rodentraiser Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 I was having a wonderful time using the wood filler to fill in all the cracks (or in my case GAPS). It's so much like finger painting. Then came SANDING. If I had known how much I hate sanding I'd have taken up fly fishing instead of dollhouses. I think there is a conspiracy regarding brads and nails. I'm convinced the makers deliberately put in crooked ones in every package just so they can laugh at me trying to nail them in. Water based and water soluble only mean if one teeny drop of moisture touches what you're working on, it will dissolve, disintegrate, curl up and die. Water based and water soluble does not mean 'can be cleaned with water'. You will need blasting caps and chisels to get anything water based off your hands. There is always ONE expert in every crowd who looks at your work and says "I think the eave on this side is a whole 1/32 longer than the eave on the other side." I always respond graciously and tell them "If you know so much about it, numbnuts, there's the exacto blade. YOU fix it!" I also make sure to show all my teeth so they think I'm smiling. Windy days are not good days to put together dollhouses unless you want to lose weight by chasing essential wood pieces (like an outside wall) over and over again all across the yard. Putting a dollhouse together when your area is covered by smoke from forest fires allows you to be inventive. When someone sniffs it and says, "Your dollhouse smells like smoke", your options can range from telling them you were roasting marshmallows in it last night to letting them know you were releasing your inner arsonist by setting the base on fire. Miniature linen closets 1" in depth viewed on their open side instead of the from the front will make you cross-eyed. I have more thoughts but most of those are unprintable so I'll stop here. Just to add: posting from phone should be made into a punishment applicable in all 50 states. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Oh my God! YOU should be a comedian...loved your "thoughts"! I live in an extremely windy city (nope, not Chicago) and it would never cross my mind to work on my dollhouse outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 6 hours ago, rodentraiser said: Just to add: posting from phone should be made into a punishment applicable in all 50 states. I couldn't agree more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Kelly, your post made me giggle I guess we all have parts of building that we totally dislike doing. I totally dislike adding shingles to the houses. Sure, it makes it look great and finished but I just don’t enjoy it as much as I do the other parts of building a house. Sanding is the 2nd thing I totally dislike doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Sanding is the worst. I actually like roofing-I’m weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I tend to zone out when sanding, shingling and siding; guess I'm weird, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 If I didn't laugh at dollhouse building, I would cry. Take yesterday. After sanding...and sanding...and sanding...I finally called it a day and cleaned all that dusty residue out of the house. Naturally, I started with the bottom floor, then did the top floor and...you guessed it. A nice breeze came up and blew ALL that dust back into the bottom floor again. It doesn't help that I have to sand everything because I had to use wood filler on practically the whole house. It's like when I glue. People always want to know whether I'm glueing or painting. So people now look at the UNpainted house and tell me they like the pretty beige shade I painted it. And I'm too embarrassed to tell them it's sanded wood filler. This is something I'm going to take up with God when I die. I want to know why I had to have a passion for little things. I mean, so what was so bad about dropping bowling balls on my toes anyway? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root.nicole Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) i feel horrible i walk by this box (opened) & CRY I feel stupid I cant do it there are no step by step illustrated directions and it is a bit on the MORE experienced level & this is the first dollhouse ever so i got to get a beginer one but i wish this has that step by stp illustrated directions cause i feel so dumb anyone can offer any help i really wanted to do this but i just cant Edited January 22, 2021 by fov removed email Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Nicole, first go to those three dots (...) at the top right corner of your post and click on them, click on the "Edit" button and remove your Email address before some scammer/s, spammer/s or webbots attack your account. Which kit are you trying to build? I have built a kit or two (or more; I can't count that high) and the first thing I have learned to do is to read through the instructions a few times, at least once holding the schematics sheet in my other hand to see what the parts look like and where they are. I also arrange the plywood sheets in numerical order. Then I put everything back in the box, go have a stiff drink or a piece of dark chocolate and start a conversation with the kit to learn what it wants to become. I am also a visual learner, so somewhere along the line of rereading the instructions and scanning the schematics sheet I can sort of picture what they're talking about, so I take a roll of blue painter's tape or beige masking tape, my utility knife and sandpaper or emery board and start. I don't glue anything until I have put the basic house together with the masking tape (see my section of the Team Magnolia building blog for photos of what I mean). See if you can find blogs of the kit you're trying to build. While you're noshing your chocolate or sipping your toddy, why not go to the Newcomers' Forum and post us an introduction? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Holly gives good advice.i hope to add to that. After you look at the instructions and schematics like she suggested take some time to find a blog or two for the house you have. There are good ones out there that show how to assemble and what the house should like at that stage of assembly. Also there are good you tube videos. So you can look a the pictures and watch the videos which will help you better envision the process. And ask questions here. There are a lot of people who have been in your shoes and perservered to have a house that makes them happy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Oops. I see she did mention the blogs. Sorry. Didnt see it on my tiny phone screen! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Most dollhouses come with step by step instructions. Maybe they're missing from your kit? Tell us what dollhouse you're building and we'll try to help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Emily, for those of us who are primarily visual learners the step-by-step instructions aren't much help without a few detailed photos along the way more than what are usually in the Greenleaf instructions. Even the Dura-Craft instruction booklets' photos were few enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root.nicole Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 i was sitting with my lil kid and i was looking discouraged and saying "ill never ever be able to do that , its to hard" and looks at (seven y o ) ands "mum, try and try again, dont give up" Sooooooo i said the hell with it and decided to just jump in figuring its already paid for and ill updat this later w pictures lol (you guys will laugh) but maybe you see what im saying lol ...... I will be back w those pics them we'll have lots to say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 3 hours ago, root.nicole said: ...saying "ill never ever be able to do that , its to hard"... Hearing/ seeing those words will raise my hackles faster than a politician's lies. Of course you can't, it's too hard, if you won't even try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzagpipixcan Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 6 hours ago, root.nicole said: i was sitting with my lil kid and i was looking discouraged and saying "ill never ever be able to do that , its to hard" and looks at (seven y o ) ands "mum, try and try again, dont give up" Sooooooo i said the hell with it and decided to just jump in figuring its already paid for and ill updat this later w pictures lol (you guys will laugh) but maybe you see what im saying lol ...... I will be back w those pics them we'll have lots to say This kind of project is always daunting in the beginning. We all are beginners at first. The worst that can happen is "oops, that didn't work". Do look for others build photos and videos here and on youtube. Even if it isn't your exact model, there will likely be something that will help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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