Greetings and Salutations!

[WBrownIV]

I Hear You! Today was the annual Easter Car show in Forest Park. My Corvair club attends annually. Typically it's the first outing of the season for our cars and typically decent weather. If someone had told me I would be wearing thermal underwear and five layers of outer wear I'd think you were crazy! Not today! Still had a decent turn out despite the forecast of freezing rain/snow. Made it home before anything started falling. I thought this was over :(

[L Swearengin]

Yep, we made it back to the bootheel before the yuck started. I was happy we got through St Louis on dry roads.

[WBrownIV]

I learned something the other day. My brother in law called me the other day. In conversation I told him I was starting on the dollhouse and please keep it a secret. He proceeds to get excited and tells me that for at least the past 12 years the topic of said house comes up at least once a month. I learned that she has secretly hoped that I would get around to building it "one day" but would never let me know as she didn't want me to feel bad. He even offered to buy her a finished one but she declined saying "but my brother didn't build it". WOW! I didn't know what to say and to be honest with you I was starting to get a bit blurry eyed. I laid out my ideas of what I was envisioning and he told me and I quote "You could take it straight out of the box, tape it together, paint it all white and toss in a Stormtrooper figure and she would LOVE IT!" end quote. He also has offered to secretly help with the project financially. 

   I now have a new sense of urgency to make my first build a "masterpiece"  I have so many ideas spinning around my head on what I want to accomplish. I also have OCD with perfectionist tendencies so that can also make completing projects "interesting" at best. My hope is to start in the next few weeks.  I'll start a build thread and outline what I'd like to do. I'm sure I will have numerous questions and will try to not be a total pain! I just want this to turn out well  

[havanaholly]

It's fantastic how these things work out!  I don't sympathize with "perfectionism".  To help you, before you start take a long look around at your own house and at houses around you and at the world in general and discover a very basic truth; NOTHING in the real world is perfect!  If you want some idea of the fits I had building the Glencroft, just read havanaholly's section of the Team Glencroft building blog.  It is also the kit where I discovered the dratted things will tell you what they want, never mind what you have in mind for them.  One advantage is that the kit is made of 1/8" thick wood, so it is dirt-simple to glue broken bits back together (stain them before you break them, residual glue repels stain) and to cut new bits or cobble them from kit scraps.

[Soapz]

Welcome Bill! Tudor houses are fun. I have done some research (google is my friend....) on British sites. You might want to use google.co.uk and search there for Dollls House instead of dollhouse. Depending on the amount of money you want to spend here are a few websites that might give you a start:

Arjen Spinhoven - Furniture

Directory of Furniture making books - open source

Thatching a Roof - How to Video

Tudor Exteriors - Tutorial

Pinterest Board with Tudor Furniture - good place to look around

Ashwood Designs - definitely worth looking through

Blog with links to all kinds of Tudor..........

Enjoy your dollhouse!

[WBrownIV]

Holly thank you for the words of wisdom:)

   I have been looking through the group build posts for ideas and did see the "frustrating" moments you describe! The Glencroft's I've seen in the Gallery are amazing! I do need to realize that many of these builders have been going at this for years. Expecting that level of "WOW" on my first endeavor is pretty naive on my part. I am getting help with coping with my OCD. I used to not even be able to start a project as I feared I could not attain that level of perfection that was acceptable to me. Now I have actually completed projects to my liking. I just need to make sure I keep moving and not get bogged down and stop altogether.

Chris,

   Thank you for the links! 

       I've been doing searches online for Tudor lighting and furniture and I noticed pretty quickly that those sites offering these are primarily in the UK. I've never ordered anything from that part of the world and wasn't sure about shipping costs. Have you had experience in this? I've gotten stuff from China with free shipping but that doesn't look like an option here. My Brother in Law is really excited about this and has offered to get the lighting, furniture etc. I need to get a list together and figure out how I'm going to decorate. I probably need to settle on a time period as well. 

Thanks again to you both!

Bill

[Soapz]

Depending on the seller postage is decent. A lot cheaper than shipping from the US to there. I would definitely contact the seller for shipping if they don't calculate on checkout. I had a Tudor kit shipped over and postage was about as much as the kit itself - but it is huge and heavy. For furniture I paid about $20 (plus or minus a few) on average for packages less than 4 pounds. That's the magic number here. They differentiate between parcel and package - but minis do not weigh much, so we get lucky there.

I would also check ebay.co.uk and Etsy - never know what pops up. 

[WBrownIV]

Ok that doesn't sound so bad. Thank you! I'll get a list up and contact the seller and see what they say! And I'll take a look on Ebay UK and see what's out there!

[Emerald]

WELCOME..........Stumbled into miniatures!!!  What a stumble!  I stumbled via a miniature website looking for miniature items.  I entered a contest and tried a kit which I decided to add to...how crazy was that!  Then I did another as I was also building room boxes.  That one I decided to change from 1:12 kit to a 1:6 she shed.  OK...nuts but so much fun creating my own siding, ribbed roofing and seeing how I could implement distressing wood into it.  Then took on the Bay Window project ending up 5FT 4IN tall, 3 floors in 1/6 scale.  So you are in FANTASTIC COMPANY HERE.

[WBrownIV]

Thanks Linda!

   I honestly had no idea the miniature hobby was so big! Or the fact that there are actual miniature shows/swap meets! I now have a few upcoming shows I will be attending locally. I'm trying to get a plan of attack ready and hit the ground running as they say

 

Bill

[CheckMouse]

Welcome, Bill.  You are starting off on a wonderful adventure!  And your sister will be delighted!

[WBrownIV]

Thank you CJ! 

     I am pretty excited about this! One thing I do have to watch is I keep seeing cool ideas and in turn want to incorporate them in my build. Ignore the fact I've never done one before.   I'm making a list of features I absolutely want to include, ones that would be awesome to have, and those that are pretty much over the top. I'm sure I will know how adept I am in this build early in. 

    I checked out your website and had no idea there were 1/48th scale houses! Hmmmm..........

[havanaholly]

2 hours ago, WBrownIV said:

...had no idea there were 1/48th scale houses! Hmmmm..........

Here are Greenleaf's 1:48 scale houses:  https://shop.greenleafdollhouses.com/miniature-buildings/

[WBrownIV]

Well I'll be............

Holly did this scale come about so folks who don't have room for the "full size" houses could still enjoy the hobby? Being able to sit on a shelf for all to see would be a huge benefit to those in small quarters.

[sparklepuppies]

My fireplace is lined with 3 1/48 builds, plus 3 1/144 houses and one 1/1000 house. I placed the 1/288 and 1/576 scale houses in a little house-shaped shelf and have that on a shelf in the kitchen. The smaller scales do certainly make it easier to display!!

[havanaholly]

39 minutes ago, WBrownIV said:

Well I'll be............

Holly did this scale come about so folks who don't have room for the "full size" houses could still enjoy the hobby? Being able to sit on a shelf for all to see would be a huge benefit to those in small quarters.

I think they were designed to sit underneath Christmas trees while red and green trains ran round and round.  By hinging one wall and adding interior floors and walls they can easily become 1:48 dollhouses.

[WBrownIV]

That would make sense :)

[WestPaces]

Hey Bill  Reading your posts I wanted to say that I can relate somewhat. I don't know if I have OCD - it's possible! - but I do 'suffer' from perfectionism; I put suffer in quotes because perfectionism can be a blessing sometimes, although 'perfect' doesn't exist, perfectionism often leads to superbe results! When I started this hobby I had to invest in a lot of materials and tools. I was reluctant as I usually get all gung-ho for projects then I lose interest after a few weeks, so I was wary of my initial enthusiasm. HOWEVER, I am 4 months into this adventure (a LONG time, for me) and I have never yet felt my enthusiasm waning; on the contrary, I'm loving it more and more and am quite proud of myself for my commitment

I think the secret to my success, so far, is that there is no pressure on me to finish this project quickly or even well. I keep reminding myself that this project is my 'learning/practice house' and that if I get something wrong then at least I'll have learned a precious lesson for next time - yep, my mind is jumping ahead to future builds already  

My advice would be this, if you are unsure about how to tackle a certain technique or unfamiliar with colours, textures, material;, practice those skills on a piece of scrap wood or card. Dry build everything before glueing. I have found that people 'with' OCD/perfectionism usually have quick minds and are fast learners

Above all, have fun and know that your sister will be very happy and proud of whatever you present to her.

[WBrownIV]

18 hours ago, sparklepuppies said:

My fireplace is lined with 3 1/48 builds, plus 3 1/144 houses and one 1/1000 house. I placed the 1/288 and 1/576 scale houses in a little house-shaped shelf and have that on a shelf in the kitchen. The smaller scales do certainly make it easier to display!!

Tracy,

  I had no ideal these other scales existed! I bet that is neat to see!

[WBrownIV]

12 hours ago, WestPaces said:

Hey Bill  Reading your posts I wanted to say that I can relate somewhat. I don't know if I have OCD - it's possible! - but I do 'suffer' from perfectionism; I put suffer in quotes because perfectionism can be a blessing sometimes, although 'perfect' doesn't exist, perfectionism often leads to superbe results! When I started this hobby I had to invest in a lot of materials and tools. I was reluctant as I usually get all gung-ho for projects then I lose interest after a few weeks, so I was wary of my initial enthusiasm. HOWEVER, I am 4 months into this adventure (a LONG time, for me) and I have never yet felt my enthusiasm waning; on the contrary, I'm loving it more and more and am quite proud of myself for my commitment

I think the secret to my success, so far, is that there is no pressure on me to finish this project quickly or even well. I keep reminding myself that this project is my 'learning/practice house' and that if I get something wrong then at least I'll have learned a precious lesson for next time - yep, my mind is jumping ahead to future builds already  

My advice would be this, if you are unsure about how to tackle a certain technique or unfamiliar with colours, textures, material;, practice those skills on a piece of scrap wood or card. Dry build everything before glueing. I have found that people 'with' OCD/perfectionism usually have quick minds and are fast learners

Above all, have fun and know that your sister will be very happy and proud of whatever you present to her.

Janet you have just described me to a T when it comes to new "hobbies"! I would be all enthusiastic about the new thing I was into, research it to death, spend a bunch of money gearing up and loose interest after a short while. Then I'm on to the next new thing!  Growing up this routine would totally exasperate my parents. The only activity that would keep my OCD/ADD at bay was building model kits. I never had a problem seeing one through to completion.

   I appreciate your advice on practicing a technique on a practice piece first. The last thing I want to do is try something new without having at least tested it on something less valuable! The fear of failure has in many instances kept me from even trying. I am getting better at this however:)

I am honestly looking forward to this project. I tell myself that I will build this house to the best of my ability, things can and will go wrong and not to panic! I have a wonderful bunch of folks here that will help me bring a smile to my sister's face when she see's I had not forgotten.

    

[WBrownIV]

36 minutes ago, KathieB said:

I used the "Report post" link to request it be deleted. Not to worry, stuff happens.

Thank you Kathie!

[WestPaces]

9 hours ago, WBrownIV said:

 research it to death, spend a bunch of money gearing up and lose interest after a short while. Then I'm on to the next new thing! 

    

 

Yup, that too...

 

[havanaholly]

Isn't that natural, until you find the ones that click?

[WestPaces]

It's no problem if you spend a few dollars on something and then find out it's not for you. However, when you're several hundred dollars into it, only to end up with a bunch of stuff you'll never use again, yeah, it can be quite a problem 

[KathieB]

1 hour ago, havanaholly said:

Isn't that natural, until you find the ones that click?

The thing is, they all click initially. If there were only some way to tell which will survive the test of time ... *sigh* ... On the other hand, even minor forays into new territory can be rewarding in the short run and add to the pool of experience that accumulates as we age.