inkdigger Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hello everyone. My name is Jason, I have just recently joined the GL forum after lurking for quite a while so i thought I would introduce myself. I'm a 38 year old single father of an 18 year old autistic girl names Jessie, it's just her and I.....my wife passed when Jess was a year old. Miniatures is something we share in together, and it's the only thing I have found for my daughter that will really keep her interest for any length of time, so I consider it a great hobby for us to have quality time. I (we) have built one small dollhouse so far, it's nothing special but what I could afford. My daughter, of course, wants a Queen Anne but it's not in the cards any time soon. I dont know how much "mini" knowledge I have to share, I only have about a year worth of experience. However, I am a cabinet builder by trade and very proficient in SketcUp and CAD, and if anyone wants any advice in general woodworking I am more than happy to offer any knowledge I have. Anyway, it's good to be here.....I dont "get out" much, so perhaps a forum of like minded people is just what I need. Take Care, Jason 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kat57 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome to the fun,Jason! So glad your daughter and you have found such a wonderful hobby to share together! We have a lot of fun here and learn alot-together and from one another. Looking forward to your input and I'm so glad you've joined us! Kat 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgansmith Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome, Jason and Daughter! Watch Craigslist for super great deals. Perhaps your Daughter would enjoy some rehabs. Maybe you will even find your Queen Anne that way. Get active on the forum and enjoy it. It's all about fun, not who knows what. It all works out in the end. Having worked one on one with more than one person with autism, I applaud you for finding this great hobby and enriching your Daughter's life this way. Some Dad's are true heroes. Enjoy, Morgan Sorry...I just re read your post. I had missed your Daughter's name. WELCOME, JESSIE!!! You have an awesome Dad. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraftyMtnMom Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome Jason and Jessie! Glad you could join us. I am sure we will learn from you as you will likely learn from us. Lucky Dad, Lucky Daughter! Do check Craigslist. Many great deals on there. Again, Welcome to the forum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 :welcome:Glad you could join the Greenleaf Family, Jason and Jessie. You might just find that here on the forum you'll get some company and fun to keep you going. I think it's wonderful that you have found dollhouses to be something you and Jessie can work on together. Kudos for being a great dad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfprincess Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome Jason, welcome Jessie! This is a lovely, friendly forum and full of real experts LOL xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonberry Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome! I'm sure Jessie enjoys using her imagination to create a fabulous house and that you have the skills to make it a reality. What an awesomely creative team! Can you share some photos of your house with us? I love seeing all the different mini worlds that people create. My friend (who builds and collects dollhouses) has an older daughter with Downs Syndrome and dollhouses are her favourite hobby too. The smaller scale is less intimidating than real people and situations and I believe it is amazingly therapeutic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Greetings and welcome Jessie and Jason! The miniature hobby is wonderful for people on the spectrum and also those of us who skirt along its sidelines. You really get to be track minded and work for hours on this hobby and its nice to shut the big world out and play with little ideas for a while A wood worker by trade? Well I would say looking through craigslist is a good start but also don't doubt the power of thin birch and good old chipboard! House plans are quite easy to come by and since you both can work on details you might even consider creating a father daughter style house that is one of a kind. Sure its more work but less money..and life is all about time, isn't it? Welcome to the forum, obsession..er hobby and family!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapz Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hello Jessie and Jason, welcome to the forum, enjoy yourself here! Considering your proficiency as a woodworker - you might want to consider building from scratch. There are a few really talented scratch builders here - I'm sure you would do just as well. Roomboxes might be a feasible approach as well, and if you make them stackable you can create a house - one room at a time. (I have not given up on this idea yet.... lol) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackey Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Welcome Jason. I am so happy you and Jessie have found us and that you share a special bond through miniatures. I agree with Morgan that this site is all about fun, and not about how much we know, although it is a wonderful place to learn and exchange ideas. I myself do not get into the building and the "messy stuff," but I have two dollhouses, and miniatures are extremely therapuetic for me. There is always so much to look at, and so many possibilities to explore. I hope Jessie will browse the site too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creamcheese Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Jason and Jessie....a very warm welcome to both of you. You will love this forum! I really like your member picture as it is very creative and artistic. Looking forward to seeing some of your work soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkdigger Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) WOW.....thank you all so much for the wonderful welcome.....I appreciate you all for that! Also, thank you for the great ideas......I never even thought to look at Craigslist!! Scratch building is a great idea too.....I'm pretty sure I can get cabinet grade plywood at cost from work. Yea, it would probably take a while to complete, but you are right in that it would be unique!! I apologize for the short reply, I only have a half hour for lunch but I wanted to at least say thanks for the warm welcome. I will spend some time on here when I get home this evening!! Again, thank you all for the awesome welcome....it feels great Edited March 4, 2014 by inkdigger 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkdigger Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 PS.....if someone can tell me how to upload a picture here I'll post one of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 In the reply box, hit the more reply options button. It opens a new window with a set of things at the bottom of the box. One says Browse underneath a heading of Attach Files. Hit the browse button and search your computer for you pictures. Select it and the data will appear in the line. Click the Attach this file button underneath it and it will load onto the browser. Then click attach to post and you have it. One thing to remember is that you should keep the size of your pictures to about 800x600 pixels. You can easily resize a saved version in MS Paint. If you want to start an album, the process is similar but you don't do it in the reply box. You go to the Gallery section. The simplest way to get to creating your own is to go to the top right hand corner of the page. Click the drop down arrow beside your name. Select My Galleries. Then select Upload. Another thing to keep in mind, is to not try to bulk upload any more than 6 pics at a time. The system times out if you try to do too many at once. You can name them and add descriptions during the process or go back and do it later on. Good luck and welcome to the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I email my pics to myself because it gives you an option to send them small, med, large or actual. Medium is what I generally use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Welcome! Don't discourage Jessie from building, too. She's your daughter, and may have inherited your skills. It can be solitary doing the crafts, but if you have a buddy, how neat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkdigger Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Welcome! Don't discourage Jessie from building, too. She's your daughter, and may have inherited your skills. It can be solitary doing the crafts, but if you have a buddy, how neat! Never!! I never discourage her from anything at all......mini's is something we do together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkdigger Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 This is us 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkdigger Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Here's another of Jessie. As you can see she loves Toy Story, it's pretty much the imaginary world she lives in.....she's always happy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 She looks like a tender soul. What a great dad you are to have had to face her challenges on your own. She is a very lucky young lady. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonberry Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 She looks like such a joyful soul, you are lucky to have each other! To get some basic structures for dollhouses, you could take old bedside tables from yard sales or recycling areas and you can convert them into little double-story houses too, with a roof terrace for a small garden (or you could build a triangular roof covering). And book shelves are adaptable too: just put in some vertical "walls" in random shelves (with little doorways cut out) and you can convert them into apartments. Here is a cool dresser adapted for a Barbie dollhouse, but you can use the drawer supports to make 1:12 scale multiple floors easily: http://upcycleus.blogspot.ae/2012/02/upcycling-dresser-into-barbie-doll.html Do you have a Pinterest account? It is a virtual pin-board to save websites and pictures and you can have up to 300 different boards. I use it a lot to organise images that I've seen online (to find them and the website with instructions again). Jessie might like it too, it becomes personalised eye candy that keeps me busy for hours at a time! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkdigger Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Thank you all for your kind words.....she is a blessing for sure And, thank you for all the great ideas.....there is definitely a lot of information to take in here and it's pretty obvious you all know your stuff. I'm going to spend a few days reading up on some posts, comparing kits and prices and whatnot and perhaps with the input of everyone here, we can whip up something that will turn out better than the last One thing I do know for sure is that the next one will be 1" scale, I'm pretty sure the little house we did before had to be 1/2" scale....it was pretty small....too small really. Size is not an issue, I have a full finished basement that we dont use for anything but laundry....so, plenty of room. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari Lynn Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Welcome to the forum,Jason. I love to hear about parents and children sharing an interest in the same thing, especially miniatures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alamom Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Welcome Jessie and Jason! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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