jdodyd

I've done several houses very realistically and enjoyed doing it and the final product. But my heart belongs to my Christmas-themed house lived in by cat and bunny figures, furnished realistically but with an animal family enjoying the holidays with friends.

From my experience with building 7 dollhouses, the Shenendoah was by far (by an order of magnitude) the most difficult. The RGT and Greenleaf kits are a breeze by com;parison. I got stuck for a year or so on the stairs and had to have a lot of help with the roof. Good luck.

Don't be scared - The Shenendoah was my first house also - mixing the powder and using the template strip was very easy and turned out nicely. I don't remember if I mixed color into the chimney stucco, but for the fireplace I tinted the mixture black with some gold and copper stripes and was happy with the results. Trust me, if you put all those logs together, you can certainly do the chimney and fireplace. Good luck.

Make sure you sign your own and your daughter's name and details of place and time of your build (on the underside of the bottom of the house) for future owners.

As Holly says, there are no "no-nos" in dollhouses and miniatures. In fact, the variety of the visions among people in building and decorating is one of the things that makes being a member of the community here so interesting. Just experiment with different solutions and tape them in place and then decide what look you personally like best.

This is a good question and one I that I have run into also. I used baseboard molding painted the same color as the stairs on one stairway and just a thin strip of scrap wood stained the same color as the stairs on another. Either way I notice it when I look but I'll bet nobody else does.

I have this same problem with my RTG Victorian Townhouse - it has a front-opening section that doesn't close all the way. I did get it to close better when I trimmed the wallpaper on the door and cut back carpeting on the 2nd floor. I've decided that it is some subtle slight mis-shape to either the 1st or 2nd floor that protrudes and doesn't let the door close tightly but I haven't worked up the courage to starting sanding or cutting the floors to find out. So my answer is, it might not be the hinge itself totally at fault, but some small imperfection in the shape of the floors or walls due

I was shocked to see the almost empty shelves of craft paint at the local Joann's store in Elk River, Minnesota. I did manage to get what I was looking for - an off-white - though.

I just attached the marble-looking paper over the painted wood countertops - didn't even occur to me to seal it with Modge Podge or anything else. I suggest trying different methods out first on a scrap of wood and see what works best or what you like best.

Love your story - we all know how long a house can take to finish. And very nice work.

My first house was definitely a "learner" and I did learn a lot. I took pictures and made a scrapbook which I treasure. I re-decorated it about eight years later and that was fun too. But unfortunately it got badly damaged while moving and I ended up taking it apart and getting rid of it. Saved all the furniture and decorations and have been re-using them in my other three houses. It's kinda like life, you move on.

I think it is some version of a Real Good Toys "New Concept" collection, 1000 series. The 2nd story windows, the thickness of the wall dividers, and the shape of the additions are distinctively RGT. I've seen a two-dormer version of this house.

Things I've learned over the years - A magnetic gluing jig is great for building furniture and getting those 90 degrees angles straight. Use wood glue for wood pieces; Aleen's tacky glue works for just about everything else except plastic (then use Testor's glue) Put wax paper under objects as glue is far less likely to stick to wax. Put the glue on the smaller object (not on the bigger object.) Use toothpicks or a small paint brush to apply the glue. (And you don't have to dip the brush into the bottle; instead have a small supply of glue on a piece or pape

How dexterous are you with your fingers? I just finished a miniature Jenny Lind travel trunk from a kit by Brasses by Suzanne Russo. The main assembly was not too difficult but the attaching of the tiny brass hinges and other fittings was challenging and hard to do neatly with my old arthritic fingers. Does the kit say if the wood-look parts are actually wood or are they tape of some sort? If you have to bend wood (by moistening or immersing in water), it gets a lot more difficult.