Merry Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 My house, which is large, is mostly finished but lacking the small accessories to make it a home. It seems to me, the cost of the little things can really add up ($$$$$!). How do you get all the accessories (to scale) without owning your own dollhouse shop? Enquiring minds want to know! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yes, they sure do add up quickly in terms of cost when you buy them! I've collected bits over many years which tend to move around different houses, but have also made some things. Books and magazines are relatively easy to make, likewise piles of clothes/towels. Perfume bottles are also nice and easy to make with jewellery bits. Kitchen things like boxes of food are made from printies in my houses. What accessories do you need? If you could make a list it might be easier to say how we've made them cheaper than buying them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yes, they sure do add up quickly in terms of cost when you buy them! I've collected bits over many years which tend to move around different houses, but have also made some things. Books and magazines are relatively easy to make, likewise piles of clothes/towels. Perfume bottles are also nice and easy to make with jewellery bits. Kitchen things like boxes of food are made from printies in my houses. What accessories do you need? If you could make a list it might be easier to say how we've made them cheaper than buying them. I mostly need decorative pieces for the living room and hallways. Little porcelain pieces, mostly....plants, flowers, I would go on and on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angieaug Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I've also been collecting for years, so the little odds and ends that I've picked up here and there just add up. Like Muriel said, making accessories isn't hard at all. You can use things like beads, charms, buttons, and jewelry findings for knick-knacks and shelf items. For plants, you can buy cheap plastic floral arrangements and cut them to size, then stick them in pots made out of toothpaste caps or something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 For plants, you can buy cheap plastic floral arrangements and cut them to size, then stick them in pots made out of toothpaste caps or something similar. Excellent idea! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rybakj52 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 In my house I have a theme that makes it looked lived in; in every room of the house there are books because in RL I leave books everywhere. Books on the kitchen counter, books on the couch, books on top of the dryer, books on the porch, books on the edge of the bathtub, books forgotten everywhere! They're really easy to make yourself too! My little sister did the same thing in her house just with shoes and clothing, but she didn't make them, she just accumulated them over time. Try to create a personality of what you think the people living there would do. I personally never have time to buy fresh flowers, but I am always cooking so my dollhouse always has cookies or a veggie platter on the counter, a pie on the windowsill, or something cooking on the stove. These are relatively easy to make out of clay. BTW Michael's has clay on sale this week 4 for $5 if you wanna try to make a little something. As for the hallways, its really easy to look up paintings on the internet and just scale them down. Make frames from stripwood. Also, I love mirrors. They're really useful to reflect minis that you have in the corner. In my parent's house we have a mirror in every room except the kitchen so my mini house has a lot of mirrors too. I pop them out of makeup compacts. If you go to the dollar store they have make up compacts with mirrors in different sizes like squares and rectangles so I tend to use those since my covergirl compact mirror is a circle. You can make frames for these using leftover molding from your build or just pick some up when you get a coupon from the craft store. And just keep your eyes open as you go about our day to see if you can use anything. For example, I picked up some necklaces at on clearance and used the pendants to make wall decorations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minifan Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I have kind of been buying as I see...so not spending a lot all at once, but over a few trips here and there... I like to buy the Grab Bags from Manor House, they are really neat...and the 2 big sales at Earth and Tree... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 ...How do you get all the accessories (to scale) without owning your own dollhouse shop?...Thrift store odds & ends for charms, wee souvenir items, etc; $ stores, ditto; make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeFeathers Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I agree that making things is the #1 way... you can find tutorials all over the place to make anything you can imagine! (Check out my website, I've got a whole section of DIY stuff.) Kits are a great and relatively inexpensive way, too. Check out Minikitz.com, she's got kits for just about everything! Also, swaps is another great way to acquire minis, some of my most treasured pieces are things I got in swaps I did with people. If you've never done one, it's just what it sounds like - swapping minis with others. You can do them with one person or with a whole group. Sometimes it's handmade, sometimes it's purchased, just depends on the rules set up for a particular swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 You might want to get on the emailing list of Manor House minis -- they have weekly sales at very discounted prices, usually with limited quantities, and very reasonable shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just One More Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I make a lot of my accessories too. The hardware store has lots of little things in the nuts and bolts department. One of the easiest things I made is a bunch of candle holders from some brass fittings like a short tube with a flat base. I don't know what they are called. I put in different length round tooth picks, painted them white and stuck a tiny snip of black thread on the end for a wick. I had lots of candle sticks for not much money at all. That's just one idea. Tooth paste caps make good small lamp shades. The 99 cent toothpaste still has the caps that look like pleated lamp shades. Jewelry findings can be used for making things. I save all my Chrysonbon curved scrap for faucets. Carpets can be made from upholstery velvet by just raveling the edges for the fringe. Much cheaper than purchased carpet. I have 23 years worth of little things and still have little boxes full of pictures I've cut out of magazines to frame on all my square and rectangular doll house punch out scraps. I imagine a lot of mini addicts have all these same ideas but just thought I'd put these in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I paint the unfinished metal minis and paint them. There are literally thousands of different things available. And you don't have to be great at painting - I've seen them painted in just one colour and they look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THmini2 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I buy uphostery material ends at JoAnn fabric and other stores for carpet. Some pieces of material look like carpet in mini houses. I was also lucky when we bought new furnitue I mentioned how some of the fabric samples would make good carpets and she let me look through some dicontinued pieces. I now have about 20 mini carpets to choice from. Maybe you can ask what they do with discontinued samples at your furniture shops. Most are bigger then you need for a room and the piece you cut off can be used for throw rugs. Plus the pieces I got ftom the furniture store came on hangers and that helps to be able to hang them in a closet out of the way. Like someone else mentioned Manor House has grat deals and they have one section where everthing is $1 or less. Shipping isn't bad either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Mini people from the model train store, in say HO size make great porcelain figures. As others have said, books and magazines are great. For pictures, I took photos of some of our family pictures from a distance so they are really small on the print sheet...then cut and framed them - it's fun to have great grandparents wedding photo in the front hall. Those unfinished plastic plates etc can be decorated with fingernail decals to become decorative items. I save the glossy ads from different stores that feature paintings or prints and coat them with a matte finish clear contact paper before framing them. A couple of strips of framing wood is a small investment and will make many frames. And of course beads in all sizes and shapes... if you have a good bead store in your area, you can often buy just one or two of a type rather than a whole package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audra Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I second (or third) the manor house site. Each week they have their featured items. Lots of little things. I get them when I know I will use them for my houses, and get a couple sometimes, as maybe you can alter the look of something with paint. This weeks sale: http://www.manorhouseminis.com/featured.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyD Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I have kind of been buying as I see...so not spending a lot all at once, but over a few trips here and there... I like to buy the Grab Bags from Manor House, they are really neat...and the 2 big sales at Earth and Tree... I love the grab bags from Manor House. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I make a lot of my accessories too. The hardware store has lots of little things in the nuts and bolts department. One of the easiest things I made is a bunch of candle holders from some brass fittings like a short tube with a flat base. I don't know what they are called. I put in different length round tooth picks, painted them white and stuck a tiny snip of black thread on the end for a wick. I had lots of candle sticks for not much money at all. That's just one idea. Tooth paste caps make good small lamp shades. The 99 cent toothpaste still has the caps that look like pleated lamp shades. Jewelry findings can be used for making things. I save all my Chrysonbon curved scrap for faucets. Carpets can be made from upholstery velvet by just raveling the edges for the fringe. Much cheaper than purchased carpet. I have 23 years worth of little things and still have little boxes full of pictures I've cut out of magazines to frame on all my square and rectangular doll house punch out scraps. I imagine a lot of mini addicts have all these same ideas but just thought I'd put these in. Polystyrene kit "trees" make outstanding mini plumbing parts and hardware bits are also useful. I use small jumprings and copper end caps to make stock pots (buttons & beads for lids) and lock washers for gas burners on cookstoves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis Over The Hill Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I think the accessories should grab you because you love them. Some are fun to make yourself as people have said, and some you just collect over time. Not everything that I have do I adore, but mostly I do. My favorite is a plastic turtle bowl with two turtles, one sunning itself under the fake palm tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsbeth Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 sometimes I buy a "miniature lot" on ebay - where someone is selling several years worth of accessories - and they often sell for a lot less than you'd ever pay if you bought them individually at shops. I also kinda like it when stuff has belonged to other people...they choose different things than I would, and I sorta pick and choose among the pile. I've gotten some amazing little tidbits from second hand sales and craigslist dollhouse lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerriMagic Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 To me, collecting the little nifties that make any house a home, will be the best part of doing my dollhouses. (I currently am working on two, but neither is finished yet) I'm actually forcing myself to NOT dwell on those nifties, because if I did, I'd never get anything done..I'd be hunting, searching till the cows come home. I think I'm going to try to make most of my goodies..that is what will fill my time after the house is complete. After all, this is why I started housebuilding in the first place. I have waaay too much time on my hands. Sites like Caseymini's give me hope that I too, can create lovely little items..and I have all the time in the world. After all, once my lovely houses are complete...well that's a bummer..now what do I do? Start another house? I don't have room for more houses. So I guess I'll just mosey on collecting slowly, and it'll give me something to look forward to. I did order one piece of furniture this week..a Treasure cabinet from HBS..and it has 22 drawers that open up! I feel like a kid, waiting on something to arrive from an old Sears catalogue..I'm getting a lot of mileage out of waiting for that goodie to arrive on my doorstep. At this rate, collecting slowly, I should keep myself entertained for the next 20 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 I think the accessories should grab you because you love them. Some are fun to make yourself as people have said, and some you just collect over time. Not everything that I have do I adore, but mostly I do. My favorite is a plastic turtle bowl with two turtles, one sunning itself under the fake palm tree. I agree with you in that I want my accessories to grab me. I'm too picky, and I know that's not good sometimes. Everyone has given me wonderful ideas, and I thank you so very much! Two of my favorite accessories are 2 little toile trays that were actually old dress pins. They are the perfect size and I think they're on my list of things to grab if a tornado was heading our way! B) Again, thank you everyone! I love all your ideas. You are the nicest people ever! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabrina Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Thanks for asking this question Merry or I'd have never known about Manor House Miniatures. LOL I had to pop over and see what everyone is talking about and sadly I have to say I am now hooked I also have a ton of how to books with wonderful do it yourself projects that make accessories that appear to have cost a lot of money but actually are very cheap. I haven't tried them yet as I've really no place to put accessories till my Gloucester is finished but sometimes. Most of the how-to books I own are polymer clay related. It's amazing what can be made with just a little clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Thanks for asking this question Merry or I'd have never known about Manor House Miniatures. LOL I had to pop over and see what everyone is talking about and sadly I have to say I am now hooked B) I also have a ton of how to books with wonderful do it yourself projects that make accessories that appear to have cost a lot of money but actually are very cheap. I haven't tried them yet as I've really no place to put accessories till my Gloucester is finished but sometimes. Most of the how-to books I own are polymer clay related. It's amazing what can be made with just a little clay. Actually, Audra had told me about their grab bags and specials some time ago, but I forgot! Sorry, Audra! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowblossum Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 (edited) I also buy old soveigner spoons used at a thrift stores or garage sales. Usually really cheap and the ends of spoons have all sorts of tiny do dads. I have one that looks like a tiny carved Indian animal, an Eiffel tower. The spoons are cheap metal so just bend the end off or cut with pliers. The spoon part sometimes has inserts that make nice pictures etc. These are just random auctions not mine, just to show what I mean. I get bags of spoons cheap or 25 cents each. http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Souvenir-spoon-silv...=item1e62376e78 the spoon would make a nice bowl or sink. http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Dallas-Texas-Souven...=item3a6408f8dd I watch for bags of old jewelry too at garage sales etc that have I can use too in different ways. Cheap bags of barbie accessories too sometimes can be tied in if in the right scale. Edited March 16, 2011 by snowblossum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 I also buy old soveigner spoons used at a thrift stores or garage sales. Usually really cheap and the ends of spoons have all sorts of tiny do dads. I have one that looks like a tiny carved Indian animal, an Eiffel tower. The spoons are cheap metal so just bend the end off or cut with pliers. The spoon part sometimes has inserts that make nice pictures etc. These are just random auctions not mine, just to show what I mean. I get bags of spoons cheap or 25 cents each. http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Souvenir-spoon-silv...=item1e62376e78 the spoon would make a nice bowl or sink. http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Dallas-Texas-Souven...=item3a6408f8dd I watch for bags of old jewelry too at garage sales etc that have I can use too in different ways. Cheap bags of barbie accessories too sometimes can be tied in if in the right scale. Brilliant, Susan! I would never have thought of spoons! :thumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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