Moon Sedai Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 The first dollhouse I ever had was one my Aunt made in woodshop class. I was about 4 when she made it, and it had one large attic room, three bedrooms, a kitchen and living room. She didn't furnish it, but she did decorate the walls/carpeting for me. (I distinctly remember that one bedroom had a rainbow painted on the wall.) I had this house in my possession until I was 16, when it was lost in a move. When I was 12, my mom built a dollhouse, but never furnished it. It has been lost to time Life moves on, but I never forgot either dollhouse. About two years ago, we went to the Museum of Miniatures in Tuscon, Arizona. That sparked my interest again, and I decided 'when i have time or money, I'll build myself one." So, Right at the beginning of the pandemic outbreak, I started building a small house: 17 inches, two floors and an attic, with wooden furniture. It was a simple kit, and took me about a week to complete, including the painting/papering/furniture building. I enjoyed doing this, and posted pictures on Facebook. A friend from church who is a miniaturist saw my pictures and *gave* me a treasure trove of miniature things (Tools, paper, paints/brushes, furniture, foods, the list goes on.) Easily 1,000 of stuff to help me with my mini adventures. I made a few more things before continuing to my dollhouse. First was a shoebox closet for my Toy Dinosaur (I dress her up in Barbie clothes sometimes, just as a goof). The second I took a lot of my tiny toy dinosaurs and built a bar scene (also in a shoebox). I included a 'murder victim' in it as well. These two were more about learning how to work with materials than the final products, but I love them both. Now I'm building a Willow dollhouse. This is my first 'big' house, and I've been having some fun with it, though a few problems here and there (Mostly with the tabs/slots not wanting to fit together, but nothing I haven't been able to handle/work around). This one has been a month-long project and I've barely scratched the surface. I feel like though I built the smaller one a few months ago, this Willow is my first *real* build. Anyway, what got ya'll into miniature building Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Mandy, whenever I begin a build I take a couple of rolls of blue painter's tape, my utility knife & lots of new blades, and my sanding block and dry fit the house. Not only does this help me figure out the instructions but I sand or shave the tabs & slots for a more perfect fit. I had a dollhouse growing up that my mother decided I'd "outgrown" when I was 12 and it went into the back of our leaky garage where between the damp, the silverfish and the cockroaches it was destroyed. Fast forward to our first granddaughter and grandpa deciding we would build her a dollhouse. WE had so much fun that when I ran across a kit for a Dura-Craft San Franciscan he bought it for me and I began a trip down a primrose path (strangely, I have never built a Primrose...). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 I built The Willow The rooms are nice and big. It is pretty much done, I just haven't finished all the decor..... Sometimes no matter what you do, that tab just won't fit, and if it does, the other one pops out. I have whittled them down to nothing and have even completely removed a couple.....Wood filler and Spackle hide a many a hole! Just use a right angle builders square and make sure the walls and corners are true while gluing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Sedai Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 On 6/7/2020 at 11:24 AM, Mid-life madness said: I built The Willow The rooms are nice and big. It is pretty much done, I just haven't finished all the decor..... Sometimes no matter what you do, that tab just won't fit, and if it does, the other one pops out. I have whittled them down to nothing and have even completely removed a couple.....Wood filler and Spackle hide a many a hole! Just use a right angle builders square and make sure the walls and corners are true while gluing. I am turning the attic into three rooms myself. I'm also adding a "room under the stairs" reading nook decorated with harry potter-esque style. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 Hi Mandy! Welcome to our little world! My interest in dollhouses goes back to my childhood as well. My cousin (who was around my age) had received one of those tin dollhouses as a Christmas gift and I longed to have one like it. My parents were poor farmers and my Mother just couldn't see spending the money on such an extravagant toy "that I would most certainly grow out of in a few years". Well, when my oldest daughter was about five I was shopping at the new craft store in a neighboring town when I discovered their dollhouse section! On impulse I found the largest house in their stock (the Artply Barrington in my photo album) and started to work! About 2 weeks into the build it was clear: this house was for ME - not my daughter! LOL I was hooked for life! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrinsicat Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 This is the house my grandfather (my dad’s dad) built for me when I was five. It used to be red and brown, we changed the color and fixed all the railings when my daughter was young. As you can see cats and railing don’t mix. When my mom died of cancer at 55 my dad moved in with my daughter and I ... he’s a minimalist so I tried to find an artistic hobby that wouldn’t take up a lot of room. Miniatures! Brilliant - ha! Not take up a lot of room? What a laugh that is now! But it’s nice to really appreciate what my granddad put into this house! Only now I’m at the point with my own daughter moving out having to reassess what she will want and not want when I’m gone. I’m pretty sure this one will not be on the want list... I’ll probably want to make a new one if she has an interested kid one day! BTW if anyone know what kit this might have been - he would have made it around 1975. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrinsicat Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Back side view! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Repair the railings (now or later), put it into storage and surprise your daughter with it when she has her own little girl. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anna265 Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Hi Moon, I adore your work. Can you tell me how long does it take to complete your doll house? Do you need help from anyone else? I have worked on lego set and get stuck in so much troubles. But the biggest trouble is that I don't have enough time and patience to finish my plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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