Jump to content

The Buttercup has (nearly) arrived!


Recommended Posts

On one of the sites that sells dollhouse kits, someone wrote that the Buttercup could be assembled in eight hours. That person was wildly optimistic, or stoned out of his/her mind when he/she wrote that!

Ahem. Yes. Back to my little world here... I have got the sides and floors out of their sheets and sanded. Maybe I'm slow, but for me, that was hours of work. :thumb: I kind of dry-fitted them together without setting it all the way up, and I decided that I'd better prime it before I try a real dry fit with tape. Otherwise, the tabs might gain a little weight or something and not fit into the slots like they're supposed to.

Unless, of course, anybody thinks I should do otherwise. I like to listen to people who have done things many more times than I have. :drool2:

I'm a little suspicious about the sturdiness (or lack thereof) of the floor. Do people usually do something to reinforce the floors of these tab and slot houses? Or set them on a base? Or... something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once it's all glued together the house is fairly sturdy, unless a large child is going to deliberately stomp it to splinters. To forestall that possibility if I'm building for a child and don't know the situation, I reinforce interior corners with 1/4" square stripwood glued & stapled to the interior orners. If I use the sanding drum on the Dremel I can build a bare Buttercup in eight hours, but because I can't build a Buttercup the same way twice, and like to decorate as I go with that one, it usually takes me a few days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plaid can be toned down with furniture and accessories (rugs, drapes, etc), you could put a sheet of it up there "dry" and set up your stuff with it to see if it's still too strident. I like a bit of plaid with oak panelling, especially for a den or library.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plaid can be toned down with furniture and accessories (rugs, drapes, etc), you could put a sheet of it up there "dry" and set up your stuff with it to see if it's still too strident. I like a bit of plaid with oak panelling, especially for a den or library.

Yikes! No, it's still too strident. I will exchange the paper for some other paper I saw there. It's a little dull, which is why I didn't get it in the first place, but I can brighten things up with fabric. I've got some cheerful plaid that will make good chair pads for the little kitchen chairs.

And my brother has taken my suggestion and is going to do some art magic on photos of our two cats, Zip-Zip and Squeak, so I can have "family portraits" on the wall! That'll be his Christmas gift to me, and I'm okay with that, as he's flat out broke, and I'd really rather have something like that, anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I got the other paper for the walls.

I think I'm procrastinating because I want to do it perfectly. No matter how many times I remind myself that it's okay to do things imperfectly, some corner of my brain screams out in anguish and fear every time I am not sure I can do a project beautifully. *sigh*

But I will calm down the anxious corner of the mind (maybe with chocolate) and proceed.

Onward... :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

*sigh*

This isn't going well at all. To be more correct, it just isn't getting built.

There are several things working against it. One is my general disorganization. I don't have a place to plant the house once I start building it. The house is a mess. I can't even get rid of the over-supply of paper/mail/etc. that keeps flowing in.

Another is that I've run into the dark side of perfectionism. I don't want a frumpy-looking house. I want a beautiful house. And I don't really have a lot of skills in the tiny department.

A third is that the depression monster is lurking around every corner, and I am mentally tired--too tired to tackle anything much, even enjoyable things.

Also, I don't have my craft storage situation even slightly under control.

Suggestions? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

*sigh*

This isn't going well at all. To be more correct, it just isn't getting built.

There are several things working against it. One is my general disorganization. I don't have a place to plant the house once I start building it. The house is a mess. I can't even get rid of the over-supply of paper/mail/etc. that keeps flowing in.

Another is that I've run into the dark side of perfectionism. I don't want a frumpy-looking house. I want a beautiful house. And I don't really have a lot of skills in the tiny department.

A third is that the depression monster is lurking around every corner, and I am mentally tired--too tired to tackle anything much, even enjoyable things.

Also, I don't have my craft storage situation even slightly under control.

Suggestions? :)

First of all, Kitty, is when you are trying to take care of a parent and have a life, the depression monster lurks around every corner. But, something like building a dollhouse can chase it away. It has been working well for me, at least.

My Aster is my first build. I have no idea what time frame is listed for the build and see that a few members here have finished it in days rather than months. I got the kit in December and progress has been slow - I am nowhere near done with it. It took a long time to get started after opening the box, and like you, I want to do it right so each step takes a long time. I figure the next build will go much more quickly because it won't be a brand new skill to learn.

Perfectionism does slow things down. I keep making experimental patches for color, wall treatment, special effects, etc. before committing them to my doll house. Then, when I look at some of the builds here, I feel like mine comes up short and still looks amateurish. But again, the more experience you get, the better you get .... so many people here are great resources for figuring out the details and are happy to share their experience.

My recommendation is take your time and enjoy the building journey.

I hope you make a gallery and post pictures of your progress.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I'd love to see pictures too! I'm thinking of picking up a half scale Buttercup to turn into a toy shop and have been looking high and low for pictures of what other people are doing with theirs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the depression monster trounces again... Mom's in the hospital. *sigh*

That kind of stuff I can't control. I guess I feel like if I could get control of even a spot to do crafts in--but I live in Mom's house, with my brother and Mom, and I can't just take over and build wherever I feel like. I need a place to store the house while I'm building it, because once I glue it together, I can't store it on top of my beanbag chair, which is where it is now, half-covered by a sweater.

I see I got moved to "questions about a particular house." I haven't really yet gotten around to building the particular house, but maybe my thread spent too long in the "first" area! :p

Some day I will get this house built. I did actually give up and order some furniture, instead of making it.

Though I still need to figure out how to make a cradle myself, because I don't think any of the baby cradles I've seen will fit three mini kittens, plus maybe a tiny stuffed bear or so. Rock-a-bye kittens... Sleep tight! Mew if you need me... :hug:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I moved the thread here because I thought more Buttercup builders (and former builders) would see it here and be able to offer advice and support as you build it. The First House forum doesn't get as much traffic as this one.

That being said, sometimes real life gets in the way, and you shouldn't feel bad about that! Whenever you're ready, the house will be there. :idea:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a pattern for a hooded cradle I could trace for you, and you could adjust the widths of the ends and rockers to accommodate three baby kittens. PM me if you're interested, with your snail mail, so I can send it when I've traced it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...