Tuesday 8 March 2011

In the beginning.

This is my first time writing a blog and my first time building a dolls house so hopefully both are fun. I am building a Garfield Dolls House from a Greenleaf kit.

 I could not find much available kit-wise to buy in New Zealand so looked on the good old internet and found a house I really liked but it was only made in America. To start off with I thought I was being so clever as I had found a really good price for the kit. Even though I have never built a dolls house before I thought I'd leap in at the deep and and give it a go on a dolls house mansion as I just thought the Garfield was so super cute! I nearly decided to go with the Butter Cup Cottage instead which would have been a lot easier to start with (and a lot cheeper to get posted to New Zealand!!!) So, I ordered this kit with free postage within the USA and set up a freight forward address with a company that does that. I had never heard of freight forwarding either but felt proud that I had found this all out and set it all up. Unfortunately in all my cleverness with finding a good price and getting the freight forward address I had failed to take one thing into account... I had not considered the weight that a dolls house would be and the consequential postage fee. 


So when the dolls house arrived at the freight forward address it was then forwarded to me here in New Zealand and my credit card was billed and it was SO SOOO expensive!!! It was more than what the house cost. In fact I think it may have been double! So I got my dolls house kit but also learnt a really expensive lesson about checking the postage on things before I buy them!!!


But anyway. After feeling rather silly about the postage debacle and the 'not such a very good deal after all' dolls house, I got down to business and opened the box (eagerly) and decided to start at the start and build the foundation. 


After a little humming and harring and asking Steve (my boyfriend) "Do you think I should glue now? It says don't glue unless it says to glue in the instructions. But other wise I don't see how this is all going to stay together?!?" several times and in the end gluing it (Good idea - It did need the glue, not sure why that was missing from the instructions...) I finally ended up with a sound foundation.


This is Bethell my cat checking out my handy work. (She is named after a beach near where I live that I like to surf at.) 


Bethell is sitting on the floor before I have attached it to the foundation.
I have done a little bit more but I will add that next time. See ya, love Amy.






7 comments:

  1. Cute amy! I love it, I can't wait to see how the house is assembled :) xxx

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  2. Amazing! I want one, except i dont think i would have anywhere to put it! And I would also have to leave it behind when i eventually come home which would be not good. Are you going to paint it once its finished? Now that, I cannot wait to see! xxxxxx

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  3. Thanks guys! It is exciting to see comments on my blog! I wasn't sure if anyone would read it! Yup it will be painted Sarah. It will have white trim with pale yellow weather boards. Inside will all be decorated too. I think I will do it in "shabby chic" style which I only just heard of the other day when I was reading some other blogs and I thought it looks cool. Originally I was going to do it Victorian style but I think the shabby chic style will allow for more creativity. I have ordered some books from the library on it so I can make up my mind. Alex, the next steps are up :)

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  4. I was wondering which house this was and kept coming back further and further - and it is my very favourite kit of all! I too have a Garfield, sitting in its box due to lack of space for construction. So that gives me even more interest in following your lovely blog (I started at the latest post first and have been working backwards). I also have a 1:144th version of it which I am thinking I will do in matching colours.
    Sandie

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  5. That sounds great Sandra, you should definitely start building it. I have been really enjoying it!

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    1. All this time later I am finally getting some space (my small studio is being build as I type) and after the Sydney Fair in May I plan to do just that Amy! It is a really big house as you well know and I just don't have room inside to do it. But in the meantime I am doing the halfscale Fairfield - another Greenleaf kit and a lot bigger than the quarter scale buildings I've been doing for the last 3 years :) So I'm going back through all your posts again and really enjoying re-reading them.

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  6. Oh cool! That is a cute house too! Yeah this one really is BIG! You have to check you can get it in and out your doors! I'm glad you are enjoying re-reading. Let me know if there is anything I can help with when you get up to doing your Garfield House. :)

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