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5/27/07 Rudest Comment about Your Minis


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Guest Happy Heart

"Why don't you sell them?" To me, my hobby is what I do to relax from work and life. Nothing ruins a hobby faster than someone who only sees dollar signs. I realize some do work in miniatures and do sell their work, that isn't my choice. I just create for myself and as gifts.

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My husband!! Although he helped me with a light fixture wiring, he has said "why dont you get into a hobby that can appreciate in value and make money"? "This hobby just sucks the life out of the bank account". He thinks the hobby is ludicrous.

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My husband!! Although he helped me with a light fixture wiring, he has said "why dont you get into a hobby that can appreciate in value and make money"? "This hobby just sucks the life out of the bank account". He thinks the hobby is ludicrous.

Although I am trying to make at least a side-business of building houses (mostly to make room and $ for my next project) I know that this is a hobby for most. But I am a bit baffled that your husband doesn't understand the difference between the two. A hobby, by nature, costs something and is primarily meant to fill time with an activity one loves. If he attends sporting events, hunts or goes fishing, you might want to ask him how much he earns from those activities. I know first-hand that fishing produces dinner, at the cost of $100+ and I have to clean and cook it IF I catch anything at all.

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My husband...has said..."This hobby just sucks the life out of the bank account". He thinks the hobby is ludicrous.
By its definition a hobby is an activity that takes inordinate amounts of money, makes absolutely no sense to anyone who doesn't share it and gives one infinite pleasure.
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By its definition a hobby is an activity that takes inordinate amounts of money, makes absolutely no sense to anyone who doesn't share it and gives one infinite pleasure.

Yep, and I'm on board! Works for me!

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Although I am trying to make at least a side-business of building houses (mostly to make room and $ for my next project) I know that this is a hobby for most. But I am a bit baffled that your husband doesn't understand the difference between the two. A hobby, by nature, costs something and is primarily meant to fill time with an activity one loves. If he attends sporting events, hunts or goes fishing, you might want to ask him how much he earns from those activities. I know first-hand that fishing produces dinner, at the cost of $100+ and I have to clean and cook it IF I catch anything at all.

Thank you. Well said. I have just ignored him and when on bragging about how wonderful my miniature house is. LOL. I have been the first one to introduce the miniature world to him. I have said to him, "try it, you will like it"! He did finally apologize.

By its definition a hobby is an activity that takes inordinate amounts of money, makes absolutely no sense to anyone who doesn't share it and gives one infinite pleasure.

Wonderfully said. Thank you.

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  • 1 year later...

it`s not so rude as annoying, but when they ask you which of my grandaughters the houses are for and I say myself, the girls can have their choice later. They always look me up and down as though I have lost touch with reality.

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I think people feel I am selfish not building for children. They don't get that children rarely mix with most of what we all do. Of course I make and own child friendly houses. I protect my special houses, everyone knows who gets what (when I kick the bucket :) ya know) and I hope they will be enjoyed. For now, they are for me. Therapy, if you will. I get to enjoy them.

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L has been getting some vitamin shots for the past several weeks. The vials look just like miniature milk cans, or would if they were painted silver. The regular nurse gave him the empty vials to bring home to me. Yesterday a new nurse gave him the shot. He had to do some fancy talking in order to get the vial from her.

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Some med vials are great for propane botttles for travel trailers, too. After my first (and so far LAST) embarrassing medical procedure I requested the IV tubing and the nurse gave me The Look when I told her I wanted it to make mini beer steins for my mini pub.

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Well, so far nobody has commented on my new project with more than a "are you nuts?". Then again, my thesis mentor was absolutely thrilled, told me he has seen the Queen Mary Dollhouse while in London and how he started baking bread during grad school because otherwise he would have ended up in some basement trying to drill for mustard in the ground.... - he is a bit strange I guess?

Anyhow, I ordered some awesome burlwood veneer for floors and got to talking to the guy selling it about making scrap-assortments (from when he cuts the veneer sheets straight) and offering them for miniaturists. He'll think about it and will let me know - yeah for another potential shopping source.

(Going back to wood filler and sanding paper now....)

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Sometimes killing them with kindness really works. I have a sister-in-law who looked at my mini hobby with some amazement,not understanding how I could waste so much of my time on such silliness. At the time I was just dallying with making tiny things for fun and gave a few small vignettes away as gifts-just small scenes on wood plaques or styrofoam bases. She thought they were just 'okay',even one that I gave to her....until the year I made my mother a Christmas roombox inside a small wood crate/box I bought at Hobby Lobby. My sister-in-law was wide-eyed in wonder at the little scene,checking out every detail. She made me promise to make her one for Christmas the next year-something that totally surprised me!I did,even working in her obsession,a couple of tiny lighthouse items-and she was delighted with it. She displayed it year round and my brother said she was always pointing it out proudly to visitors. She has never looked down her nose at my hobby since! Sadly,a divorce is coming now,but she took the roombox with her to her new home.:)

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I consider this... it's lack of knowledge of the craft that makes people say rude things about our gift, our love for our hobby. When we take the time to share, to educate them, sometimes we get to be pleasantly surprised by their reaction. :) I'm glad for you, Kat, that you had a positive reaction from the others when you made the room box for your mother. <3

~morningstar~

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We live in a world where people honestly believe that watching TV or doing online shopping is a hobby. - Really?

I read where some men consider smoking a pipe is a hobby. We're not talking about collecting pipes or interesting tobaccos, we're just talking sitting around smoking a pipe. So, how is sitting around smoking a pipe different from sitting around smoking a cigarette?

Apparently on some hobby forums dominated by men, there's the opinion that women don't have hobbies. They're too busy shopping and gossiping and doing their hair and nails to have the time or imagination to pursue a hobby.

Some woman made a list of 25 hobbies for women. They include lap dancing, strip tease, and pole dancing.

Building replicas of houses in 1 inch or half inch or quarter inch scale sounds a lot more impressive, interesting and productive than taking classes in lap dancing. On the other hand, my DD's in law might have the opposite opinion.

When you describe your hobby of building dollhouses, don't call them dollhouses. That's what makes people think they're childish. Building a replica in 1" scale sounds much more impressive. :bigwink:

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One time I fabric went to Jo-ann's to buy some fabric and I used the card with the 1"inch square and 1/2" inch square to see if the pattern was right.

The lady measuring the fabric said, " what are you doing"? I explained, and she said, " oh, they don't do that anymore"( she meant dollhouses and miniatures)

I let her know, we do and have for years!

Gail :bear:

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...When you describe your hobby of building dollhouses, don't call them dollhouses. That's what makes people think they're childish. Building a replica in 1" scale sounds much more impressive. :bigwink:

The manager of the Hobbytown USA in Tallahassee, where I used to get my basswood, took that attitude with me after I took him on his computer to this forum site and showed him my gallery.

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I use the term building miniatures rather than using the term "doll" anything. We have built military compounds and barns and such and they aren't dollhouses at all.

I was at a local train clubs show a bit a ago and was talking with one of the vendors there that I have purchased online through. He brought up the prejudice of women building train layouts - which is still real, btw. He had a man leave his shop in a huff because he was waiting on a woman who built her own train layouts and he had to wait in line for her to finish. The man informed the shop owner that he would not shop in a store that allowed women to build train layouts because it was only for men. Whew !!!

Later on that day at another vendors table, Twinkle and I were admiring their setup and asking some questions. The 2 men were wowed that we are starting from scratch on our new train layout and doing all the buildings and landscaping for it. They gave us a cool poster to bring home. It is Rosie the Riveter with We Can Do It in it's usual place and then lower on the right it says, "Women can build models" . Twinkle loves it although I did have to explain the history behind the Rosie the Riveter symbol for her to really get it.

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I love trains. We have an HO set and a G set. When our youngest was little we'd set them up under the Xmas tree. One year big, another year the small.

I always wanted to do a big display on a series of tables, but either didn't have the time or the space for it. I'd want mountains and tunnels! Let me at the jackass who didn't think I could do it! I'd show him a train display!

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I put together the buildings for DH's railroad and he has already asked me to landscape his boards when he's ready. I really was foolish enough to think when Roosevelt Grier took up needlepoint for a hobbythat we'd gotten over all these stupid gender-assigned prejudices!

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I made the comment tonight that I work with miniatures and someone thought I was talking about working with "little people" and I don't mean children.... *headdesk, rinse, repeat*... I had to explain that I meant doll houses complete with electricity...

Awkward conversations for the win!!!

~morningstar~

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Guest Happy Heart

The rudest comment ever on something I made (it wasn't actually about minis) came froms someone I thought was a friend. I'd spent weeks working on a cross stitch for her, as a thank you.

First words out of her mouth? (SHOULD have been thank you) were, "Is backed with acid free paper?"

:ohmy: I was actually too hurt to make any comment :cry:

but if I had my time back, I would have said, "Well, it's less acidy than your tongue."

Then again, that'd reduce me to her level.

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The rudest comment ever on something I made (it wasn't actually about minis) came froms someone I thought was a friend. I'd spent weeks working on a cross stitch for her, as a thank you.

First words out of her mouth? (SHOULD have been thank you) were, "Is backed with acid free paper?"

:ohmy: I was actually too hurt to make any comment :cry:

but if I had my time back, I would have said, "Well, it's less acidy than your tongue."

Then again, that'd reduce me to her level.

Jean, the very fact that you took the time to do this says much about you and not much about your friend. Your friend likely knows very little about what effort it takes to make something like this. Smile to yourself with that knowledge and remember that ignorance is often times bliss. :) Kudos to you for not saying something. I probably would have. You have more grace than I. <3

~morningstar~

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Guest Happy Heart

Jean, the very fact that you took the time to do this says much about you and not much about your friend. Your friend likely knows very little about what effort it takes to make something like this. Smile to yourself with that knowledge and remember that ignorance is often times bliss. :) Kudos to you for not saying something. I probably would have. You have more grace than I. <3

~morningstar~

Thanks morningstar, it's just that I was so surprised as well as being so very just hurt. I'm not sure that I'd let such a horribly inconsiderate and unappreciative comment pass now, I was much younger then.

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Thanks morningstar, it's just that I was so surprised as well as being so very just hurt. I'm not sure that I'd let such a horribly inconsiderate and unappreciative comment pass now, I was much younger then.

Jean, I can understand the hurt and surprise at her lack of gratitude. Some people just don't get it. I almost got into a row with someone last night about 'miniatures' because they don't get what the 'big deal' is.. they think it's 'childish'. Well, to me, it's soothing. It's how I cope with 'idjits' :) Working with miniatures is how I cope with a lot of things. I lose myself in the work and I don't focus on anything else. Gives me the soothing I need sometimes from every day stress. Someone who doesn't do this, or has no connection to it.. wouldn't get it. Nor would they likely understand it. Their loss, I say. :) And thank you, hon. :D

~morningstar~

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