elvisettey Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Hi everyone, Glad to have found this forum! I'm new to dollhouse kits and will probably be posting panicky "what did I do wrong???" posts any day now. When I was younger, I used to build dollhouses (or houses for trolls, or minature cats-- pretty much anything that seemed "homeless" and gave me an excuse to build) out of whatever materials I found lying around the house. I'd also make detailed mini furniture pieces, magazines, etc., mainly because I am obsessed with detail on all things small. However, I'm new to kits-- and thus new to "rules" about how to build things. Also, rulers and I have never gotten along very well, so I foresee crooked walls and jutting-out pieces in the near future. (I hope I'm not posting too much detail here-- not sure how much to say ) Recently, I restored, as best I could, my childhood dollhouse (1/2 scale). Then I found a shell of the same dollhouse (all the walls, stairs, etc. were gone) and am almost done redoing it: added walls (different layout than original house), added stairs (from Houseworks staircase kit), wallpapered, put in new floors, primed the outside and gave it a new paint job, changed the roof, etc. I'm excited because it doesn't even look like my own original! I like 1/2 scale and think I'll stick with it (*any* tips for where to find 1/2 scale stuff would be appreciated). I have a 1/2 scale Greenleaf Fairfield dollhouse and a Real Good Toys lighthouse keeper's cottage kit at the moment. I thought I'd start with the small kit and work my way up from there. So, that's my too-long intro. Glad to be here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbugkc Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Welcome, elvisettey! Glad you found this board! It must be so much fun getting to redo your childhood dolhouse. I don't have a clue what happened to mine. I've never done 1/2 scale but I love to look at them. They are so tiny and cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Welcome, Elvisette, There's Derek Rowbottom's Making Dolls' Houses in 1/24" Scale , and Kari Berkner has a wonderful selection of half-scale furniture at Earth & Tree, www.dollhouse-miniatures.com . Her husband, Tom, also makes dh kits in 1/24" scale. The directions that come with kits are NOT "rules", they are a suggested way to assemble the kit so it looks sort of like the pretty picture on the box-front. Once I've put a kit together the first time, I find I've still done something different from the directions, and the "kit instructions" police haven't arrested me yet... (I'm not paranoid, "they" ARE out to get me! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Welcome Elvisettey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 hmmmmm and your photos are where? B) I love half scale! when I decided to build my first house 2 yrs ago I built a 1/2scale Victorianna by Greenleaf. it took me 3 weeks.....I have learned alot since than. like the fact that there are different scales :o someday I am going to revamp my first house and make it look as it should. welcome to the forum! nutti B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nameless1 Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Hi elvisetty! I supposedly prefer half-scale (so why do I keep building these larger houses?) and keep a list of smaller-scale (half, quarter, micro) sources at http://wendefeller.com/smallersf/resources.html Oh -- I keep building larger houses because it's so much easier to get a variety of furniture and accessories. So much for ideological purity. Anyway, there's always the Fairfield, but get a NEW kit, not a 20-year-old one. The new Fairfields from the retooled dies are reputedly much easier to work with, plus the wood has not sat in someone's attic for 20 years. Real Good Toys has been going to town on issuing half-scale houses, but they have annoyingly small rooms with walls that are designed to be difficult to move. I've had two half-scale Vermont Farmhouse Jr. kits for about a year now -- haven't assembled the one I've painted and haven't even opened the other. The RGT kits I've built have gone together very easily -- it's just that they really don't like leaving room for the owner's customization. I once had a dream (really!) that Greenleaf issued all of its models in half-scale, too. (Hint, hint!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 I once had a dream (really!) that Greenleaf issued all of its models in half-scale, too. (Hint, hint!) Oh yes!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Welcome to the Forum!! i am so happy to see that you were able to post!! When I left Friday I was hoping I had fixed your problem you were having! Can't wait to see your houses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllThingsMini Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Welcome Welcome! I'm just now venturing into half scale. I've started a custom half scale Victorian from some plans I bought. It's not very far along yet so haven't taken pictures. I keep getting distracted from it by other full scale projects. When do we get to see pictures? B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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