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My 3rd First


LeeB

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This is my third attempt at a first dollhouse. The first first was probably 25 years ago. We bought a Victorian 3-story kit and had it mostly assembled when we moved overseas and had to leave it behind. We sold it at a yard sale but kept the furnishings we had been collecting for even longer.

On one of our furloughs back in the US, we ran across a drastically discounted S/W Crafts Country Estate kit that had parts missing - and most significantly, instructions missing. We bought it and put it in storage (much easier to store a boxed kit than a complete house) when it was time to go overseas again. That was our second first. It has been out of the box several times, but the lack of instructions proved too daunting. I posted on one of this site's forums hoping to get a copy from some kind soul, but no luck.

Our third first is a windfall find that we discovered a few weeks ago in a thrift store, already assembled. It is a Dura-Craft Manchester Country House and is in pretty good condition. Some of the porch trim needed to be glued back in place but amazingly, all the parts were there inside. I have made those repairs and repainted the two front doors and the shutters. The siding was already painted Wedgewood blue with white trim. I made the shutters navy blue and the door red. Since we are now retired, there is more time to complete this third first.

I have one big question: is there any standard practice about stairways in dollhouses? This house had a hole in the 2nd floor for a stairwell, but the stairs were not there. I know I could have bought or made stairs, but there was no place for stairs to the 3rd floor. I can't see any logic in having stairs in one place but not the other. Also, the location was rather inconvenient and I could really use the extra floor space. I decided to close up the 2nd floor hole and just pretend that both sets of steps are on the open and non-existent "4th wall." Am I committing a faux pas? 

LeeB

Edited by LeeB
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Lee, I love your persistence. :) As to the stairs/no stairs issue, keep in mind that your house can be anything you want it to be in whatever form suits your fancy. There is no such thing as a construction or decoration faux pas in the miniature world. Fellow miniaturists will not question your choices unless asked for an opinion, and as you have already realized, the invisible part of the house can be used to justify your choices for folks who don't understand our obsession hobby.

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Otterine -

Yes, I do have it.

I would LOVE to have a copy of the instructions, if you would be so kind!

Then I can see what is missing and if it is worth an attempt at making or improvising replacements.

Thanks so much, LeeB

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  • 2 months later...

Here is an update.

The first photos are the condition it was in when we rescued it from the thrift store, outside and inside.

Next is the restoration after fixing the porch railings, repainting the doors and shutters (and decorated for Christmas!)

Then the interior with all new paint, wallpaper, and floor coverings, except in the living room, which I liked.

I will show each room with furnishings in the next post.

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Thank you all.

6 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Did you make the wreaths?

No - I bought them - supposed to be package decorations. After I bought them, since they were glittery, I made the garland out of the same kind of tinsel-y pipe cleaners. A little glitter is OK at Christmas, right?

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  • 4 weeks later...

I took photos of the furnished rooms. Of course, they are not really "finished." Is a dollhouse ever really finished? But as a work in progress, it is at least ready to see visitors. There are dozens of details I still want to work on - refinishing some of the furniture that is so pale that it looks unfinished, hanging more pictures on the walls, Making and adding curtains and bedspreads, etc. Our grand-daughter loves to check on progress every time she is here and notices every little change or addition. Usually. the chamber pot ends up on the dining room buffet because it is "pretty."

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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