It All Starts Here
Sometimes our ideas flow from an existing kit to bash, a house style to scratch (aka custom) build, or from an interesting doll who needs a place to live. Our settings are always modern-day (ca. 2001 when we started this hobby). We try to create things that will make people smile and feel good.
We think that if we had to build the same house twice, we literally could not do it! Fortunately, we have very unique little people who have definite opinions and so far, no one has wanted a house “like so-and-so” has.
We work as a family unit: my wonderful husband, my beautiful sister, and I. We don't always agree as to the direction of the build, but I think that we end up with a better dollhouse because of all our grumblings -- and we do have a lot of fun!
The Purpose of this Blog
We needed a place for all we wanted to say about the background of the build and the nuts and bolts of the design and build process. Thus this blog.
All our dolls' homes have families living in them and a story is built around their personalities and lifestyles. This story is an integral part of our building process. We would like to share these stories -- actually, the little people insist upon it!
Many of our houses are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia because that is my sister's favorite place.
Also, we have started a Rouges' Gallery with photos of our little people and information about the dolls.
If you would like to start with the dollhouse that "started it all", it is the Original Rowbottom Manse; if you would like to see the scratch-built Georgian that our first build gave us the confidence (or fool-hardiness) to do, it is Sunnybrook Farm.
Let the stories begin!
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~~In the Queue~~
??????? why, why, why ?????
And I wonder why I have unfinished houses! My eyes are always looking, my brain is always swirling, waiting to alight upon a delightful house to build. As I mentioned in the prologue, we never build the same house twice, although for the mo', we may come close to bending that rule.
- Williamsburg Colonial - The Abner Raleigh House (fictional) based on the real William Lightfoot house in Williamsburg, Virginia. This will be a scratch-bulit house, hopefully being as true to the real house as possible for the little people who will occupy it: Anna and Reginald Rowbottom. I have found a drawing of the floor plan and have decided that ours will have a slightly differrent layout.
- Foxglove Gardens - This will be a bash of RGT Foxhall Manor. Not too much of a bash -- more of a modification and simplification. It will be an Edwardian located in Belle Haven (Alexandria), Virginia. It will be the home of Winifred and William Carter. This came about because a couple of years ago, I decided I really liked the Doll House Emporium's Cadogan Gardens. By the time I decided to buy it, they were no longer selling it! My sister decided that the Foxhall Manor had similar lines and was much larger and best of all, was available! So she bought it.
- Dura-Craft Ashley - To make a long story short, we bashed this house with another, and then bashed it again into a larger house (Badgers' Hollow). I decided that I liked the new house, but I missed the original Ashley. We are pretty sure that the new Ashley will be enlarged (not bashed with another house) in length and width, but stay 1-story plus attic. The style will probably be a brick Cape Cod. We do not know who will occupy it.
I think we all buy dollhouses the we like and then hope that we can find the time to build them! I think it is more fun this way!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Becky