Chikkity47 Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Hi all! I am so excited to have found this community! I am a stay at home mom and I love crafting. I can't live without having a project and I am thrilled to enter the world of miniatures. My biggest dream growing up was having an authentic doll house like the ones you see in Hook or Rose Red. My family was large and poor so that was never in the cards for my sisters and I. Now my dream is to provide the perfect doll house for my daughter and I have been stock piling doll furniture for a while now. I am super excited to get a step closer to my goal now that my husband has bought me a FH 505 farm house doll house kit. So if anyone has any tips for a newbie I would be very thankful. And by newbie I mean, 'dumb it down, waaaayyy down.' I am crafty by nature but this is a whole new ball park and I can use all of the help I can get. Thank you Everyone! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Hi, Tara. Welcome to the forum! What fun for you to do this for your daughter. If you are crafty by nature, you should have a great time. It's amazing how many craft skills transfer to miniature, one way or another. When you hit a head-scratcher, don't hesitate to ask questions. We love to give advice. What's interesting is that for every question there are multiple answers, and none of them are wrong. Read them all, then, do what feels right to you. The biggest piece of starting-out advice -- and on this I don't think you'll find anyone who disagrees -- do a dry fit. That is, don't glue right away. Assemble most of the house using masking or painter's tape. This will give you a good idea about tricky areas that may need to be painted or papered before assembly is completed. Above all, have fun with it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbresr Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Hi Tara. I used to live in Reno but am in northern CA for now. I plan on moving back soon. I am currently in Reno visiting with my kids. We shall have to meet up one day. Oh you will have so much fun building the farmhouse. Everyone here has lots of advise and tips! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikkity47 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 Kathie, thank you for the dry fit idea. I definitely would have just started gluing things together if you hadn't said something haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Welcome to the little family, Tara. If you are crafty and a visual learner, perhaps your husband can show & tell with you through the instructions. Sit down with the kit and the instruction booklet and compare what's in the box with what's pictured on the schematics sheet for a first step. I replied to your other post, assuming your VH505 is the Dura-Craft kit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikkity47 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 Hi Donna! Funnily enough I am from Northern California, Near Santa Rosa. We moved here 3 years ago to be closer to my dads family. I hope you are enjoying your visit with your kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikkity47 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 HI Holly! My kit is a Duracraft, sorry I thought I posted in a Duracraft thread, I am still learning the website. Thank you so much for the tips, I will definitely go over the instructions a few times and matching up pieces before doing anything. I will ask my husband for help but he works a lot and likely won't have time, I took on this project knowing that he would be little to no help haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Welcome from a fellow Nevadan....I'm in L.V. There are tons of people who have built that model, if you get stuck, you can Google or ask around here....Remember, most mistakes are fixable, so just enjoy the process. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thriftymini Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Did not realize there would be Greenleaf members in Reno at this time. Welcome to the forum Tara. Husband and I are in Reno for one more day visiting my mother. Bought a Greenleaf McKinley Dollhouse Kit at a Reno thrift store (that also has a lot of antiques) for a very good price and in very good condition. Even includes a coupon for use at the store that sold the kit, but the coupon expired in 1991. Donna: Enjoy your visit in Reno with your children. Looking forward to getting back to where it is so much cooler. Not used to being out and about in all this heat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Christine, at least it's a dry heat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Glad you found us. The farmhouse will be a fun project. Dura craft kits...in my experience cut posts to fit not necessarily to the measurements given. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesp2k Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Hey Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikkity47 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 Karin, thanks for the tip. I would have been baffled by mismatching pieces if you hadn't told me. Holly, I lived in Guam for a bit, definitely prefer dry heat even if the temperature gets hotter than the island. Hi Mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikkity47 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 Carrie, thanks! I have already started googling and looking at farm house threads here. i am so glad I found this group. Christine, I hope you enjoyed your visit to Reno! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikkity47 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 Thanks for the links Mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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