The last time I mentioned about my building the Tamarack kit was on October 8th. Fast forward to close to two later...and the exterior is finally complete.
Despite the lack of pictures in the directions, the build was straight forward. So long as items were carefully measured, and installed using a T-Square as a guide, the walls and roof were quickly assembled. The only part I really did not enjoy was applying the shingles on the roof. JC asked me how that went, and I told her it took 1500 pieces to complete the roof. Of that amount, about 150 pieces I had to custom cut with a blade to make it fit at the weird angles. Sure it looks great in the end, but....shoot, my fingers and wrists are still aching!
BK was impressed when he saw the dollhouse. Though I might ask his dad (who's a professional carpenter/contractor) for feedback. There's gotta be a better way to make a roof look seamless (and a better method of installing them). I want to build another kit, but not sure if I'm up for another round of shingles you know?
Finally posted the pics up: what do you think?
 |
| Tamarack Dollhouse |
I haven't touched the interior yet -- one of the room partitions on the second floor needs another sanding and a coat of paint before I permanently do an installation of sorts.so will see how that goes. Besides, I haven't decided on the wall colors yet....
Still working on the Tamarack for Alicia and Marcus, but guess it’s safe to say that I’m close to 75% complete. The main shell is up and the remaining parts need a final sand and coat of paint before I assemble/attach the roof. From there, it should be smooth sailing in terms of decorating the interior. If I can get the Campbells moved in, that’d be awesome – the first family in their new home in my new home. Good lord, that’s confusing.
The last entry I mentioned about upping my search for Trent and George’s new house. I really meant that statement, except that…well, I got distracted with the following:
- Been checking Craigslist for anyone selling/giving away their old dollhouses. But in a listing from someone close to Baltimore, he was selling an assembled Federal dollhouse from Real Good Toys. A three hour drive, a gas station trip, and $65 less = I came home victorious. There’s about 9 rooms in the house, so figured this will suit the Eocháins quite well.
- Still mourning that the Mini Modern blog will no longer have new posts (*sigh* where am I going to get more inspiration??), I found the Greenleaf online community and joined. There are a lot of dedicated, experienced enthusiasts here when it comes to construction. Ah, this apprentice must learn!
Will have to focus on the second point above because as I explored the forums, a couple of the entries mentioned a dollhouse from Greenleaf/Corona called the Gloucester. So when I did a search…
[insert choirs of angels singing hymns of praise]
Granted, I don’t know much about this kit (or the company that manufactures it), but it’s super cute! And it opens in the front! And…and it’s under $150 (with free shipping)!!
I’m seeing this at work right now, and I’m gonna admit, I’m salivating. I really really like it. Much to the point that I want it. True, each floor only has two rooms. But it’s very European in flavor, and I can easily see Isolde and Avery feeling at home to this arrangement. Plus, the Greenleaf Community site has some neat photos of how it looks when assembled. (See Gallery I and Gallery II for ideas).
But Crazy Dollhouse Girl, you ask, what about your dollhouses at home? Do you honestly want to incur the wrath of BK of yet another kit taking up space? He’s already upset that you two can’t use the dining room thanks to a half built Tamarack on the table, remember?
Dammit, hate it when Rational Dollhouse girl does that. “Cuz she’s freakin’ right.
Guess I’ll have to wait until I finish the other dollhouses. But unless I find something else, I think this might be “the one” for the Tremaines.
Or mooch my family to have this as a Christmas gift. Maybe.
My friend JC told me about the National Equality March in Washington DC that was taking place on October 10th. Naturally BK and I agreed to attend to show our support, considering this is an issue we both hold dear. For me, since my two best friends are of the LGBT community, I want to show my support and frankly, my puzzlement of why some groups are fussing about this issue.
Of course, it didn’t occur to me that Trent and George might have wanted to join in the march. After all, they’ve been together for so long, and despite their long history (and raising two kids to boot), they do find it distressing that they can’t make their partnership legal in most parts of the country. So imagine my surprise when I caught them inspecting my sign the night before the march (then again, the entire doll cast came out to show their support). And the following morning, finding them comfortably settled into my jacket pocket, ready for the trip to Washington DC.
Luckily, BK, JC (and her girlfriend AG) and MC were not only delighted to see Trent and George join in the march, but apparently other marchers as well. From the minute we got to the starting point to the march up to Capitol Hill (about 2-maybe 2.5 miles), about 20 people stopped me to take pics of Trent and George. The duo even managed to snag a sticker to put in their pocket/balcony to prove their point.
As for the march, I think it went well – plenty of supporters on the streets, a few folks expressed distaste (which was expected), but overall, I hope it generated the needed response.
So George and Trent – thanks you two for coming along. In exchange for your participation, I’ll up my search for a new house for you and the kids ok?
Given that my last post reported the status of the homes, I knew I had to start getting everyone's homes set up. At least before the year ended. Besides, you have no idea how guilty I feel each night knowing that my dolls are spending another miserable night in their travel rubbermaid container.
So today, I pulled out the kit I won on eBay -- the Tamarack Dollhouse by Real Good Toys. They released this model in 1995 and sad to say, RGT no longer produces this model. Which is too bad, since the design is very cute -- reminds me of the Craftsman style houses I see in neighborhoods not far from where BK and I now live.
After reading the instructions (yes folks, I do read the manual before I start doing anything), I began constructing the first level. Thank god it was straightforward -- the only time consuming part was just painting the exterior parts. Am so happy that now, Home Depot and Lowes sell the sample size of their paints -- so now I can buy the colors I want for around $3.00 per 8 oz sample canister. Way cheaper than the paints sold at the miniature shops, and in more colors as well.
Once the paint dried, sanded, and repainted the parts, I started gluing the walls together before gluing it to the base. I deviated from the manual about assembling the base and decided to glue the constructed walls onto a slab of MDF board I had lying around. It was stable, and sturdy, and best of all, the surfaces were completely smooth -- perfect when it's time to install hardwood flooring (yes folks, the house will have hardwood flooring throughout).
The instructions advised that once the walls were installed to the base, I should go ahead and attach the second floor and begin assembly of the second floor walls/roof. But I might again deviated from that path, and go ahead and start wallpapering the first floor before I install the walls -- just to make it easier on myself.
BK saw the progress and asked the million dollar question: who's going to be living in the new house once it's done? Oddly enough, I'm not sure yet. I might make it the Campbells' new residence, but then again, I can see Avery and Isolde living here with Selene. Then again, there's a chance that Selene might get a new sibling soon. So maybe it should go to my resident newly weds for the time being...
...realized it's been awhile since I posted an entry. Sad to say, between the last post and now, it's been a whirlwind of drama, stress, and frankly, just plain damn annoyance.
After much deliberation and long endless nights of number crunching, I made the decision to put my studio apartment up for sale. It was becoming too much, and with the economy the way it is, figured this is the best choice in the long run. Luckily BK, my family and friends have been supportive in my decision -- which is always a plus. Plus, BK made a good argument that after being together for two years, and enjoying each other's company -- it was high time we got a place for us to live in. Along with five adorable pet rats, his growing collection of model ships, and of course, my dollhouses and miniatures.
So as of August 22nd, I officially moved from my apartment in Maryland, and moved down to Virginia. Alexandria/Old Towne Virginia to be exact. Found a large one bedroom apartment just south of Old Town and it's within reasonable distance to our creature comforts. Of course, this now means my commute to work has jumped from 15 minutes to an hour. But it's worth it.
As for the dolls, I have some good news and bad news:
Good News
- The Eocháins, the Tremaines, the Campbells, and the Johnson-Valentine households managed to survive the move, and are safe and sound.
- Their furniture and other belongings, luckily, survived. Many thanks to BK, best friends JC & MC, and others for transporting the rubbermaid containers of their things safely!
- I got last July the miniatures that Doris Nathanson of Mini Modernista send them. I know this is a late message Doris, but - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! If you're reading this blog, this is an official edict from me -- I am ready to order beginning late October.
- Another cool beans piece of news: Doris is also selling her stuff on eBay as well. Yes -- something to look at when I'm bored and work (and furiously contemplating what to cut out of my budget).
- Having a bigger apartment = more space to display the houses. Assuming BK and I finish unpacking the rest of our crap.
Bad News
- The Tremaines, the Campbells, and the Johnson-Valentine families lost their homes. That's right folks, they moved to their new area sans their houses. I had no choice but to sell the houses to help offset some of the moving costs. Avery and Isolde were luckily understanding, as well as Marcus, Alicia, and George. But Trent's understandly upset with me since he put some much thought in how their townhouse was to look.
- The Eocháins still do not have a home either.
- Everyone -- and their stuff -- are still in the rubbermaid containers, currently stashed in the new coat closet. I would have put them in the bedroom, but BK was getting tired of tripping over boxes and containers whenever we had to get up from bed.
- I found an assembled Dixville dollhouse at a local thrift shop in MD. Though it's fully assembled, it's missing some partitions. Luckily, the folks at Earth and Tree Miniatures were willing to sell me partitions. Planning to convert this into the townhouses seen in Old Towne for Avery, Isolde, and Selene.
- Depending on how I convert the above dollhouse, planning to purchase another Dixville to make into another townhouse. Which means new dollhouse = new dolls (hope Sandy doesn't mind me putting new orders...)
- I received the Tamarack Dollhouse kit from Real Good Toys as a housewarming gift/eBay victory to myself. Decided to assign this to the Campbells since it's similar to the houses I see in the neighborhoods near my new place.
- [As for 10/1/2009] Found on Craigslist a colonial dollhouse kit from Duracraft that's on sale for $25. Definitely using that for the Johnson-Valentine household. Will post pics once I pick it up.
Update: Picked up the kit and tried to assemble it. The kit was old, and the parts were not in great condition. With great reluctance, I simply dissembled it and put the parts up for recycling. :(
That's basically it. Not sure if anyone's following my blog, but for those I know who do, thanks for your patience!
I mentioned in my last entry that Mini Modernista will have a photo gallery available. As promised, Doris posted photos of the various modern miniatures she has created. [See her gallery on Flick]
If you're interested in purchasing any of the pieces, or to get a pricing list, or just get information about her work, you can email Doris at minimodernistas@verizon.net.
Now that I have done my PSA, I can return to salivating at these photos...and figuring out what pieces to get in my next order. Ach, payday needs to arrive faster!!
Despite the status of the nation's economy (and how it's hitting me hard budget-wise), the minute I see something fantastic online, I will do whatever is necessary to purchase it.
Unfortunately, I already sold my soul for a couple slices of tiramisu and my organs (and future firstborns) already belong to someone else. Think that's right -- then again, I completely lost track.
But Modern MC [bless her soul and her fan-spankin-tastic blog] posted a recent entry about a new modern miniature venture by Doris Nathanson.
Apparently, Ms. Nathanson's venture (called Mini-Modernistas) is producing some awesome modern miniature pieces. And when I mean awesome, it's due to two reasons:
- The designs are amazing. I mean, shoot, one of the sofas looks straight outta the Design Within Reach catalog.
- The prices for the pieces: REASONABLE.
That's right my friends. Modern miniatures at reasonable prices. Meaning someone can get these and just...I dunno, maybe give up Starbucks for a month. Totally doable (then again, I don't really drink coffee so maybe that's a bad example...)
Case in point, take the Tootsie Roll sofa pictured here. Honestly thought it was gonna cost AT LEAST around $100 for the construction, labor and materials. Nope. According to Modern MC's blog, the price Doris is offering for it is $38. Shoot, that's way cheaper than the pair of good summer sandals at your local DSW.
Another one is the Case Study Bed [pictured above] -- this baby's priced at $34. I mean look at it -- this kind of work for that price! Hells yeah this girl is gonna buy it.
Which I did. Modern MC provided the Mini Modernista's email so as of June 24th, am just waiting for Doris to get back to me about the shipping cost of both these items. Am so freaking excited to receive these -- thinking of putting these in Trent and George's place since it's right up their alley.
By doing that though, it leaves me with a new dilemma -- what to do with the newly 'displaced' pieces?
::Insert wheels turning here. but creaking loudly due to lack of oil in gears::
The following is yes, indeed, a pimping out message:
If you're interested in ordering (or seeing more pics of Doris's work), you can email her at minimodernistas@verizon.net. If you're in the SoCal area, you can see her work at the Southern CA Tom Bishop Show in July and at the San Jose Good Sam Showcase of Miniatures in October. Also, she's planning to have pictures posted this Sunday so stayed tuned.
Special thanks also goes to Modern MC and her blog: telling you, she's the magnet for all these artisans coming out and providing miniature modern goodies for us crazy fanatics! [thank you, thank you, thank you if you're reading this!!!]
Yes, it's pretty shameful, but in my world, the bills can freaking wait.
After the previous posting, I took advantage of a few weekends where I wasn't too busy and forced myself to finish the townhouse. Two weekends later, I am very proud to present to you my newest property - the Johnson-Valentine's new residence.
Mind you, it's still in its final stages. For example, because I made the wallpaper myself (one of the downsides of trying to have a modern miniature collection -- the mainstream manufacturers are mostly producing period pieces *sigh*), some of the edges didn't evenly meet up with the ceiling. So will have to cover these mistakes with trim.
Also, this project is perhaps the priciest I've done so far. For example, the Campbells and the Tremaine residences (<-- I need to post this house's pictures), I used paper flooring and just ordinary strips of wood as trim. For the townhouse, I used for the first time actual wood flooring and 1:12 scale trim. They were definitely a PAIN IN THE ASS to work with (still sweeping up sawdust on my floors). But the price was worth it.
I posted the remaining photos at my Photobucket account -- you can check them at this gallery.
But suffice to say, Trent and George were ecstatic when they saw me moving in their furniture. Hopefully you'll be pretty pleased with it as well. Like the kids.
George: So what do you two think? You like your new house?
Ethan and Emily: YES!!!
Trent: Good! Dad and I like the new place too. And now we'll be near everyone we know, like your babysitter and Auntie Alicia and Uncle Marcus!
Emily: YAY! Are Auntie and Uncle coming over?
George: Not today, but maybe later. Right now, we need to unpack our stuff and get settled ok? Unless there's something you two have in mind...?
Ethan: [quietly approaches Trent] Dad, now that we have a bigger place, can we get a dog?
Finally, some time to post an entry!
Was hoping to post something during the week, but things have been hectic both inside and outside of the office. Luckily, the minute Friday rolled around, I made it a point to come to work extra early....just so I can leave early to kick start the weekend. I mean, seriously, I'm only getting paid for about 8 hrs of work. Hence, the minute my shift's up, I'm out the door.
I mentioned in one of the entries how Trent and George are residing in a townhouse. Was worried I'd have to jerry-rig (sic) a bookcase to make that happen. But I came across Earth and Tree in New Hampshire and they sell some very cute (and reasonably priced) dollhouses. The best part was that they carry what they call "wall houses" -- basically a dollhouse that you can install directly into a wall. It was from this line I ended up purchasing the Hampton kit as the townhouse.
To be honest, I actually bought and received the kit a little over a month ago. Poor package was collecting dust next to my china cabinet until today. Knew I wasn't going to finish it today...but figured I should at least get the structure set up.
Instructions were pretty straightforward -- all the pieces were cut perfectly so it was a matter of sliding them into slots, then nailing the pieces together. But as you can see in the photos, I haven't hammered the nails into place. Instead, just used masking tape to hold everything together as a "dry build". Probably a good thing, since I had to take the whole thing apart a few times to sand/scrape the parts to fit perfectly. Then reassemble and take it apart once more in order to drill holes for the electrical outlets (that's right, I'm going to attempt to have working lights in the townhouse).
After the place was hammered and glued together, I finally let George and Trent (and the kids) take a look at the place. Judging from the photo, the two seemed pretty pleased with how it's turning out.
Usually George isn't into the whole home thing (his firm's still all abuzz about Obama's proclamation about appointing LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions, along with other things). But if the topic will involve Emily and Ethan, he'll get involved. Apparently caught him showing the twins where their new room will be.
I couldn't find where Trent disappeared to -- till I saw him poring over my stack of home interior magazines for wallpaper/wall color. Since the kids are still young, the 'rents figured they can share a room and explore having seperate quarters later.
Of course, like any parents inspecting a new home, there's always a risk for danger. Poor Trent and George. I heard shortly after this event, they left the kids with Alicia and Marcus and went out for stiff drinks with the Eochains...
Yes, I know this weekend officially kicks off the summer season. But if anyone of you live in the DC Metro area, it has been summer since April. The only thing "official" about this weekend is the introduction of humidity...which, ironically, is my kryptonite.
So far, this weekend has been quiet which is FANTASTIC in my book. The past couple of weeks have been a challenge and it's nice to be able to just laze about the apartment. Of course, "laze" simply means more time for my habit/hobby.
Even though I made a couch not that long ago, I really wanted to something constructive and challenging. Again, my biggest hurdle in this crazy project o' mine is the lack of modern but affordable miniature furniture. True, there are vendors online that I can get designer modern stuff. But these are so darn pricey...I mean, I want to have some $$ left over to pay my mortgage you know? So lately, I've just been resorting to converting existing pieces into something more to my taste. Like this project.
On Saturday, I went back to my local miniature shop because I needed to return some items I purchased last week. Luckily, the cashier was nice to not only let me do the return, but let me convert the return into store credit. With a receipt showing my new store credit, quickly made a beeline to my most favorite part of the store -- the clearance bin.
After some digging around, I came across this living room sofa set. The shape reminded me of the sofas you see at IKEA -- just minus the tacky fabric. Figured this can be a worthy set for a conversion project. Plus it's $12 for three pieces -- can't get any better than that.
Also found amongst the garden stuff a wooden shelf that looks so much like the IKEA Expedit bookcase (yes, I am familiar with IKEA because I'm a shameless fan of their stuff...and I used to work there). Once these items got tossed into my shopping basket, I quickly went ahead and purchased them using the store credit...before I started going nuts and buying stuff I don't need (at the moment).
When I got home (spend the rest of the day with BK in Alexandria to enjoy the weather), I unpacked the new items and started to work. Was lucky to find in my trusty bin o'crap some fabric I bought at (where else?) IKEA in their 'As-Is' section, as well as the wood coloring markers.
After working on them for a couple of hours, I present to you the finished products. Much to my surprise, it looks pretty good.
The reupholstering was a lot harder -- had to scrape the old glue and stuck fabric from the wooden frames before I could start draping the new fabric. Had to use my sharpest scissors to cut the corners to make them fold neatly (and slicing my fingers in the process).
The bookcase, luckily, was an easy one. Had to sand some areas, then colored the whole unit with the marker before applying the varnish. It really does look like the Expedit bookcase. Rats, maybe I should have gotten another one...I can see this being a popular item with the dolls...guess another miniature shop trip is in the works. Need to go back anyways...they had a sign calling for anyone who'd like to be a contractor. Build/assemble dollhouses, do custom work....wondering if it's something I should try. BK thinks I should, but I dunno. Something to think about I guess.
After everything was completed, I moved the pieces to the Eocháin apartment and set up the kids around it. Maddie enjoys bringing her toys to the couches during playtime (while the resident dogs keep an eye on her). Aidan seems to enjoy lounging on it with his guitar.
"~Lie awake in bed at night. And think about your life Do you want to be different? Try to let go of the truth,
the battles of your youth, 'cause this is just a game..."**
"Addy, what is that you're singing?" Maddie asked.
"Nothing, squirt," he replied back. "Just go back to playing with your toys."
"~It's a beautiful lie...It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in..so beautiful, beautiful lie makes me-"
"Are you singing about 'Laney?" his sister continued. "Cause you're always making boogie eyes at her when she comes over -"
"You mean 'googly eyes'," Aidan answered. He quickly realized he said too much.
Maddie drops her blocks and pays attention to MacArthur, who quietly padded up to sit beside her. She starts giggling as she sees her older brother's face turning red. "Addy liikees Laney! Addy likes--"
Aidan has no choice but to pull out the old and reliable solution against annoying little siblings.
"MMMOOOMMMM!!! Maddie's looking at me funny!!"
*Aidan's singing the song "A Beautiful Lie" by Thirty Seconds to Mars. Sung by the ever beautiful man Jared Leto of course!
The name "Laney" that Maddie used refers to Selene Tremaine.
