2nd Place Winner - Congratulations r1simp (picture 3)

June 2, 2009
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Your doll house is the base of what you now see as a chuck wagon or what we call a "Whinneybago".

Features include a scratch-built, close to authentic wagon running gear which has many metal and wooden parts. The house itself features all interior and exterior walls with planked siding. The floors and first floor ceiling are covered in rough planks. Hinges on entry door are scratch build and have the look of that time. The ceiling on the first floor has wood beams. All furniture and stove were scratch-built. The roof has been given a distressed or aged look.

We have kept the landscape to a minimum which required a lot of time, as simple as it is. The wagon is mounted on a hard wood base, router and stained. On top of that a styrofoam base carved and painted was added to look like rock or ground.

The tree I also made from scratch, using over 50 feet of wire and solder. The base also has several yuccas made from the wire. The two lanterns are battery-powered with the batter pack located in the back box.

This is my third attempt to build a doll house. I am currently working on a Garfield for My Granddaughter. I have build other models most of my life (cars, boats, etc). I can honestly say I wish I had started building doll houses years ago. There are challenges you don't find in other types of models and the details are only limited by what you can dream up. The end result is something someone will cherish for a long time.

Special thanks to Willie Harris, a neighbor and friend. Without him this project would never have gotten off the ground. Also thanks to my Daughter, Carrie Ann for pictures and last, but not least to my Granddaughter, Aly for getting me started making doll houses.

r1simp