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The Garfield project


Thimble Hall

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Martha in Pace (who is no longer active here and I miss her!) used round wire on hers and was in the process of finishing off the interior when I saw it, so wires had not yet been covered with wallpaper and baseboards.

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On 3/11/2018, 7:10:26, martincheck said:

I started the Garfield about 8 years ago and then we had a baby and I just picked it back up again in February.  I've finished the foundation and the main staircases and all the little pieces like the fireplaces, stairs, chimney, etc.  Dry-fitting before gluing is extremely important as the machine cuts are a little off sometimes.  Having some blocks or something that has accurate 90 degree angles is helpful.  I've been using leftover 4x4 travertine floor tiles.  I keep a Dremel handy with a 180 grit sandpaper attachment in case something needs a little more intense sanding.  Also planning how you are going to clamp something before you glue it is a good idea.  The "Gina's blog" mentioned above has some great suggestions and lots of helpful photos.  I really like her idea of dry fitting all the walls and staircases and papering them before you do the final gluing as the front rooms will be very difficult to get to once everything is glued in place.  My wife will be picking out the wallpaper and flooring so I have to wait to see what she wants.  I bought a Cir-Kit tape lighting kit and plan to install the lighting as i go along as well.

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Hi Louis, Havana Holly is quite right your photos would be a great inspiration to the rest of us. I was looking at this photo and I was imagining all of the things I need to do to my house. It is a really clear photo of the inside. Thank You. Di

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Than

On 3/13/2018, 8:23:02, KathieB said:

It's not hard to hide wire. If your husband is willing to help, I suggest forgetting the copper tape and letting him do his thing. You can run wire up corners, hide it behind baseboards and ceiling trim, in grooves cut into the walls, behind cardboard templates, under flooring -- all kinds of ways. 

Hi Kathie B, I have just given up and yes he can wire it. BUT I still hate the plugs or am I being picky??

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45 minutes ago, Dianne A said:

Than

Hi Kathie B, I have just given up and yes he can wire it. BUT I still hate the plugs or am I being picky??

You can wire the lights directly, thus avoiding the plugs, but that makes changing them out or moving them problematical. Use your creative ingenuity to hide the plugs behind curtains, furniture, etc.

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Hi Tanya,   I would like this very much. I started with great gusto but with so many family commitments I fell behind ( sudden stop) LOL. I need to start again, I will have to learn how to put my photos out there.  Di.

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Dianne. I changed gears and started a different project so it will be a long time before I do a Garfield now.and that is iffy anyway now. I have just read that it is the Pierce with a couple of rooms added.I made the Pierce 20 odd years ago and I hated it. I had no idea they were similar and to make matters worse I have two of them!!  For some reason I thought it was taller than the Pierce, I clearly did not investigate it very well.So they will be going to the bottom of my list now I think ,or at least till I think it though more. To be fair it was the first house I made, I knew nothing about wiring or decorating first, knew nothing about bashing so a second time around it would probably be very different The original one  ended perfectly made but never decorated or wired and finally when I was going overseas for a few years I sold it.

However, I know it is a popular house and many folks love it, you seem to be getting on well with yours. Someone will be able to help you with your wiring problem I am certain. I like a challenge so I may just make myself build one..but not yet

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  • 3 months later...
On ‎1‎/‎28‎/‎2018‎ ‎6‎:‎34‎:‎34‎, KathieB said:

Gina's blog is on blogspot.com, not Facebook. Anyone can access it. You'll find it very helpful as she offers a very coplete step-by-step record, including pitfalls to watch out for. 

 

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Hi Louis, Havana Holly is quite right your photos would be a great inspiration to the rest of us. I was looking at this photo and I was imagining all of the things I need to do to my house. It is a really clear photo of the inside. Thank You. Di

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just finished my first dollhouse,  the Arthur - going to start my wife's Garfield very soon.  The luan (lauan?) that Greenleaf kits are made of does not take paint well.  Anything on the Arthur that would be painted, I replaced with 1/8 in. birch plywood, which you can get at any of the woodworking sites - I get mine from Cherry Tree Toys.

Also (and I haven't tried this yet) - it should be possible to rout a groove in the wall so the tape/wire can be inlaid.

I agree with HavanaHolly - no way would I go near Facebook, Twitter, etc.

 

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30 minutes ago, Mr. Bad Example said:

...The luan (lauan?) that Greenleaf kits are made of does not take paint well...

I use a flat white interior latex to prime with, and if the wood won't sand uber smooth I slap a coat of spackle on it and when it's dry I sand it smooth.  If you don't prime or seal some way the naturally occurring acids in wood leach through and turn your paint (or wallpaper) nasty.

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I used, Spray Easy Paint and Prime by British Paints on most of mine (Garfield) and I had no problems. As I`m not sure if they sell this brand where you are I`m pretty sure thay would have something similar.

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  • 2 months later...

I have been working on my garfield dollhouse going on 3 years now.  Life has interferred more than I realized but it's a work in progress and I am under no time.  I have posted some pictures of my dollhouse in the picture gallery on this site.  One of the things I was lacking was some one bounce ideas off.  I have changed my garfield and am not quite following and using all of the kit.  For example I changed out all the windows and doors and staircase.  I think it would be nice to share and offer support in your garfield build and as I am still working on mine I would appreciate input as well.  If you are interested please let me know.

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Hi Dreamer14,  I am building a Garfield and Yes I have put in different windows and doors.  I am also moving the bathroom wall from the side of the staircase and moving it over about two and a half inches. Bathroom will be smaller but I will have a hallway so that the owners don`t have to walk through the bathroom to get to the library. It will also give me some vision into the front staircase area. I have drawn the bathroom interior onto paper  and it looks fine to me. I am also thinking of adding a small room onto the back as it will allow the kitchen table to sit back into it and not clutter the kitchen ( instead of the little bay window that is supposed to be there). I have wallpapered and made all of the curtains, so I`m ready to start to work on the lighting and the gluing up of the walls. Hope we can discus our houses together. Di:dog:

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