Does anyone have a dolls house? As a hobby?

[ChocChipOwl]

I'm considering it and wanted to know if there were any enthusiasts out there

I have a lovely set of apothecary drawers on my now spare room and keep envisaging a genuine Edwardian or Victorian dolls house sat on it and then spending time sourcing period bits and pieces for it

Anyway, that's the current day dream and I wondered if anyone had a similar interest?

See, that's why I won't have a family in my house. I'd be scared of turning into that woman who wrote a daily journal for her dolls house characters, and spent more time on her miniature family than her real family, making them clothes, bedding, mini meals, growing mini veg in the mini garden.

I'll try and find the link, she sounded a bit creepy.

I've bought a few more little bits!

A tiny book. This is modern and brand new but it's 'The tale of two bad mice' which is of course, where two mice went on a rampage through a dolls house and tried to eat two lobsters, a pear, oranges, a fish and a pudding. So I'll try and replicate the mini food too.

I've also bought a tiny solid silver teacup and teapot. Both genuine Victorian.

So it's not exactly taking shape but a few bits are being obtained.

Its definitely right for me to buy antiques. It's where my heart lies

I could bore you all for hours on my existing antiques / Vintage collection! But that's probably a whole other thread 😀

@PollyAmour oof! Yeah. That does sound barking mad. I'm definitely not barking mad. Well, not yet anyway.

I'm fussy about the family though and I know what they look like in my head but not sure if I can replicate hence why mice 🐭 may have to do.

Victorian ones of course

@PollyAmour I'm not sure what to do with it! Sell it I suppose?

I'm pretty sure someone on here would take the Triang house off your hands. Or stick it on FB marketplace.

I got mine from a charity shop, and I regard it as my starter home, because it's tiny, only four rooms, and 1/16 scale. It's giving me a lot of pleasure though, kitting it out with a tiny handmade patchwork quilt for the bedroom, and a fully laid dining table with wine, crockery and cutlery downstairs.

I also have a piano and stool, an Aga and a TV. The quilt is taking me ages but I love doing it. I'm going to try making a mini rag rug next, then a nice comfy sofa. My son is a carpenter so I get a lot of offcuts of wood that lend themselves beautifully to be converted into miniature furniture.

I bought a music room for my new house!

My abode is clearly quite well to do 😀

@PollyAmour I'm not crafty at all but you sound like you are! Life the sound of a mini rag rug

@ChocChipOwl You've definitively proven to me that I can never, ever allow myself to get a dollhouse. I would go completely off the deep end...

If you go on specific dolls house websites, you can spend an absolute fortune on stuff you never thought you needed. A miniature greenhouse? A conservatory?
An outside toilet? A miniature dolls house to go in the dolls house? A swing set and sandpit for the imaginary children?

I try to craft stuff myself, using Etsy sites as a model, and I browse charity shops - quite often miniatures are donated in plastic bags and dumped in the 'everything 50p' box. When I win the lottery (or stop going on holiday and buying clothes and handbags and shoes) I might give in to temptation

Used to go to the Miniatura Fair at the NEC, after the first time set myself a budget so easy to spend £s.,..

Have a Dolls house birthday and Christmas list, looking through my "box" today still have mirrors, pictures and lights to install 🙂

Love the music room. My Tudor house is very much a work in progress so none of the rooms are close to finished, but I'm being very fussy as to what goes in there. I'm a bit torn on whether to decorate the house or keep it as is - it was pretty expensive (though a bargain for what it is, and in pristine condition for second hand) and I want to look after it, but I also want to cover it in gothic loveliness!

Picked up my new house today and this is the one! Its absolutely amazing and huge.

Totally untouched so I'll start with some flooring I think so need to decide on that!

@ChocChipOwl gorgeous such a lot of scope to do what you want to do.

Presuming as it's the "Jubilee" commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden in 1887?

Been having a good look at mine, (started 26 years ago and was keen to crack on🤔) going to change wallpaper in the music room/library and finish wallpaper in hallways and landings, can't wait to get started or should I say restart!

This is how I want to do it but with stained glass in the front door

Anyone have any idea where to start with the outside paper? Thank you if so!

@KeziaOAP it's a silver jubilee 'I think'

26 years is quite the process

@PollyAmour ooh a mini dolls house to go in it!!

@KeziaOAP just remembered your link! Off to look at that

I love the idea!

Congrats on the lovely Sid Cooke house!

Joining to follow 😀Not a collector (yet), but I am looking after some family miniatures (including a radio and grandfather clock) from the early 50s, and some handmade furniture from about 1920. (In amongst my 2012 Early Leaning Centre ones!).

I have the orangerie that goes with it!

i tiled the roof in individual tiles from Stacey’s - that was a Labour of love!

i also did brick slips on the back wall.

@Dancingtumbleweed - have you thought about building your Croft from scratch?

for the exterior walls, using Das (aka paper clay) would work really well. There are loads of articles online about to apply and texture it. The master of this is Rick Pierce of Frogmorton Studios.

i had a go making a tower house out of mount board and Das, and it makes quite sturdy building if you use Das on interior and exterior walls. Plus it is cheap!

Have a good think before you decide on how to do the outside.

paper is easy, but it’s never going to look that great.

here is a link for miniature brick slips - www.miniaturebricks.com

be warned - it won’t be cheap! And it will take a while.

this is for brick stencils, and they sell the mortar too www.craft-products.com/brick-stencils.php
quicker, cheaper and easier

have a look online, I’ve seen very effective use of individual bricks cut from sandpaper and then applied individually.

Here’s a photo of my Sid Cooke Orangerie, showing the brick slips on the back wall.

Now I want an orangerie.

ChocChipOwl your new house is gorgeous - a blank canvas, very exciting. The photo above is beautiful.

@TrashyPanda that is EXACTLY what I want I think. That look. Can I put it on the outside of the house and not the roof or should I just put it on the roof?

Clueless!