Kabrina Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 The same glue you would use for plastic models would work. Testor's glue This is the one that I've used in the past. You could probably find it cheaper elsewhere but this was the fastest way for me to show it to you. Carefull though it'll stick to everything! And works wonderfully if you want to glue your fingers together... or even if you don't...:whistle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Christine, have you considered building one of the Michael's puzzle houses? They're not quite 1/2" scale but they're *cheap* (especially with a 40% off coupon!) so they make good practice houses. I actually don't know if Michael's sold them this year, but in the past they've only stocked them in the spring/summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabrina Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Christine, I've also put together one of those Michael's puzzle houses. I bashed it, cutt off the extended parts of the tabs that stick out, changed the porch roof on mine and recut all the windows and doors for Houseworks and plastic components. I left the stairs out of mine but I'm wishing I had put some in, maybe circular? Oh well, it looks fine, maybe the stairs are on the side you can't see. LOL http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/uploads/gallery/album_4544/gallery_4501_4544_130194.jpghttp://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/uploads/gallery/album_4544/gallery_4501_4544_262952.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubbock TX Chick Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Hi Everyone, I have taken a bit of a hiatus, but I'm happy to be working on my Rosedale again! I was looking for the Bits & Kits website. I know I have spent hours drooling over it a few months back. Now that I might be ready to order, I can't find it. Is it still in existence, and if so, could someone point me in the right direction? Mini thanks! Jerri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Not sure, but is this what you are looking for? Laser Bits n' Kits by Cynthia Howe Good luck and welcome back to the greatest addiction in history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubbock TX Chick Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Not sure, but is this what you are looking for? Laser Bits n' Kits by Cynthia Howe Good luck and welcome back to the greatest addiction in history. Thanks Selkie, but I was thinking of the first entry in the list below. This post was on Page 2 of this thread. I remember this Bits-n-Kits having a much bigger selection than what I have found on Cynthia Howe's site (although she does have some beautiful things!) Here is my list of online retailers that have a more substantial selection of 1/24 scale items. I have never ordered from many of these, so can't vouch for their service, and they're not all inexpensive either. Several of them have amazing looking items that I'd love to order. I get lots of good ideas just from browsing. Hope you enjoy. bits-n-kits.com half-scale-miniatures.com www.dollhousecollectables.com www.dollhousedomain.com www.oakridgehobbies.com (Very good service, though the handling charge is a bit high) www.miniaturefloors.com grandmahollyshouse.com dollhouse-miniature-wallpaper.com (An amazing selection of wallpaper) www.petite-properties.com www.lightingbugltd.com www.minimumworld.com www.minishop.com www.mountainminiatures.com www.phoenixmodeldevelopments.com sdk.miniature.net small-scale-laser-kits.com www.thegoldenloon.com www.dollhouseroomdesigns.com small-scale-tudor-miniatures.com Oh well, guess I will just have to restart my shopping on some of these other sites. I better get the drool rag ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatColorado Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 I heard the lady that owned the site/store died and her family chose not to continue the business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubbock TX Chick Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Oh, so sad! Thanks for the info Kathryn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandelionFair Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Hiya Emily and Kabrina, I have to thank you both for your comment about the puzzle houses. I had been pouting for a couple weeks after my last failed attempt at finding a house I like. But I needed a break today from my job and on the way to the market stopped by my local Mom and Pop craft store (yes, there is one left in my area). They just happened to have a few of the puzzle type houses from Woodcraft. It was under $20 and I got the Gothic three story one (not the Fantasy Villa). I honestly thought it would be crap and another waste of money but have been just shocked - the wood, in my opinion, is much smoother with no warping than any of the other kits I have bought in the last year (laser cut or not). I am thrilled!!!! I have dry fit most of the pieces together and put my half scale dolls in the house and they look great in this environment - I could not be happier. The only problem is that all of the half scale furniture that I have collected in recent months is too big - but I don't care! I'll make my own! Am even thinking of buying the other one they had and bashing the two together to be something like a Fairfield - could be fun! Strange that they have both those "L" shaped tabs and the straight tabs. Don't really see the point of the "L" shaped ones and will cut them off... Anyway, thanks again for the recommendation - no way I would have taken a chance on it if you had not mentioned it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 That's great! Is it the house that looks like the Tennyson? I'm not sure if the Woodcraft houses are exactly the same as the Michael's houses (might be the same under different brand names) but either way, I think you made a good choice. What I really loved about building my puzzle house was that I had *no fear* about messing up because the investment was so small to begin with. And the wood was very smooth, not quite as nice as in the Greenleaf laser cut kits but a lot easier to deal with than the Fairfield's plywood. I posted about my progress while I was building my puzzle house, you can see the blog posts here, and here's a link to my gallery. The building process will be different, of course, but it shows how I modified the kit and which pieces I kept vs. which I upgraded, so maybe you'll get some ideas there. I have another few of these in my stash as well as one from Michael's that looks like the Tennyson... one of these days I'll get around to it. Right now I'm gradually furnishing the puzzle house, mostly with kit furniture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandelionFair Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Yes, it is the one that looks like the Tennyson. And thanks for the links to your marvelous blog and gallery - I am inspired! My little mouse dolls are totally thrilled that they will have a home!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandelionFair Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 OK - have been been pondering my puzzle house bash. The shop I bought the Gothic one from had one more just like it and I am considering buying that too and bashing the two together somehow. After thinking about it, doesn't seem to lend itself to being like the Fairfield and that is OK. I quickly put together the basic pieces of the one house I have just to see the size and layout - then fiddled with the photos in PhotoShop and thought this might be a very doable bash if I had two of the same house: Probably I would not have two doors facing front - one should be moved to the side house... Would also probably remove or move some of the room partitions so not quite so symmetrical and make a couple rooms bigger. What do you all think - am I in over my head for building my first house? A nice side feature would be a spare center section that I could make into a separate little house for my quarter scale dolls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandelionFair Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 OK, I am just obsessed with this question of how best to bash this house. Here is yet another possibility I was fiddling with in PhotoShop - maybe better cause not so symmetrical as the photos I posted last night: The front door should probably be there in the center, don't you think? Would just add another window there where the door is repeated on the right. Anyone have an opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Neat ideas! In either case, I would consider extending a flat roof across the top so you don't have two big peaks. That might make it look less like houses bashed together. Also it seems like the smaller section (the bay) should be taller, especially in the first option - more like the tower on a McKinley? But that might be harder to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 For years I've had unpainted resin fireplaces in the Fairfield. I painted them today, and thought other half-scalers might be curious how they came out since this seems to be a common fireplace... They were surprisingly easy to paint. I just sponged off the paint while it was still wet, using a paper towel, and it came out looking like stone. One the gray one I first did a coat of a light purple color, followed by a coat of gray. For the green I just did the one coat, followed by some touch-ups (which resulted in some areas coming out darker than others). I like how the off-white resin shows through a bit. I spread the gold paint on the embellishments with a toothpick. There are some more pics in my Fairfield gallery and on my blog. EDIT: Added a tutorial for the painting process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I've been thinking of painting mine!! I really like how the gold shows up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedrea Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 After 2 years of sitting on a shelf, the Fairfield told me it's a painted lady. It also told me it's a period house, so no modern furniture. And the picky little house told me that it wants to be done in a few months. Oh boy! I'm not at all happy with the fit of these pieces, everything is just really uneven and the dry fit is leaving me highly discouraged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 The Fairfield is a complicated house. My advice is to take your time with it, and don't get discouraged if it takes longer than a few months. :lol: I worked on mine off and on for six or seven years (and it's still not completely furnished). The end result was totally worth it, but there were long periods of time where it just sat around looking very pathetic! Is this your first half scale house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I did a bit of surgery to get both houses to fit properly when I did their dry fit, especially the second house, which I built inside out to be a mirror image of the first one (well, by the time I finished bashing them both they weren't really mirror images...), but I did finish them both in under a year and a half; but that was because they had been speaking to me for so long that things went together pretty well. It's my hobby and I do it to relax, so I don't impose deadlines on myself. When I was building and blogging Building Team pprojects I did tend to speed up to finish in a timely fashion, but even when I built one to sell I took my own sweet time to do it the way the customer wanted it. The other issue I ran into is that when I started making the dolls for it, and making them to correct 1:24 scale, I discovered all the furniture I'd gotten from HBS was 'way too small; DH measured it for me and we calculated that the furniture was closer to 1:32 scale; so I ended up making all the furniture! I had a couple of kits and the rest I scaled down the patterns from various dh furniture books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedrea Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 This is my first half-scale, yes. I've built quite a few in 1" scale and those didn't give me nearly the trouble that this little Fairfield has. I think my biggest issues are that the wood is so fragile, and even sealing it didn't help as much as I wanted, and the fit is just not as tight as I wish it was, so it's taking a lot more finessing than I've had to do on the full scale houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 The Fairfield was the house that taught me not to worry about an imperfect fit and cover up gaps and imperfections with trim. :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedrea Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Good point! I suppose that's why crown molding was made after all, isn't it? I made some progress yesterday after I took the stair sub assembly apart for the 3rd time and sanded the heck out of it. It looks up to par now, so it got glued back together. Today I'm dedicating to the entry floor, I want to get that put together before I glue everything else around it into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatColorado Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Wouldn't the Fairfield be a dream in birch? The Victorianna I have is made from birch and it's smooth, nothing like the luan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedrea Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I've never had the luxery of working in birch, but yes, I can imagine it would be lovely. Something's got to give to support my habit, so I typically can only afford the older die-cut kits, not the new fancy laser-cut kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManateeDream Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have a half scale miniature question: Would it fit GI Joe or 3.75" action figures? One of my toy friends said he has always wanted a dollhouse to put his action figures in and I thought the 1/2" scale would be pretty darn close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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