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I'm new, new, new and I'm so excited!!! :)


ladybug324

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Hi everyone!

I'm new! Not just to this forum, but to the dollhouse miniatures world. This has been a dream of mine to do since I was a little girl. But my mother wouldn't allow me to get into it as we didn't have any room in the house.

Well, my mother was diagnosed with liver cancer in April and I quit my job and moved back in with her to take care of her. She passed away a month later in May. So now I'm living "back at home" and going through the process of probate and all that. It's been so overwhelming.

Well, my relatives from Japan came for the memorial service and stayed with me for about a month. I found out my cousin loves miniatures and dollhouses. She wanted to find dollhouse stores around here, but they are so hard to find! It seems to be a dying hobby around here? Anyways, we finally found one shop, the owner runs it from her own home.

My cousin's enthusiasm re-ignited my desire to get into dollhouses. She loves to come to America to get "American-style" miniatures, because in Japan it's mainly Japanese-themed. It's funny because I really want to create Japanese-themed dollhouses.

Well, we have this one room that we called "the junk room" - it used to be a garage and was remodeled to be just another room, but we "stored" all kinds of boxes and unused furniture and misc. junk in there for years. So one day my boyfriend and I cleared the entire room out and threw most everything away at the dump. We converted it into a 2nd guest room for while my Japanese relatives were here. Now it's a half-guest room, half-hobby room. I bought a desk from Ikea to use as my work table, and just went crazy buying books and magazines and tools and supplies...!! I'm so excited to get into this, and it really helps me to "get away" from the stress in my life right now, having to deal with all the things that come with dealing with a loved one's death.

I'm a graphic designer so this completely appeals to my creative side! I can't wait to be able to start decorating! Haha <_< I bought "The Pierce" dollhouse kit and started working on it yesterday. I'm using this kit to learn from basically, because I really do want to get into making Japanese dollhouses. But I'm sad because my kit has one sheet missing, sheet 10. So I guess I have to call Greenleaf and order it?

I'm sorry I didn't mean to make this intro so long!!! But I'm just so excited about getting in this hobby. I know I will have so many questions as I get into it and I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Next month is the Puyallup Fair (a huge fair that's been around for ages), and I can't wait to go because I guess I heard they have a dollhouse show?

Okay I'll stop for now!! :lol:

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Welcome to what can be come a really additive hobby! <_< I was new -- two years ago, when I bought my Greenleaf Garfield house. It's finally nearing completion...

Yes, Call Greenleaf, and tell them what sheet is missing. They are very helpful and will be able to replace it for you.

I'm sorry about your mother...it is strange how events like that open up other doors that we didn't even know were out there! Good luck with your building.

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Yes, that's strange you mention the open doors thing. Since my mother's death I've had several people tell me about doors of opportunity. That many times when a door closes in our life, another one opens, but we stare at the closed door that it takes awhile to notice the open door. A friend said in my case, my mother left me a door wide open and all I have to do is step through it. I'm trying.

I'm going to call Greenleaf tomorrow about the missing sheet. It kinda sucks because the sheet contains a part that I need in step 3. I've completed the first 2 steps and now I'm just stuck! <_< *sigh*...oh well I wanted to get on this for so long, I guess it won't hurt to wait a little longer. :lol:

I've been thinking about buying a much smaller kit and do a haunted house for Halloween.

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Welcome to ther Neighborhood Brenda!! Your enthusiasm is contagiuos!! :lol: I can't wait to see your house. Have you picked out colors yet (That's always fun to do).

I too am sorry to hear about your mother. It's something you never get over but learn to deal with and I pray that miniatures help the healing process for you. It did for me when I lost my Grandmother. I had given one of the houses I did to my cousin and my Grandmother told me that instead of me going into realestate that I should build dollhouses to sell. She made that statement to me 3 times before she died and little did I realize that dollhouses would be a source of income for me later.

Yeap, when a door closes in our lives a window opens and we find our wings and fly out. <_<

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Hi Brenda,

Very sorry to hear about your loss but very happy to have you here :lol: And Woohoo Another possible haunted house builder :D I Love Halloween so Haunted Houses are right up my alley though they're still on the list of "I promise myself" <_< I WIll get to it.. it just may take a while :p

The Pierce is a beautiful house! I think you're really going to enjoy it and like you our one dollhouse shop here is run out the owner's home. There do seem to be fewer shops surviving but I also think that dollhouses and miniatures are seeing something of a revival if all the new builders that I've seen lately are an indication ;) Hooray for new builders!! And speaking of Japanese houses. You need to look through the blogs here and the albums. One of our great gals, Deb, made a Samurai house from one of the greenleaf kits.. if I was real smart I'd remember which one but alas my memory has not been doing real well lately.

Welcome to the forum and to the Very addictive hobby of miniatures :D

-David

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Welcome. I do not think I have seen a Japaneese dollhouse.I would like to see one.

I did get a kit from a future son-in-law, that he bought for me in Hong Kong. It is what I think is a 1/2" scale roombox display thing. I changed it quite a bit from the picture on the box. You can see it here

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?act...security=SMCPtu

I am sure you will love this hobby. It is OK to build 2 houses at once, I do it all the time, (currently 4 in various stages of progress). Buy a small house to work on in the in between and letting the glue dry stages on the larger house.

Melissa

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Welcome to the forum!! We're glad to have you here. You'll find a whole bunch kindred spirits here...it's a great community.

I know that your mother's spirit is with you and that she will be smiling as you do your dollhouses. Please keep us updated with your photos!

Thanks for the history of how you came to minis again...it was very interesting!

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Hi there! Welcome to the forum from another newbie. I'm just starting my first dollhouse and I've found this forum to be so informative and the people on here so welcoming, nice and helpful. And being a graphic designer, too, one of my favorite parts of this hobby is to see things in stores that aren't necessarily for miniatures, but that I can do something creative and unique with for my house. Good luck---the Pierce looks like such a fun house to build!

<_<

Anne

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You guys are all so wonderful! Thank so much for the warm welcome and encouraging words. :lol:

I would love to see that samurai house. I'll do a search on these forums and see what I come up with.

I've also been thinking about eventually doing a mini-model of my house. Thought it might be fun. The "real house" needs some serious re-modeling/re-decorating, and I think it would a cheaper way to do it in miniature (to start). Who knows, if I like the re-model in mini, I might be able to do it "real life" someday.

That'd be funny. <_<

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Hi and welcome to the addiction. I'm just putting the finishing touches on my Garfield. It was my first dollhouse building experience. I have two more smaller house waiting to be built. I was thinking of making one a haunted house. It's the Greenleaf Arthur. Especially since I am currently in my very first mini swap and the theme is Haunted House... <_<

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I just checked out that Samurai house, thank you. :)

Wow, it is very beautiful. I especially like how she made the shoji screen. I bookmarked it as a favorite so I can return to it when I am ready to do a Japanese dollhouse of my own. I can't wait!

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Welcome Brenda! You'll find miniatures to be very all consuming and addictive!! :) I too have been wanting to do miniatures since I was a kid and it wasn't until about a year ago that I charged in full steam ahead! :D You'll find you'll be spending hours at it and won't even realize it until your either starving or can't see anymore from being overtired!!

Good luck and enjoy! Can't wait to see pictures of your Pierce! BTW, you can always paint trim, prime, etc. until your new sheet arrives!! :D

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thanks Teresa. :D

yes, i'm already doing that!! :) i was up until 2 a.m. last night without realizing what time it was and just how bleary my eyes were.

i thought about going ahead. the next section of the instructions goes into making the stairs, so i guess i could get that started. i just didn't want to start punching out pieces and later not knowing what pieces are what and from what sheet and get all confused like that. i know i could pencil them in, but i tried that with the foundation walls and the pencil barely showed over the sealer.

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i just didn't want to start punching out pieces and later not knowing what pieces are what and from what sheet and get all confused like that.

If a piece fall out (And it will, trust me) keep a pencil nearby and scrible on it lightly what peice it is. You'll be happy you did later

:)

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teehee, yeah that's already happened to me! i have several pieces in a pile lightly labeled with pencil right now on the corner of my desk. i got so worried when the first piece fell out of the sheet! :) i tried fitting it back into the sheet, but of course that didn't work. :D

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i know what you mean about being impatient!!! :)

i seriously can't wait to start decorating!! i've had to hold myself back from buying paint/wallpaper/etc. until i'm ready to get to that point. i still don't really know how i'm going to decorate.

i've been toying with the idea of using bricks on the exterior. not to cover the entire walls, but maybe just the first floor, or having some kind of unique design with the bricks.

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!Welcome!

Im glad you found us!

I have a peirce in the wings to do and a Lily jes this close to being done.

I have been building for about 3 yrs now. I love it!

it gave me a new sense of purpose as my boys left the nest

one more to go and Ill have an empty nest to deal with.

but I wont feel lonley or alone because I have all my houses to keep me company!

one of my favorite builds was the haunted house by greenleaf.

the house just jumps together and says decorate me.

I love halloween so building a haunted house was fun to do.

I also have multiple projects going at one time.

as for loosing parts....put them in a baggie

lable them and put them in a baggie. and pencil it in darker...you can always sand it off later,

again welcome!

nutti

:)

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