discouraged newbie

[klaflamm]

Well, my excitement about my Harrison was short lived. After it was together in it's dry fit I went to Lowes and bought what I would need to get started (sandpaper, primer, clamps, wood glue, etc) Once I got home with my "bag 'o tools" I began to carfully disassemble my house; separating and labeling everything so that I would know what is what. My goal was to score lines in the first floor to stain so that it would resemble hardwood. Well, that was a disaster. I measured the lines with a ruler and pencil and then went to work with my exacto knife. Apprantly I'm incapable of scoring a straight line. Needless to say, most likely there won't be hardwood flooring on the fist floor. Guess I'll have to put something different on the floors. After that I sat back and looked at the mess I'd made on the kitchen table and was almost brought to tears. I feel quite overwhelmed with the Harrison and I really think I should've started with something smaller but can't afford to put this one away and pruchase another. Did any of you feel this way when you first started? I thought I knew exactly what I was doing but now I have NO idea. Any encouragement/tips would be greatly appreciated.

[jujurodgers]

ah! I am sorry! overwhelmed is not always a good place to be!!! Maybe just know that plans do not always work out? that there is something very creative about the process and your plans will change as you go along...new ideas will pop up and you may like them better than your original ideas? take your time (i personally am really bad at that one! LOL)....do you have a good friend who may enjoy helping you? if nothing else, just START and things will not feel as bad? Good luck...wish i could help more!

[Minis On The Edge]

Also, it may not look as bad as you think. Sometimes we are overly critical of our own work. It may even look better once it's stained and then you may realize the Uhhh Ohhs are in areas where furniture or rugs can cover it. I have done that myself and then decided to flip the floor over and I built my house "Mirror styled" as I call it. If you turn your floor upside down, you build your house in a mirror image of itself. That then means your good side of wood is facing the insides (which does not matter if you are gonna stucco or use brick or stone paper to the outsides).

Remember, there is no problem that can't be fixed in miniature!

[-defunct account-]

Oh goodness, we've all been there. Walk away from it for a little bit and what to do about the floors will come to you when you're less irritated. For now, work on another piece that you're excited about and come back to the floor later.

There are alot of budget friendly options :lol: Skinny sticks is my favorite for hardwood floors, you can get a whole bag (usually enough for a room or more) at most any craft store. Then make yourself a paper template of the room's floor. All you need after that is glue, sandpaper, something to cut the lengths and lot of patience! (and maybe a dab of wood filer)

Skinny stick floor example

By the way, scoring a straigh line with an exacto knife can be rough. Even with a nice metal ruler to help guide your blade, there's still lots of opportunity for movement. *hugs you*. My only advice there is to apply lighter pressure and go over the spot a few times. Seems when I was trying for one shot, I gouged and slipped up.

You've certainly not ruined your project and just think of it this way: you've learned and the next time will be that much easier.

[klaflamm]

Well, your comments have made me feel a little better about the whole thing. I'm at work now so maybe this time away will be enough to make me excited once I return home and see my disassembled house on the table. I do admit that I'm a perfectionist which is usually to my detriment. I'm going to try and remember that this is my very first build and everything may NOT turn out to be perfect. As for someone to help me with the house, the rest of my family think's I'm crazy for starting a new hobby (I also work in stained and fused glass) and yes, I need another hobby like I need a hole in my head. To top top that off, I'm the only female in my house so everyone's question is always "You don't even have a little girl to play with the dollhouse!" Of course I am going to be that "little girl"; as I've always wanted a dollhouse since I was young. I would love to find someone nearby that could be a part of this adventure with me but oh well, I will pursue it myself (of course with the assistance of all of you)! Thanks again!

[jujurodgers]

LOL i was wondering "is she a perfectionist" because that will make it harder on you I think LOL. I am NOT a perfectionist at all! And like MInis said...miniatures are very easy to fix in terms of making any mistake and covering it, using it as part of the charm of a house...yep relax and have fun

[Minis On The Edge]

:lol:

As for someone to help me with the house, the rest of my family think's I'm crazy for starting a new hobby

Ohh, I used to get those comments and now they all tell other people "this is my sister who builds dollhouses" or "This is my daughter who builds dollhouses" & "This is my wife who builds dollhouses". Don't ever let anyone change who you are and what you like to do. Everyone who knows you love you because of who you are not who they want you to be. Build those dollhouses and be proud to do it. We even have a topic here http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/i...mp;#entry410618 about comments we get from people who don't "understand" the hobby Your house will look Fabulous! I want to build a Harrison myself. I have an idea in my head on how I want to bash (edit) that one so I can not wait to see pictures of yours.

I Love the idea of skinny sticks too. They are so inexpensive and such an easy fix if you want the Perfect floors. I LOVE how many peoples floors has turned out using them!

[jujurodgers]

i just bought some skinny sticks to use in some carts...i used popsicle sticks for flooring before...i think they are thinner and rougher maybe than the skinny sticks?

[Gayle]

Please don't be discouraged, we've all been there and could probably write a couple of books on the mistakes we've made.

Since you used an exacto knife to score the lines, you may not be able to notice them once the floor is stained. Havanaholly uses a box cutter type knife (the one with the retractable blade) to mark her lines. She uses the back side of the blade and a cork backed steel ruler. I've noticed that even with the wider blade the lines are still a little hard to see. Lately, I've marked the lines and used a wood burning tool (along with the steel ruler) to make my boards. Looks great and the edges of each "board" are a little more defined.

Take your time, it isn't a race to finish and have fun with the house. As for the "little girl", well you're finally letting her out to play.

[Minis On The Edge]

Also, instead of using a knife to score the lines, use a black ballpoint pen. Use a ruler to score in the lines and it really comes out nice and look very real after you stain the floors.

[Brezavaqt]

When you feel discouraged, take a break from the house. Go online (preferably HERE) and look at the eye-candy and think about the possibilities that your house will become! Trust me, you are your worst critic. I remember my first dollhouse, my boyfriend laughed and BEGGED me to trash it! Now, he looks at it and shakes his head because he says he can't believe it's the SAME dollhouse! :lol:

If you feel the floors don't look that great, you could always buy hardwood flooring and put it down. I'm not that talented yet-to be able to score my own floor. So, I buy my hard wood flooring and then I stain it, etc. to make it look pretty! No one knows that I didn't do it! (We all have little secrets about our house(s)!!)

Trust me, you will figure out a way to make that dollhouse gorgeous and it will come out just like that: GORGEOUS. So, dust yourself off, pick your tools back up, and get to work!! (You should also think about how you could use the scores you've already made in the floor to make it into a unique design for YOUR dollhouse floor.)

[klaflamm]

Okay! I think I'm ready to tackle my house again!! I've been encouraged by your responses and I've also spent some time (well, actually all my time since it's a slow day at work) looking at the gallery photos and reading more posts about different things. I'm excited again and can't wait to get home, turn some music on, and get this thing started!!! I love this forum by the way and am so thankful for it!!

[Sherr]

Oh, I am so glad you are not discouraged. It's amazing how much things start to shape up when you get a little further along.

I am a bit of a perfectionist too and straight lines and symmetry are the hardest things to do for me!!!!

Have fun. BTW where in Nc are you. I am in Wilmington.

[LLyn M.]

I'm thinking that if you just sand the floor much of the "lines" will dissappear anyway! And I too love this

site because there is always someone to bolster your ego and soothe hysterics.Ha! Go slow,have fun,

and send pictures!We love to look!!!

[klaflamm]

Sherr: I'm on the opposite side of the state; in the mountains. A little town called Franklin.

[AmyD]

I always feel overwhelmed. But just keep going, and yes mistakes are made and can be easily fixed. Just keep asking the experts from here. Everyone is so great with helping each other out. I have wood flooring in my house. In one room, and this was done when my husband redid the house before we met, he put down pine planks, and over time, the wood kind of shunk, and there are parts that don't quite fit snug together. It gives the room a very rustic look to it. Don't try to get too discourage, things work out in the end.

[Sherry]

Put a sign over your house that says "if everything turns out perfect the first time, where's the challenge?' If you like, I will show you some of my major screw-ups, also. lol! Or the thumb I tried to trim with an exacto knife when I was making probably the umpteenth floor I have done. My floor actually has a bloodstain on it, under the actual stain!

Your first house won't be perfect and if you expect it to be, you're in for a disappointment. Your first house, and your last house, will be learning experiences. Cherish each one of them for their imperfections as well as their triumphs, just as you do the people you love.

THEN cover up the mistakes with a houseplant and have fun! :lol:

[Selkie]

If you could see all the bazillion "happy accidents" I've had along the way, you wouldn't be discouraged any longer. I'm the queen of stupid mistakes.

I even snapped the wood of the entire top floor front piece right off my Garfield !!! Talk about tears - I flooded the entire North America when I did that one - until some kind person here at GL rescued me with new ideas to fix it.

I've put walls in backwards, upside down, put pieces from the wrong kit into the wrong house, slopped glue and paint and stain where it didn't belong, bled over every single house and project --- and on and on. (this is not to mention the 500 other hobbies and crafts that I do besides miniatures that have just as many disasters!! I'm not known as "an accident waiting to happen" for nothing :lol: )

I'm one of those perfectionists in my head but not in my hands, that is having to learn that houses have a mind of their own and if you try to decorate or build it in a fashion they don't like, you will have nothing but troubles. It pays to submit to your house's plans for itself.

Your Harrison probably doesn't want that kind of floor and that's why it didn't work.

Seriously, these houses are very opinionated and yours will keep yakking at you the entire time.

Good luck and check in here often. There are supremely talented wise artists here, who are more than willing to share their expertise.

[mrsbonjovi]

Wow! I feel the same way sometimes, but then I go on the forum and I get all these ideas going in my head and I'm right back at it. I have a problem with setting deadlines for myself and then when it doesn't work out... well, you can just imagine! I luckily have a very encoraging husband who is very supportive and can't wait to see each thing that I do. My children are amazed that I can build a house that is so real and they know that it's mommy's "toy". Ha Ha! I hope things work out and I lok forward to seeing your house.

[AmyD]

Selkie, said it best. "I'm one of those perfectionists in my head but not in my hands", nothing of mine ever comes out as good in RL as it does in my head. And I've glued walls on backwards, upside down. This is suppose to be something that makes you happy, so just enjoy it and all the little mistakes will work themselves out in the end.

[Jo Med]

Awww Gale, I'm so sorry you are in the "major mess up" slump - as everyone else has said we all go there from time to time, some of us more frequently than others (speaks from experience here) I was so far down that depression one night I was ready to toss the entire house into the garden pond - it was very late and I was in my nightie and slippers and if I could have lifted the flipping thing I would have tossed as far as I could - creates a very funny image looking back but at the time I was apoplectic.

As someone else said, everything can be rectified, you haven't ruined your house at all. Take a trawl through the galleries and I will bet a pound to a penny that all of the fabulous creations are hiding some sort of boo boo - I'm sure no-one on here will claim to have a perfectly built house.

So take a deep breath, sit back and look at this as a learning experience.

PS My major mess up was putting all the siding on my house (2 walls) and only gluing the top of each siding strip. When I painted it every single strip curled up off the wall and looked like I had open louvres all over the walls (the shaming pics are in my gallery). I have made lots of other mistakes but this was one that nearly tipped me over the edge. After a couple of days and lots of sympathy and good advice from the dear folks on here, I was sane enough again to strip all the siding off the house and start again. This time I did it right.

A floor can easily be covered up - chin up and a big hug from me.

[Alamom]

I use a pencil when I do my floors, I press the tip into the wood, also a pen could work. Alot of little mistakes will disappear when you stain. Also, you could try sanding little mistakes before staining. Don't get discouraged, everything can be worked out. :lol:

[amyole]

Like the others, I have had mega screw-ups, too. :lol: Try not to get discouraged. The great thing about this hobby is having the freedom to experiment a little & you learn so much from trying new techniques (it's all trial & error for me). I think it is amazing to try something, not like it (or mess it up), and eventually find a way to fix it to your liking.

Hang in there.

Amy in NH

[pin1056]

yes yes what they all said

take your time...its not a race...the house WILL speak to you and you MUST obey

I usually use printed out paper floors...they look fabulous and real...i've done the skinny sticks too...like them for a more old/rustic feel

above all dont panic :pullup: and as someone said...stick a rug or pot plant on the mistakes...i have lots of rugs in my houses :lol:

[rbytsdy]

Take a trawl through the galleries and I will bet a pound to a penny that all of the fabulous creations are hiding some sort of boo boo - I'm sure no-one on here will claim to have a perfectly built house.

That's me to a T! (Not claiming to have a perfectly built house, that is.) Working on the Westville these days-- some days you'd never know this is my 9th build. Don't get me started on all the booboos in the Westville so far-- maybe I'm just extra tired these days. :lol: But-- the trick is, how to fix them! Often that's the most satisfying self-back-patting part!