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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 paper or cardboard) I've used rubber bands to hold things together to dry since you can adjust the tension fairly easily. I hope some of this helps. I'll bet other people have good ideas for you.

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.

I built the Duracraft Shenandoah kit as my first dollhouse - that was a mistake, as the "genuine log cabin construction" was much more difficult that either a Greenleaf or RGT kit with the wall pieces already made. I stained before gluing for the reasons stated above. I didn't occur to me to put it together and then paint it. I just used the book of instructions and was able to do it okay. I found the project very time-consuming but the cabin is real cute when done. Best of luck to you!

I gave up on buying electric or battery-powered lights because they were so expensive. That said, I'd had a lot of fun and satisfaction making lamps and ceiling lights out of odds and ends of plastic, jewelry chains and findings, and other things.

I've built the Dura-Craft Shenandoah kit - unless you REALLY, REALLY want a log cabin for some reason, my advice is to try a Greenleaf or RGT kit first. They are much easier and faster to put together. The Shenandoah with its 700 or so individual pieces is quite difficult and not the best choice for a first build. Just saying...….

I've made dollhouse kits more stable by gluing blocks of wood in the corners of the base (under the first floor). I've put corner trim on vertical outside corners of the house and glued horizontal pieces of trim on the outside walls to cover up the places where the tab/slots are. Another thing that helps is to put baseboard and cornice molding in the interior rooms making sure walls get glued to floors in the process. Good luck with your project.

Hello from a fellow Minnesotan! It's a very enjoyable hobby and this is a great place to get ideas.

My new word is window "cill" - I always thought it was window sill. Live and learn.

Perfectly normal.

I'd never heard of any of this before either, but then my parents didn't celebrate Christmas. Next year I'll try the "moving tableau" idea for my nativity scene. I put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving and take it down after New Year's Day.

I agree with what Deb said - dry fitting is more than seeing if the parts fit. It is very useful for figuring out how the parts of the kit are assembled and can stop mistakes like putting in floors or walls upside down or front side to the back. Anyway, I can't wait to get a dry fit together to see what size the rooms are and put in some furniture in and start thinking about decorations!

I am - used to look at it everyday, now not so much. I've gotten patterns for miniature carpets and lots of printies for various dollhouses items , like leaves and boxes. It is good for organizing ideas, but as you so rightly say, it can really take up your time.

I like the Chrysnbon kits a lot. You do have to use the model kit glue like Testor's (available at your local Walmart in the section where they sell boy's toys and plastic car models). I've used both paint and stain on them and it generally works quite well. They seem to me to be slightly smaller in scale than most dollhouse furniture and that can be very handy for some of the dollhouses with smaller rooms. They are usually quite detailed and have a lot of small pieces that you have to separate and do some sanding in spots.

I bought one - it's very useful when building furniture kits to keep corners nice and square. Am real glad I got it.