glen Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Seriously, what do you do with your houses? I’m not knocking multiple ownership. I’ve already got one underway, one in a box and an add-on-extension planed. But some of your houses are truly wonderful. You can’t just hide them away in a room somewhere. That would be a crime! Do you show them to friends (I do and I’m a bloke!) Take them to displays? Or are they just for your own satisfaction? ????????? My reasons are 1) For my daughter to PLAY with 2) Hopefully for my daughter to cherish and fill with better, more exotic furniture later. Perhaps even to hand on to her children. And 3) When I get time to work on it, it is a real stress reliever and pleasure. Cheers Glen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 what do you do with your houses? I play with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josi Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Glen, for me the joy comes in the building of the houses. And besides I don't have the room to keep all the houses I want to build. So I sell them, or at least the first three I have. I don't have children so I don't need to save them for heirlooms or keepsakes. And if I sell them, I make money to buy more and build more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggi Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Good question Glen. I've only completed one and it is still sitting on my dining room table for me and DGK to play with, I have a Cambridge which I desperately need to finish renovating on a table in a guest bedroom, and 3 kits to complete. In fact just this evening I told DH that we needed to visit a hotel/motel used furniture shop here in town and see what kind of tables/credenza/cabinets they may have that the width and length that will fit against a wall that will hold at least two of these houses. I want to display them and I want them available for the GK to play with when they visit. ( I am constantly playing around with where I want and what I want where in the house.) So the answer is "I'm working on it" LOL Peggi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 The fun for me is in the building so I have given some of my houses away to nice homes where they are loved and petted and played with gently. But I do have some I have kept for myself. I seem to be running out of useable space. I built my first house because I wanted a dollhouse. after the build was done I was hooked on building. my Hubby built me a shelf to hold 3 of the smaller houses with room for one more and my big house sits under it on my cedar chest. I need to build a playable house for the little kids because they all want to touch and I cant handle it the 2 houses I am working on now have new homes waiting for them. My daughter will have her own house and each of the boys have a house for them or their family but I will build a special one for my Grandaughter when she is ready. nutti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I pet mine. Actually, they're on display in the living room where I can see them and play with them. So far, there is a Pierce, an Orchid and the librarian's cottage (ie: haunted house) in there. I'm having a table built for the Pierce and the fourth-in-line-to-be-built Beacon Hill so they can be neighbors and I can landscape an english garden between them. The Orchid (witches house) will be soon be joined next door by the Glencroft (wizards house) that I'm going to be building as soon as I finish the Coventry Cottage I just started. The Coventry Cottage is being bashed into a japanese house (figured out tonight how to make sliding rice paper interior walls!) and it will live in our den where the real size japanese armor and weaponry are. After the Glencroft is built, I'm going to make an emerald fairy cottage out of an Aster and it will probably be incorporated into the display with the Glencroft and Orchid. I want to do a "shady lane" setting for them. You can see landscaping is a major goal here. ;) So far the Lily is the only one who is going to live somewhere else, but for now, it's in the guest room. This whole thing started when Bruce commented that if I had a mini house to decorate, I wouldn't be rearranging the living room furniture quite as often. He was right. I haven't rearranged the real house since I started building in September. When I get the urge to play furniture-go-round, I can do it with mini's now. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 The Coventry Cottage is being bashed into a japanese house I thought that when I saw the roof finials. I'll be interested to see how you thatch it. Once upon a time I saw a wonderful book at B&N on Japanese interiors. Running two parallel strips of wood along the floor & ceiling will accommodate the shoji screens. The movie "Ran" has some great multi-storied feudal Japanese palaces & estate houses in it. I used to have a link to a website with Japanese accessories, but I finally deleted it, the prices were 'way beyond anything I could afford when I was working! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I love the building process and I have so many ideas. Like I have built the primrose kit about 8 different times but each one was done differently (I made one of them 5" wider and then on my last one I made it about 3 1/2" taller upstairs). I don't keep them all but do have a vineyard cottage and then my McKinley is one I think I am gonna keep. But all of my others I have to sell if I want to build again. Hubby is fussing (Not really with his mouth but he looks at the counter and I know what he wants to say ) because I have a 1/2" scale castle, 1 roombox, 1 rik pierce house, 1 buttercup and one coventry cottage sitting on my island in the kitchen. My Lily is on the floor waiting to be built next after the coventry. Yeap, I am a builder more so than a collector of houses. BUT, I see myself becoming attached to certain houses recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Building the houses is part of playing with them for me, if I "see" the house in my "little neighborhood" I try to finagle room for it. I'll sell houses poeple ask me to build for them, or if people offer to buy one I'm not really closely attached to, and I'll give them away to a deserving child; I plan to offer some of them to the elementary schools I used to work in. But certain ones will stay & after I'm gone our kids with children can decide what to do with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenlaine Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Two of mine are on cabinets with turntables in my diningroom. One is sitting on the sewing machine in the diningroom and one is on display on the diningroom table. Needless to say, I no longer have a diningroom. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakyshaky Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Well, mine are sadly locked way in a room. They are in my bedroom at the moment and because of the kids and cats the only time they will ever come out will be when I get a craft/dollhouse room. ( that was supposed to happen when we bought this house but it just did not happen.) I am out of room and dh is not happy with the houses in there. He is redoing the closet so there should be more room and he thinks that will make more walking space. I just don't have the heart to tell him he is making more dollhouse space. I have been very good an only have houses that I love and have a plan for. I do want two more, a Somerset and a Willowcrest, but have not been able to get them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 GIVE THEM AWAY?!!! NEVER!!! Although I don't have as much room for my houses as I would like, I have plenty of places i could tuck one away.........eeewwww....my precious (she says as she stares at one of her houses and strokes it)..... I think we need a bigger house ;) Seriously tho, maybe in a few years. I sure would love to have a large basement with a family room just to display our stuff (houses and spaceship models) as well as a small workshop to build them.... I have had people ask me if I would consider building one for them...fact is, i feel like i don't have enough time as i would like to build one of my own, so I selfishly tell them no...i only build for myself. I'm a slow builder anyway and i would have to charge too much for my time and efforts....then i would be too attatched to want to let any go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hubby is just the same with me. When we moved here I was planning to take over the basement two rooms as my workshop and craft rooms. Afterall we extended the garage to house his workshop and he was going to take the loft over the bedroom as his den. oh no he decided he would take over one room as his den and the other as the exercise room (which rarely gets used)and I could have the loft. Well it is a beautiful space with wall to wall pale pink carpet (previous owner's choice) but I have tools and mess and it is totally isolated from the rest of the house. I did set up my office there with computer and all and before we retired we ran our business (He had customers there) out of the basement and I did the adm work out of the loft. Now I seldom go up there and have taken over our small spa room, covering up the spa with a removable tile floor but I still wish I had the basement. As for the finished houses, one will go in the living room on display, one is at the end of the hall next to the deck and all the others are in various stages on movable tables in my workshop. He really gets perturbed with me and all my mess. Oh well. live and learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymew Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Glen - My Beacon Hill sits on our dining room table. We have an L-shaped living/dining room so it is very viewable. I have landscaped three sides of the dollhouse, so it takes up the whole table. It works great, because I put the table up against the wall so that the electrical can plug in. I can also move things around inside the dollhouse without having to pull the table out. I'm currently renovating an Arrow dollhouse into a 1890 farmhouse. Ray had planned on putting it on top of a Maple tea trolley that we have in the living room. But, as I plan on landscaping on 3-sides once again, it might have to stay on a roll away table downstairs in our rumpus room. We still have to decide. When Ray retires early next year, he will be building the McKinley. As this is a wallhugger, I will hang it in the spare bedroom and landscape only the two sides. The grandkids are getting older (Shalean will be 8 next month, and her sister Renee will turn 6 in July. I'll be updating their room anyway, and they'll be old enough to play in one of my dollhouses without so much supervision. Susanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hydroped Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I really don't have a clue what I'm going to do with my houses. There are a few I know I want to keep for me. There are also a few that I know I don't want to keep and I"m hoping once I get them fixed up they'll find new homes and with a lot of luck and guidance from everyone here maybe I can do a good enough job that they'll be appreciated and loved in their new homes. I've always had a problem about picking up things that are in dire need of repair. There's just something about a discarded item that's repairable or that can even be canablized to start a new life as something useful that I cannot seem to pass up. It just seems like such a shame to watch something being discarded that just needs a little love to have a whole new life - so that's my achilles heel. If it can be fixed I just about have to have it. But as I'm still in the learning stages (very much a beginner still) I have a lot to learn and so far.. quite a few houses to learn on - and now that I've gotten over the initial fear of such things as paperclay and wiring maybe I can learn how to do them a bit better and move on to the next big steps of house repair. So for now they're located in my bedroom, my office, the living room, the kitchen, the garage and the attic.. each waiting their turn for attention. -David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nameless1 Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Seriously, what do you do with your houses? Wish they took less space to store, mostly. We're hanging shelving for the larger ones this weekend. Mine have their own little stories online, all badly in need of updating (and dusting). In theory, I sometimes wish I could stand to get rid of a few, but then when I think about working on them, I don't want to get rid of any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Some I keep, some I don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 My Beacon Hill sits on our dining room table. Susanne I'm such an idiot. Couldn't see why you went off topic and had a picture of kids playing scrabble in your album until I opened the picture. I'm and idiot. Your Beacon hill is ........................... (no word for it.) wow. Cheers Glen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 Two of mine are on cabinets with turntables in my diningroom. Wendy Neat idea. Often wondered how you got at the back of your houses. That's why mine..ahem..babies is front and end opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaimieMarvon Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I am currently building the Garfield. It is my first dollhouse as an adult. My father had built me one when I was about 12 from a plan, made of MDF. I never really did anything with it. I had some furniture in it and some "wallpaper" taped to the walls. Once I graduated HS and left the house I had no where for it so it sat in their attic for about 15 years until the deciede to move to Florida two years ago. But when my parents cleaned out their house and the dollhouse came out of the attic I got the bug again. I painted it all white and made it look brand new. I started looking online and all the houses and found my fav type of house that I will probably never afford to own. When I found it on overstock.com for half the price anywhere else I grabbed it. Took 6 months to start the building. I jumped in with both feet, bought furniture, building materials, dolls, etc. for both houses. The Garfield house it together, but not painted, the roof is just getting painted the inside.... The first house is sitting in my guest room on a desk. Mostly furnished, but not wallpapered or electrfied. I'm slowing down a bit. Spring is coming and garage sale season will be starting again soon. Lot of treaures to find for hte dollhouse awaite me! I'm constantly online looking for inspiration of things I can make to go in it. I like all kinds of crafts, beading scrapbooking, cross stitch, sewing. All of which can be useful in the dollhouse game! I love being crafty and I love minis so I think this is an eternal craft project! I don't plan on having any more. The two I have are enough to keep me busy! (plus I work full time and have a 3 1/2 yr old!) Its also a teaching tool. I've already learned so much, (alot from this group!) about tools, glues, sandpaper, lighting, etc. My two dollhouses are my eternal craft project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Well Glen, I never properly answered your question, and so I will: The Wildwood Stable sits atop our entertainment center in the livingroom. Oh come on now! EVERYBODY has a barn on top of their entertainment center, don't they? The Van Buren and it's Gazebo sits on a dresser in my office here. The Victorian Townhouse and the Tennyson sit side by side on the dresser in our bedroom. The Haunted House is on a small chest of drawers in our bedroom, but I think eventually it's supposed to go to Jimmy's niece. The Mill House doesn't yet have a place in the house, and it's not completely finished. The Winters Mansion (1/4) scale is sitting on top of the Van Buren, waiting to go to the other house. The mountain cabin (Madison) is currently sitting on top the bookcase headboard in the guest room of the other house. The carriage that I built is near it. The Shadybrook Cabin sits in the guest room of the other house, waiting to be finished to be given to my middle sister. The Lily and the McKinley are still being built. The McKinley will be given to a friend of my son's, don't know about the Lily yet. There are some village houses on top of the cabinets in the other house. More to be made to go up there. The Westville is on top of the chest of drawers in the master bedroom of the other house. The Emerson Row (for me, not for Anna) is in the little girl's room at the other house, along with my daugher's Orchid. The Worthington is on a gateleg table behind the chairs in the livingroom in the other house. The Pierce is on the wicker settee in the guest room at the other house, waiting to be finished. I gave the Columbian to my mother. I gave the Newburg to Jimmy's aunt, the Arthur to Jimmy's other aunt. The Buttercup to my mother in law. The Magnolia to my niece. The Glencroft was given to my step son's mother. More to build, most that I will keep, but not quite sure which ones. I know I will keep the Willowcrest, the Beaumont, the Duracraft Victorian Mansion, and some others. Some we will build and give to grandchildren when we have them. And I show them to everyone who walks through the door, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I don't plan on having any more. The two I have are enough to keep me busy! (plus I work full time and have a 3 1/2 yr old!) Uh-huh, right. Jaimie, you are very young... My little nighborhood is going up in the livingroom so far, the Cambridge sits on its base on one of the end tables next to the futon and the Glencroft sits on its own little table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaimieMarvon Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Uh-huh, right. Jaimie, you are very young...Well I guess if 35 is "young", then yes I am! But not really all that young... Plus I really want to take my time with these. I like the building process, but I'm more into the crafty things I can make for the house and really want to decorate. Someday (when we move in to a new house!) I do hope to have the two houses side-by-side with a yard in between them. I already have a bunch of stuff for landscaping too! The house my father built will be the grandparents house. I already have the dolls and the house is just about completely furnished (all mahogany!!). The only thing I need is the kitchen, and to make Grandma's craft room in the attic and Grandpa's game room, with poll table dart borad etc. The house is not decorated, painted, wallpapered, etc. and probably won't be for a while. There are pics of it empty on my dotPhoto site. I'll have to get some new ones with furniture in th house! http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=marvonj&AID=3284704 Besides, My husband wouln't stand for dollhouses all over the house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymew Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Well Glen, I never properly answered your question, and so I will: The Wildwood Stable sits atop our entertainment center in the livingroom. Oh come on now! EVERYBODY has a barn on top of their entertainment center, don't they? Sure we do Linda ... uh huh .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.