Posted on 12/01/2007 1:27:05 PM PST by Tennessee_Bob
Ok - first things first.
I am logged in.
My beeber is set on stune.
This is a series thread.
I took a shower this morning before work.
Does anyone out there build dollhouses? I found a good deal on a Greenleaf Willowcrest that had been opened, but only barely touched.
It's something I've always wanted to do, but never had the money to purchase - but for the price, I can't resist. I have a fourteen year old daughter, and one that is about 10 days away from being born, and I thought this might be an interesting project to put together.
Any hobbyist Freepers out there with any suggestions, tips, clues, warnings, rants, etcetera, that I might find useful?
Bob...what a WONDERFUL idea!!!
I’ll tell you, from MY point of view...when I was a little girl, my daddy made me a doll house. It was very basic two story w/a staircase in the center. My little sister got the same thing that year for Christmas.
Guess what? We still have them...I’m about to take mine out of mothballs, clean it up a tad and ..... sheesh, I don’t know. Put it out somewhere? ;)
Point being....it will NOT MATTER how elaborate/expensive a doll house you make. Their Daddy made that doll house...and they WILL treasure it for a loooooooooooooong time.
Merry Christmas!!!
Now thats priceless and I even understand the beeber comment. - Now I just have to figure out what a stune is. LOL!
Stune is the setting you put your beeber on when you want to have a stuned beeber!!!
People who build doll houses should not throw stunes.
Girls generally execute their dolls when they’re about 12y/o. You can save it for about 6 years though.
BTT
LOL!
Check out if you need supplies : http://www.dejouxminiatures.com/?gclid=CKiOvYSIiJACFQn4gAodhluqqA
What a nice daddy you are.
bttt
ROFL!!
I thought that was glass dollhouses.....
The dollhouse is now in my wife's home office/sudy, and surviving well.
It actually was built from a plan that was modified and constructed of pine and balsa.
Then, my wife and I used such wonderful things as wooden coffee-stirring sticks (the kind you see at Starbucks), which were cut up to be glued down as hardwood flooring (stained and varnished). The roofing is "shake shingles", made from the material we got from tearing apart wooden peck baskets, cutting them into individual "shake shingles), and attaching them with staples to the 1/4" plywood "roof sheathing". Various other material such as micro-pattern cloth was used to wallpaper rooms. Windows were trimmed with balsa to resemble double-hung windows with grilles. The interior is lighted with various light fixtures, such as painted ping pong balls cut in half and hand painted to resemble tiffany lampshades, etc. The lighting is provided by flashlight bulbs in the fixtures, which were wired through the ceilings and walls to a couple of AAA batteries under the dollhouse.
This is just how WE did it (wife and I), and she collected miniature furnishings over the years from garage and estate sales.
That's the ONLY dollhouse we ever built, but it was a great project. If you have some D-I-Y skills, you might want to give it a try by just looking at plans (even house plans you could get ideas from, then scale down for dimensions).
I am searching for new Shirley Temple and Wizard of Oz toys (collector items are too expensive for small children).
Months went by, the dollhouse pieces still laid there in its cardboard box, and I dont know why I did, but I decided to build the dollhouse myself using the picture of the finished dollhouse on the cardboard box as my guide (since the instructions have long since gotten lost).
I cant recall exactly how long it took me to build the thing (days? weeks?), but I did it. And I had great fun doing it as well. Not only that, but I also began to build, from scratch, tiny little pieces of furniture, knick knacks, books, and magazines for the dollhouse, using nothing more than odds and ends items I found around the house.
My sister had a ball playing with it, but eventually tired of it and left it alone, which is just as well as the glue I used (Elmers wood glue) lost its strength and the dollhouse fell apart piece by piece.
It was a fun project, but I havent done it again. :-)
My warning is to use the proper glue. I only used the yellowish looking wood glue because it was the only glue we had sitting around the house.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1162751/posts
I've build over 20 of these, my first when I was just a girl of 12.
First things first, temporary assemble (without gluing)the main frame pieces of the house. Determine which sides will be the floors and which will be ceilings; which will be inside and which will be outside. Mark, in small letters, using a pencil, ceilings as "C", floors as "F", inside as I, and outside as O. Disassemble.
Second, paint the parts that will become the ceilings, including the tiny edges BEFORE assembling the house. Why? The wood becomes very dry over time and may absorb several coats. Trying to paint those tiny edges AFTER you assemble it will become a NIGHTMARE. Further, if glue runs down the wood or drips onto the floor, it's a LOT easier to get off of a painted surface and doesn't cause "glue" splotches in the paint/stain (which, yes, you will notice for the rest of your life, by goodness!).
Third, varnish, stain, or shellack the parts that will become the floors BEFORE you put it together - but try not to do the edges. Why? See above.
DO NOT put the individual pieces of trim on the walls, around the doors, or around the windows, etc., before putting the main part of the frame together. Why? Some of these models fit together very tightly - and you may have to "trim" the trim.
If you plan to paint the interior rooms or paper them, it's easier to do so before they are assembled. Papering is always easier!!
If you plan to paint the exterior, leave a little space unpainted around the "slots" where the tab goes in. Why? Glue sticks better to unpainted surfaces and the house will be strongers this way. Further, it's easier to use wood filler, sand it with a fine grain paper, and paint when the frame is secure.
Build the main frame of the house first, set with glue, IMMEDIATELY remove any excess or dribbles. Give it 24 hours to hold.
Build any porches, balconies, windows, or chimneys LAST (whenever possible). You want to be able to tip the frame on sides or on it's back, if necessary, so the trim peices don't slide around when you are gluing them. It's always best to trim 1 side per day, with that side laying horizontally instead of vertically, otherwise the pieces can crawl down the side and dry onto the house (my Mom was never patient and always did this to her houses, which is why I wouldn't let her touch mine). These protrusions can be easily damaged if attached too early.
A good way to make sure you have the right pieces for the trim is to place them where they are supposed to go BEFORE gluing. As with the sides, etc., PAINT the parts that are going to be seen (including, yes, those tiny little edges) BEFORE THEY ARE PERMANENTLY ATTACHED. The finished side should always be the side that gets painted and faces out - otherwise, you WILL see the wood grain.
The best color for the exterior is WHITE (hides a multitude of sins) with your trim being your daughter's favorite color. The best color for interior trim is WHITE, with paper on the walls. Last, but not least, if you plan to paper your inside walls, DO NOT ATTACHED THE WINDOWS/PANES until this is done. You can use the window cut outs as guidelines/trimming space without jacking up your wood trim, the paint, or the film for the windows.
Anything else, freepmail me and I will give you my phone number.
Good luck! Lots of work, but what a blast!
My wife and I bought a dollhouse instead. She lucked out and got a great deal from a close friend who had to part with it when the family ome was sold.. it came fully furnished with oodles of tiny stuff.
It sounds like a great family project and will hold many memories for all of you down the road.
Good luck!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.