Dolls Houses

DH built one from a kit for DD as a surprise Christmas present when she was about 7. Unfortunately not being a girly girl she was never interested. We sold it when she was about 12.
My mum bought DH another kit for his 60th (he's now 66) which currently sits unfinished in the spare room. We have furniture for it bought at local fairs but that's all in a box in the loft.

Ahhh, not quite addicted yet. I am, lor knows why, currently trying to mitre skirting board!

Yes; I inherited a really old one for my daughter. It has Sylvanian Family furniture and figures in it and has come out of the loft so the grandsons can play with it [although they don't play with it in the way a grandaughter would; tend to let the rabbits slide from the roof etc]. It is due a makeover [coat of paint etc]. It's living on the piano at the moment. Even when my house was total chaos [had the excuse of small children back then; no excuse now, still chaos] the dolls house is always kept tidy. I have a tiny battery powered bedside lamp inside it and sometimes turn it on at night so I can gaze through the window to see what the inhabitants are up to . There's a National Trust property we went to that;s famous for it's collection of dolls houses, but I can't remember which one it is; I loved seeing them, though.

DH bought me a kit for a Tudor manor house and together we assembled it and I started to decorate it and fill it with Things, some of which I had already made. For Christmas and birthday the DC gave me furniture kits - Minimundus make beautiful ones. And it was a good excuse to make tiny petit-point cushions and Fimo food.

DG was in a rather destructive mood on one visit, so I handed him a small saw and asked him to cut some twigs up for mini firewood. He made enough to last the dolls all winter, and went on to make a little coffee table from balsa wood. As a result I bought him some small real tools for his Christmas, which went down well.

I shall try to post photos of some of the successes.

DH was to start fitting the lighting system, but then he took ill and lost interest. I keep meaning to get back to it, but other things intervene.

Fimo food; do they still do Fimo? We have a Fimo duck in the [dolls house] bathroom.

Tegan, yes you can still get Fimo. Brilliant stuff I used it for making everything from chocolate éclairs to gilded mirrors.

I have one here, too. My grandsons come along and mess it up, then my son's two step-children arrive and tidy it all up again. It had traditional pieces of furniture etc in at first, but much better now it has Fisher Price people and furniture, which is so much tougher. I bought a job lot of furniture for it at a collectors' auction and this included an Aga, log burner, sofas and garden furniture for it.

I have 3 houses. The favourite was bought 2nd hand at a jumble sale for a few shillings 45 yrs ago. It still has the Galt furniture we furnished it with then. Unfortunately the original occupants have gone so it has new residents. The grandchildren have loved the houses. They are not precious & are really played with. A favorite game is visiting between houses. I still enjoy sitting on the floor playing with them (houses & grandchildren).

I have uploada phot on a new thread in the pictures topic. It seems to take a while to load, so maybe I should have made it a smaller file. I shall take a picture of the outside of the house, and some things made frm Minimundus kits.

Eh? "uploaded a photo"

Well, have managed to cut the skirting board...asked where the super glue was....and was just getting up the courage to glue it in when was distracted by the collection of wallpapers I found that had been stashed away several years ago. Hmmm, was then thinking what colour was the bed linen I made for this room - which new paper will suit?....and bobs your uncle am now rummaging around my 'too small for anything' stash of off cuts to make a teeny tiny quilt. Hey ho the freedom of OH going away over night!!!

Does anyone remember Lundby Dolls houses from the 70s they had lights etc and cool contemporary furniture. Can still get on eBay , we had one of those. DH had made a midcentury modern dolls house in our sitting room for our 4 GDs to play with when they come, it has a wet room , gym , rooftop terrace , garage etc. it's great! It is usually peopled with playmobil or sylvanian so but I have plans for a groovy mid century family and furniture...it has fab lighting too!

suzied....cannot say that I remember those - they just might not have been on my radar...I was always living in the past in our dolls house...you know all grand pianos and chandeliers. I even got around to making people for the house, when the children were young they were sort of glorified peg dolls - but one was definitely a butler!

Definitely remember Lundby Dolls houses.

DH was/is a dolls house enthusiast. It started when she was about 7 and DH made her one from a Hobbys kit, next followed a Grandparents annexe made from remains of Hobbys kit. She started almost immediately making rather than buying furniture and fittings, then there was Pippa house, made by DH and fully fitted by DD, then at about 15 she bought a very rundown 1920s Lynes dolls house in a junction shop, and refurbished it. Her first house refurbishment project. She bought and refurbished two more derelict dolls houses before starting on the real thing her first flat and then a house.

Since then she still redesigns and refurbishes what she has but has no space for any additional houses and anyway now she has a full sized house and garden.......

I have recently rehoused my daughter's mansion of a doll's house.
It needs exterior repairs and interior refurbishing.
I live in London and wonder whether there is anon reasonably local who would like to take on this project.
FIngers crossed that there is as I dont have the time or the dexterity to do it myself.
Thank you
Basia