image of her in my mind. It is purely imaginary, based on reading the books, not connected with any of the on-screen iterations. No doll is going to match it. If you change your mind, I bet our Jo could supply you an acceptable Miss Marple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thimble Hall Posted January 10, 2018 Author Share Posted January 10, 2018 Jenn , you know you may be right about the scratch house. I think I could design it but perhaps not make it, but there is a ray of hope. My granddaughter has finally found someone who is right for her and would you believe his father is a miniature builder. He apparently builds very expensive, very complicated bird houses and loves it. The soon to be grandson in law has offered ,with help from his Dad ,to build me a shell of any style I want. I will wait till a bit later in the year and I may just go for it. The grand daughter and him have just finished gutting and totally refurbishing a house for themselves with help from his Dad, my son in law and the other grandson and it is wonderful. Between them they covered all the builders skills without anyone having to pay costs for labor. The only things they can't do themselves is choose plants etc for a garden and make drapes so guess who in the family is the go to person for those skills.. It is a great world. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 21 hours ago, WyckedWood said: Great topic, interesting hearing everyone's thoughts. Just my 2cents...learned from experience. Let's say I have a cottage in mind to build so I start collecting cottage stuff. Then I build the house. Then none of the cottagy stuff I bought fits in the house. Been there done that. Then I start to grow a huge "shoebox collection" of stuff that I don't need because I don't have a house for it. Waste of money that could have gone toward things that actually fit in the rooms. The kits are all so different as far as how much space you're going to have to decorate, a sofa or stove placed in a cottage could take up half the room, I have to shop by measurements. I do paper mock ups if necessary. On the other hand, if you see something you love, like say a beautiful lamp, doll, furniture set etc...it could inspire you to create an entire house around that one thing. All of the houses have major issues that have to be worked around, that's part of the creativity. Like too small kitchen...windows in an inconvenient place, etc. If there's a perfect house out there I'd love to find it too. YES!!! I have a huge and growing collection of things that I may never use. I like them, but they're too big, too small, etc. I need to sell it all off and start over with a more disciplined plan. For me, it's a combination of both. And I'm working on two rehabs that I bought because I liked them and they were affordable, but they have both been very clear from the start that they needed to be something else in their next life. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Well, Linda and Karin, just realize that some of us might be happy to take things off your hands. That's what the Trading Post is for! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.