HalfScaleDollhouseLOVER

Thank you, Holly! Will the test with the Creamy-yellow tell me if I will need to use Primer? I was also thinking that I could sand it off, somewhat. Maybe?

Here is the front: The tan shingles & the exterior of the roof: The interior: The inside foyer with broken and various pieces:

Colleen, thank you so much! Yesterday when I wasn't certain that I could go over to pick it up I was pacing back and forth from both stress and excitement. Now I'm calm knowing that it is going to come home with me and live here to be my new Dream Dollhouse. I've got such plans for this dollhouse, but I know exactly how I want to begin: (stripping it down and redoing some of the details first) and I'm both calm and a tiny bit antsy. This is the type of dollhouse that deserves to look it's Best and I cannot wait to make that happen! I can already tell what the Original Owners were trying to do but didn't quite know how and that is a good place for me to start the refurbishment. I think. As soon as I can get the rough bits off it won't look so Ugly Duckling, but as soon as I get it redone on the exterior and interior as far as stripping it down I think the Beautiful Swan will begin to show through the mess that it currently is. Heidi, thank you, it is such a wonderful feeling, isn't it? I never knew what it was like before on the outside of things but it is a good feeling to take something so in need of help and redo it. Plus the ability to locate a dollhouse not only already built but to be able to get it for such an amazing price: I'm pinching myself. I cannot believe it is true! Just think of me as on: Nell Marie, thank you! I'm just so excited to begin that I am not quite certain what exactly I want to do first but I think I know that those poor shingles have to come off right away. (Ugh!) Thankfully, I believe they may have been put on with a hot glue gun and with a hair dryer they should slide off with a blunt tool. Valerie, thank you so much! You are so kind to think of My Ugly Duckling and I. I might modify those areas with a true spiral staircase that is hand carved, but I'm not entirely certain about the size of the Grand Foyer, yet. Once I get my hands in there it should tell me more, but I do want to get it looking beautiful. Artisans: I've got a GORGEOUS 1:24 scale Tea Cart and it is just breathtaking! Those are the types of furnishings that I want in this house, for certain. (I'll never go back to anything else.) Not after seeing how grand they truly are. Susie, I feel I'm going to have such an an amazing time with this dollhouse. It's going to be such a wonderful journey redoing this dollhouse. Jackie, it's so exciting! This style of dollhouse is what I have been dreaming over for years: My gorgeous Swan. Deborah, thank you. This diamond in the rough is the very start I wanted but didn't realize that I hadn't had. Forum Members talk aout it all the time- A dollhouse speaking to you, but I didn't really hear it until now. Jenn, thank you it is such a bargain! Those shingles I hope will be the first thing to go. The Conservatory I think I have an answer to: I have a cream-like yellow that is very soft that is house paint. It's going to go up so much easier, but I do need some advice on a link for Paint. Do I use Primer? What size should I get? I intend to use (People) Sample Size - 8oz. jars for the body, but should I buy a gallon of Primer? What is the best? I would LOVE a link, if you or another could help.

Thank you, I absolutely adore it too! I think I'm partially In Shock with this Dollhouse find but very keen to begin. I've quite honestly been planning this house out in my head for years now, but since I thought it was just a Dream to even be able to buy the kit I think that it will actually be easier to redo than any of my other Projects.

Next week I'm hoping my Big (Someday Soonish) Beauty will be home, and into my Craft Room ready for me to begin. First it will be sanding down that blue paint, taking a good primer to recover it or possibly a nice textured spray paint with the trim tapped off with some nice blue painting tape to protect the areas that I want to (for now) keep white. Then those shingles need to come off. Human sized carpeting is the next to go. Then some sanding that yellow Conservatory. A whitewash to help, and later tall wainscotting. Choosing between dusky lavender and a dusky rose pink for the main house exterior, and then planning which room is what for the interior. I'm going to need to contact Real Good Toys for the missing left front-opening door, as well as both staircases, the exterior trim pieces, and also the windows as well as doors. Decorating will be half the fun! I cannot wait to begin!

Thank you. It's the Foxhall Manor addition. I absolutely LOVE the original one here!

It's so terribly ugly at this point but I've wanted this dollhouse for years, just figured it was way out of My Budget, considering the finishing and decorating costs of such a large dollhouse and have it all planned out in my head.

Thank you! I'm sort of in shock at the moment that I'm getting this dollhouse. I've LOVED miniatures since I was a child, but never had anything other than a Lundby (with horse stall and lower living room). It never had any electric lights, but I'm already thinking about grand chandeliers for this house! These are the Before pictures:

While searching for dollhouse kits locally (which includes my entire state! Woah!) I found somebody selling this already built but (a little) damaged Foxhall Manor by Real Good Toys. The shingles are broken, but terrible so they are coming off. The conservatory was painted a bright yellow so I'm going to both tone It down with some white paint, and place a very high wainscotting trim on the room. On the room It looks like spilled white paint (or maybe? glue). There are broken stairs, rails in the Grand Hall. It looks like real sized carpet was used. All I can see however is The Potential: I've got this hand crafted doll by an I.G.M.A. Artist named Eliza and this is going to be her home. I'm thinking of painting the roof black and later shingling it. The house either a dusky lavender or a dusky rose pink. Black trim. Dark grey and deep cream for accent colors. Only Artisan pieces and furniture inside this home! I cannot wait to start collecting, but I first must finish some Layaways in 1:24 scale. Already an Artisan member here has offered me a stunning rug that will have the pride of place in one of the rooms. It's going to take years, but it will be beautiful when it's finished. It needs Help and LOVE! But it is only: $40! I'm stunned. Going to hopefully pick it up next week. My friend is going to be taking me over to get it. I know that it is HUGE (it comes with the Conservatory and the two-story addition, but the staircases are missing, plus the (looking at the front) left side front-opening door. I've measured my desk: it fits! But only a foot more in length is available to work. I'm cleaning up my Craft Room this week and getting ready to bring my find home hopefully next week. I'm so THRILLED! There are Members that find these incredible Dollhouses for incredible prices, but I NEVER dreamed that I could ever be one.

Thank you so much! I'm excited to start, but not as nervous. I did find a full scale dollhouse that I want to ask the members about though that I'm THRILLED to have found.

I'm not certain which method (sewing or gluing) I'm going to choose, but I like the idea of both like you, Wycked! That way the clothing will deal and lay right because of the hours pieces, but also be realistic where it needs to be from the sewing. Dana Burton? I shall find her and see about learning from her. Thank you. I'm fact I want to thank everybody! I don't know where I would be without the people on this forum.

Oh, THANK YOU! I'm so relieved! It tends to bring out the roughness of the wood if sanded with sandpaper is what I've been reading. It does not have milled-in siding. Is that a positive in this case? I'm hoping that I just got rid of the rough bits and can now prime, and then take sand paper to the kit after the primer. Thank you Mid-life! I'm going to get a good primer, but I was unsure which one to go with. Thank you, Ken about the thin coats. I was wanting to go slow with the paint job on the kit to make everything ready for wallpaper, siding, wainscotting and shingles. I've been reading if a person sands with sandpaper before doing any type of pre-coat painting that it can raise the roughness in the grain and make it near impossible to get it smooth again. But people have also been telling me here that by using the brown paper bag instead that this won't happen. It's my first real dollhouse and I'm so nervous! It's just such an adorable kit and half scale isn't as easy to locate items for so I'm Collecting some nice pieces very slowly that I want to go in a lovely home. I just don't want to mess it up! *Sheepish*

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Hello, I've been reading that a person should not sand before painting with at least a primer. But my half scale RGT Front-opening Country Victorian arrived so rough and I was getting splinters from handling it. Besides I heard that Brown paper can be used to sand a dollhouse and my kit arrived covered in the stuff. I thought it would be the best to kill two birds with one stone and I used the brown paper to sand it down. Some pieces are still a little tougher than I would have liked, but I just saw the recommendation that a person not sand until after painting a first coat. Did I ruin my kit? So concerned! Thank you!