Homes for Tinies discussion part 4

Oh wow! Thanks! This one is fancy! I ended up making one out of an old cellphone box and some foam-core, but next time I need one I should try this. I do have a lot of polymer clay around.

 

I've actually been working on something bizarre but potentially useful.
There's a magnetic paint/primer stuff you can get at hardware or DIY stores, and I have been testing it's usefulness on two types of flooring- flat, made of foam core board, and plaster/paper-mache which is more organic but uneven. With magnet footed Fairyland Tinies, it could be very useful to help the dolls be stable, particularly RealPukis, who are terribly top-heavy and tend to snap their feet together and then fall over.
I;ve been trying it out in thick layers and about two very thick coats seems to be enough to significantly help a RealPuki stand on flat surfaces. You have to use thick coats, let each coat dry for a few days, and wear an organic vapor respirator to deal with the stuff- the vapors are foul, and dangerous to inhale. I've been applying it outdoors now that the weather is sometimes nice.

One other way to get this magnetic effect is to put metal sheet under thin fabric or cardstock to make your floor. I've done this for my pukifees and if the metal "sticks" well, this can be very useful. One might also embed strong magnets into the flooring material at strategic spots in the dollhouse or diorama. I've tried sheet magnet, but the stuff is SO weak!

 

thessalyrose, thanks for the link to the wonderful refrigerator tutorial. I'm always amazed at what some people create...what imaginations.

Rosslyn, that's a great idea about putting sheet metal under the flooring so our little ones can stand...thank you.

 

What brilliant ideas about making your floors magnet-friendly! I personally feel like I have enough fumes at home with Mr. super clear, lol, but I'll look out for the product that you mentioned the next time I'm at Home Depot.

As for the sheet metal under the flooring, I'm feeling like I need to introduce it below all my surfaces, just in case. Do you think floor boards the thickness of popsicle stocks would be too thick?

 

Thanks! So far Ive only used thick cardstock. If you were going to do a wood look over metal sheet, I'd say a thin wood veneer would work better. If you're in the USA, Target has started carrying sheets of adhesive veneer in their new crafting supplies section.

 

Anything I can find at Target I consider a HUGE win, lol - I just put it on my shopping list! Thanks!

 

i used that paint to make a magnet board in one of my kids rooms several years ago. you have to be careful and stir really thoroughly before each coat, because the magnets tend to sink to the bottom and if you don't stir properly you end up just painting with the base and then have a thick sludge of metal on the bottom. don't ask me how i know this

 

Definitely worth noting!
Yes the stuff is a magnetic sludge suspended in a "spirit" base, which is what has the fumes. You do need to do serious stirring, although I've had fun applying just the sludge at the bottom, spread thin enough to dry out properly.

 

Guys! Look at this video about building a beautiful little treehouse! You might need to substitute some sturdier materials if you wanted to put dolls in it, but what a gorgeous project! Check out their other videos, too. They use some very interesting building materials.

 

what a cool idea. thanks for sharing

 

Love everyone's work and ideas - all very inspirational.

Just thought I would pass this along: Peak's Woods 10cm monthly fairies fit wonderfully well into vintage Lundby dollhouses. I've taken a few pictures and when I get time (maybe NEXT weekend) I will post

 

I'm so glad you mentioned that as I was going to order some magnetic sheets. I'll see if I can get hold of some metal sheet instead.

 

Youre welcome!

My method for the metal sheet has been to cut itinto little rectangles with tin snips, which sometimes curves the corners up or down. To fix that, I then hammer it on my hard rubber block, made for this purpose for jewelry working, to shape it flat with the flat face of my very little ball-peen hammer. I sometimes dish it a bit with the round head of the ball-peen hammer to get a slight curve to pieces as needed. Then I kind of "tile" the little bits into the floor space I need using my lowtemp hot glue. I tried barge cement, but the hot glue sets faster and doesn't smell at all- barge cement reeks. Be very careful of the sharp edges!
Once the whole floor space I want to magnetize is "tiled" with sheet metal, I cover it with mod podge and either paper or thin cloth. I spent today doing this and tomorrow I shall test how well my RealPuki stands on covered metal.

 

My second attempt at renovating a dollhouse for my tiny elf Lilac. This dollhouse was a horrid pink colour on the outside with old paper on walls inside. I cleaned, stripped walls, then repainted in a pale dove gray inside and out. Next I printed a gray wooden slat wall design onto hard craft card for the walls and a cobblestone look for the floors. Took me a few attempts to get that right! I then printed some flower "stained glass" windows and laminated them to paste over the windows to keep dust out. (Do you know how hard it is to dust inside a dollhouse lol?) The window boxes and sign are attached by magnets so I can remove them easily for dusting/cleaning...it's slowly coming together! I'll post some interior pics with Lilac and her winged kitty Alibi soon. I believe it's just one pic per post I can post?



Open doors ....hard to see detail though

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4358/36965840432_44049db1e2_b.jpg

Bedroom

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4358/36994983331_e68b934965_b.jpg

 

That dollhouse is so lovely! I love that it has all the rooms a house should have. And yes, I get you on the dust settling inside, I hate them myself. Some of my dollhouses are in display cases and I'm working out how to temporarily plug up the windows of my Barbie sized house and make it easily removable. Right now it's covered with a piece of cloth.

 

What an apposite moment to spot this discussion - I have been playing with designs for tiny dwellings for the last week, and trying to decide what I want to build first. Trouble is, after seeing all the lovely ideas here, I am now even further from making a decision! I think it may be a gipsy caravan, if I ever stop browsing long enough to get started... If I had more room I would be tempted to try hacking the Brimnes cabinet from IKEA - it looks just the right size for a 1/8 four room tiny house.

 

I love this thread, im so glad i found it! Ive been thinking about maybe getting a diorama/house in the future for a pukipuki i want to get, so its cool to see what everyone else uses or has found. Im really into those DIY dollhouse sets you get in the mail and put together, so ive been poking around for one thats a good size for a pukipuki and looks like it might be easily customized into a fairy house! Theres a lot that i like, i almost want more than one!

 

Here's said Barbie house of mine that I repainted for my little girl.

Esme's House

 

Wow...the attention to detail in these is stunning!

 

I'm thinking of building a home for a future tiny. Now I read something about paperclay, but do you have to back that or is that airdry? Or are there better clay options to construct a house?

 

Paperclay is an air dry product but you don't want to build a whole house out of it, just because it is paper clay- You'd need an awful lot of the saggy heavy expensive stuff, when you could make the walls, floors and roof out of say, cardboard, or wood, or anything else better suited to be walls and floors and roofs. People use it to accent walls, or to make small accessories or parts.

 

I want to build a structure first of wood and cardboard first, but I like the look paperclay gives. It is not that smooth as some other types of clay. Now I have to see if I can find it in the Netherlands.

 

Hi monsterdoll, it's really easy - and cheap - to make paper clay yourself. There are loads of tutorials out there. Here are just a few:
- How to Make Paper Clay
- How to Make Air Dry Paper Clay That Doesn’t Crack - DIY & Crafts
-
-

Spoiler: vid 2

Lots more on Youtube.
If you want to use white glue for your recipe, I know Action in the Netherlands sells "Tacky Glue'' for 0,89 euro per 100 ml bottle.

And if you like the fairy house in the 3rd link, I got a similar glass jar from Aldi. Think it contained olives. Not sure, bought it for the jar rather than what it held . Depends on the size of your doll of course. Their pickle jars they sometimes have are bigger.
Also, even when using a glass jar, it should be fairly easy to cut it so you have more of an accessible area. I've found some tutorials on that as well for a project I hope to do next year.

 

Ah I see a translation issue. Paper clay, in English, means a clay made with powdered paper as well as a mineral base, like DAS or Creative Paperclay.
Papier Mache or Paper mache is a mushy pulpy stuff made of paper pulp which can be made at home and which you can do rough sculpture with. That video there is about what most crafters would call paper mache.

 

And to muddy the water even further, I think there's a brand of papier mache that's called Paperclay.

One word of advice, though: if you spread paper mache over cardboard or foamcore, it will tend to warp. Plan to wet the other side or weigh it down while it dries.

 

Cute homes as always guys.


Quick question, just out of curiosity does anyone know what scale of dolls these kits fit? https://www.amazon.com/Flever-Dollh...qid=1513941406&sr=1-37&keywords=dollhouse+kit Their so reasonable (though I probably don't NEED another roombox... I also want another roombox at some point.)

 

Arashi Uchiha, those houses are super tiny, the bed is about 3 inches long, I guess. It might be OK for something especially tiny like Lati White, probably. But they are super cool and cute and you can customize to your heart content. I am in the process of making this little kitchen set https://www.amazon.com/ROBOTIME-Exq...rd_wg=AhzCd&psc=1&refRID=B09M5DAJQBZ63TQ9XS35
It takes a lot of patience to build.

 

Thanks for that info. I was wondering if it might be good for something Pukipuki sized or Pukifee sized. That kitchen is uber cute!

 

Oh I totally missed seeing this post earlier... I'm not sure if any of the Brimnes ones work, but if it was the Flisat you're thinking of, it would actually be about the perfect size for 1/8 dolls. It's just slightly too short for 1/6 (though still tempting), so slightly smaller would be a very nice fit to it. (I might have to take my oddball 1/8 doll to test the theory next time I'm at Ikea, in fact.)

Are they roughly in scale for a traditional dollhouse, or smaller than even that? I've got one I'm planning to populate with Puki-sized dolls after I finish building it, and these would be super cute for decorating the inside if they're the right size.

 

vicemage, you can see many of the houses here https://kixkillradio.com

She builds a lot of those houses and she uses some of them for her nendroids, so you can see how the scale works. She has youtube channel with how she builds from the kits, and how she plays with the dolls. She has tons of ideas for miniatures - kits and made from scratch, too. And she usually customizes the houses with her own colors and fabrics and such.

I think most of the dollhouses like that are about 1:24, so it might not work even for realpuki, but some still might - there are so many of them! That tiny kitchen I am making might work, we will see. I am still completing small pieces that are then attached to walls before the main building assembly.

 

There are lots of Youtube videos of people putting kits like those together. You should be able to get a better idea of scale from the videos.

 

Ah! I just put an IKEA Flisat in my room! I can show you the size! It would work for 1/8 or smaller dolls, so Pukifee-ish sizes or littler. Mine has my Littlefees in it but they look like kids in a playhouse. I still intend to deck it out for them to be a kind of roombox display space.


Here it is. As you can see, it's a bit small for a YoSD, but it could be a huge and lofty mansion for a Realpuki (shown on the right. Further right in greeny blue is a Hoot figurine by SeedDolls) so there's the rough idea of scale for tinies. There's no "door" in the bottom floor dividing wall so if you want one there, cut it before you assemble the thing. You could have that smaller downstairs room be the entryway and hall with stairs if you cut a hole into the upper floor too. It can be tricky to put together but it's fun.

 

I did mull over the Flisat when I first saw it, but I don't have any dolls that would fit in it (fortunately!). But it is a great base for a dollhouse, you can even add a little loft bed in the roof part since it's so tall.

 

I had the furniture for my Lati Yellows and it was a perfect size so I think you are very right when you say the house would be perfect for LY or Pukifee.

I will buy one for my new incoming Pukifee and let you know, lol

 

I could put my pukifees in it if that'd help? I just didn't for that picture... (not sure why). Mine are multiheads but you can see roughly what the size is like.

Okay here they are- the one in the hawaiian print shirt is Jules and he's a Multihead Juri.

 

Thanks for doing that! I had used the IKEA furniture that goes with this house (particularly the living room stuff) with Lati Yellows and as Pukifees are about the same size, I thought it would work.

But your picture shows what an awesome doll display piece it can be without any furniture at all!! love your dolls.

 

Thank you and you're very welcome! I think it would work as a lofty modern home for pukis or other teenytinies, as well. I plan to wallpaper mine and make it look more home-like. I've made a little fireplace for it.

... I just realized...
Today I finished the big realpuki fairy treehouse I built for my BFF and totally forgot to take pics before I let her take it home. Ah well, we can get pics when it's got the furnishings properly in it. It's built like a hollow tree-trunk and designed to fit in a wall corner.

 

OMG! I am so happy I found this thread as I am learning so much about putting dollhouses/rooms together and all your houses have been so inspirational. I started looking at dollhouse stuff online about 6 weeks ago when I decided to try to get an Amelia Thimble and I've been really obsessive about it. But now that I've found this thread, I've totally lost my mind. I didn't think to look for something like it here but I found it by accident on a Pinterest link or something like that. I've been making my way through part 2 and I'm up to p. 19 of 52. It will be a shame if that becomes inaccessible because there are so many useful tips in it.

I got my Izzy Thimble last week and yesterday, the Haba dollhouse I ordered off Ebay came yesterday. It was a great deal, about $50 with shipping for a very sturdy 1:12 all wood one room + tiny loft dollhouse with 6 wooden play dolls and assorted furniture. I figured it would make a good starter dollhouse for my shelf in the sewing room but I'm almost worried it will be too heavy because it is that sturdy. Then when I get some fairy houses and/or bigger kit houses built, I can send it on to the grand-nieces. Then yesterday, I went by Goodwill and picked up a funky birdhouse that might work as the base for a fairy house, plus a cheesy little wooden turntable. I hadn't seen AuntBear's post about making dollhouses from thrift/dollar store picture frames yet or I would have looked closer at those. I did see a jewelry/music box built like an armoire with a glass door that needed work but didn't get it. It would have been for a bigger doll.

I just learned about Rement at the BJD meetup I went to on Sun and I am afraid to look at that stuff because I am already overwhelmed by all the ideas and options.

Edit: So, apparently, I misspoke. The dollhouse that I got may not be Haba. It might be Plan City. It appears that the dolls are Plan City and some of the furniture is something else entirely. I need to take pics.

Thanks for the info on the Flisat. I was considering getting one of those when I found the Haba. I didn't realize that it came unassembled (well, duh) which makes it easier to modify before assembling. I think it needs a downstairs doorway between the rooms, cutout for stairs and maybe a little loft. It kind of bugs me that the upstairs ceiling is higher than the downstairs.

Wow! that is a great house for RealPukis. I am jealous. I had given up on finding a cute readymade cottage that worked for them. The Calico Critter houses seem to be 1:24 which is too small for 4" dolls as they are scaled for 3". According to a dollhouse site I visited, Sylvanian and Djeco are 1:16 which is 4.5" = 6' that works better than 1:12 if you want a cozy cottage look. Djeco is a very modern style.

There seems to be some question about what scale Playmobil is. I've found 1:20 and 1:24. I need to go back to the upscale toy store with a ruler. LeToy Van and Hape are 1:12. I need to track down Fisher Price Little People again to get the scale. Lundy is 1:18.

I've seen some cute houses that are hinged and have carrying handles but I don't know if Sylvanian Family ever made one. All the otherplastic ones that i've found seem to be 1:24. That cute cheap wood castle at Michaels seems to be 1:24 but I want to check again.

All those 1:24 kits from China are so cute. I keep looking at them and trying to figure out a way to modify them to use the cute parts. Has anyone tried their furniture with RealPukis? I saw a post where someone had modified a 1:12 house for a doll bigger than 6", so it might be doable but I have so many ideas and projects that this one will have to wait.

 

Bevbh: "Sylvanian Families" hasn't made a portable house that I know of, but their Compeditors "Calico Critters (of Cloverleaf Corners)" HAS made one – and I have it! It's got two rooms and some drawers that can be used for storage, then removed entirely during play, adding two more rooms to the house. It is pre-painted on the inside with scenes from a suburban house, so it's always furnished even if you don't have any actual furniture to populate it. The closing "wall" lays flat when opened to create another room, or courtyard area. Calico Critters is/are the exact same scale as Sylvanian; often you can find their (used) furniture sold interchangeably on eBay, because unless you're an expert you can't really tell them apart. Be prepared to pay a lot for shipping; it's not heavy because its made of cardstock, but it is quite a sizable thing to send through the mail.

S.F. & C.C. are in perfect scale with PukiPuki, and a little large-ish for Realapuki. Some people like the feeling of out-of-scale cuteness that happens when pairing Puki with the too tall 1:12 scale – they're like fat little children, LoL, but I am happy with my "custom-sized" Puki habitat. I will try to assemble some furniture of various scales (like standard 1:12 or ReMent which is 1:6) and make some comparison shots of mine for everyone.

Here are few listings from eBay – This one is reasonable but it's missing its drawers, and looks a bit warped:
Calico Critters CloverLeaf Corners CARRY and PLAY HOUSE CASE | eBay

Here's one for more money because It has the storage drawers and comes with extras:
Calico Critters House | eBay

 

Oh, that is very cute. I didn't know CC made any paperboard carrying cases/houses. It reminds me a lot of the [Paddywhack carrying case](Doll carrier) that has been very popular with Amelia Thimble mom's only it is more houselike.

I bought another dollhouse today. This one is a Fisher Price Sweet Street cottage that has 2 wings that fold out. Its doors are 3 1/4" tall but I bought it anyway because it is so darn cute and I can always send it to the grandnieces. I mentioned to DH that I have bought 4 dollhouses in the past few weeks if you count the used birdhouse from Goodwill and that got his attention that I might have a problem.

(https://static-mercariapp-com.akamaized.net/photos/m21413655037_1.jpg?1528570251) Its like this one but green on the outside. I was really impressed with the detail on the climbing rose on the side wall.

 

i've been busy with family stuff and neglecting my dolls for the longest time, but i'm hoping to get back into them this fall and am starting it off by building a gypsy caravan from a birdhouse, for my realpukis
here's what it looked like when i started,
i thought you said you were cleaning? by onebluestocking, on Flickr
and here's what it looks like so far
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1850/29621668877_7a0ec4a508.jpgtop color by onebluestocking, on Flickr
i actually started a project journal, 'cause it's going to take quite a while to get to what i envisioned. (especially if i keep changing my mind all the time!) but it's a really fun project, 'cause i can totally avoid trying to make everything coordinated. the more patterns and colors the better it will work!

a progress picture since i have got quite a bit done
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1900/42980499280_1ee831f891.jpgputting on the wheels by onebluestocking, on Flickr

 

Wow Auntbear, your caravan is fabulous. I love all the pattern and color you've used.

I just drug out my Realpuki house out of the attic. It's time for a redo. I am also hoping I will be inspired to spend more doll time with them this autumn.

 

thank you desertmountainbear, it's actually coming out better than i had hoped when i first saw that birdhouse. i'm really glad i took a chance on it.

i do hope you will post here as you redo or maybe start a project journal? i love your work and would like to watch you in progress. i have hardly spent any time with my dolls at all for almost two years now. my great craft room clean out is at least inspiring me to finish up some of the props that have be lying around.

 

I love seeing all these adorable houses, and repurposed houses from other doll sets. I own some Calico Critters/Sylvanian Families (They are the same company, but the CC name is for distribution in the US while SF is Japan and the rest of the world) dolls and accessories, but I was holding off on their doll houses. My tinies are too large for that scale, but it's tempting me once again to get a pukipuki.

 

PearlZenith: Ah, thank you for the correction on the CC Vs. SF debate! So that means that the parent company (of both) only made a portable case/house for the American market? Why wouldn't EVERYBODY want one?

P.S.: I don't know if anybody else has mentioned it in this thread yet, But SF must have teamed up with ReMent a few years ago because I saw these ADORABLE 1:24 (half-size) scale SF sets! Of course, being ReMent, you can't get the full set without buying several boxes, but I think it's totally worth it for your dolls to have their own dollhouse to plat with!

 

I don't know why they only made a portable case for CC. It's strange. All the recent doll and accessory releases seem to be worldwide, even if the dates are staggered.

RE: P.S. - My friend has been collecting the rements, and I agree that they look like the perfect size to be toys for my other dolls.

Right now, I'm working on a tree house for 1:12 scale, but as long as there's no furniture in it, I can probably pose my tinies in it until I have the chance to get some 1:12 scale bjd. I don't have photos yet, but I can post them as I work, if anyone is interested in seeing how I make a tree armature. It's gonna be HUGE, like almost as tall as I am.

 

I freaking love this thread! Despite looking through the mature minis threads a few times, and scrolling here quite a bit for general tiny doll discussion, I didn't realize that there was a tiny doll house thread until this evening!

I'm waiting on an MDR Mousse, and I plan to convert a shelf in a small cabinet that I own into a "house" for her. I had started a space for an 8" doll a few years ago, but it never came together fully. This thread and its predecessors are giving me all kinds of ideas about jumping back into the project.

 

While my Little Fees don't have a house per sae, they have a lot of furniture, pets & accessories which I enjoy arranging into little rooms on the top of an antique buffet. I don't know of any doll houses in their scale though perhaps a Barbie one would work. Still, since they're wood sprites, they don't really mind not being closed in by 4 walls.

 

Some Playmobil will work for tiny dolls like Real Puki and Amelia Thimble. Here's my Hermes trying out an armchair to show the size. The little cottage he's in is Playmobil too.
Hermes in the Armchair

 

Do you mind telling me the brand of dollhouse this is? It looks like it would be the perfect size for my space and my realpukis and pukipukis. I love it!

Oops, just saw this. I should have kept reading! Sorry!

 

For some reason in this topic for a long time there are no updates. This is sad because this is my favorite topic! All the girls are so talented! Photos are beautiful and there are a lot of different dolls in their homes - this is a real small city!
So, I think the topic we will continue!
In the previous section, the question was discussed that houses for tiny takes a lot of space. This is true. I thought about resolving this issue. The first solution was the roombox I showed before.

All the walls between themselves, as well as to the floor, are connected by grooves, like Lego.
When I want to, I can disassemble the room and put separate boards in the closet, and then collect everything back.

 

That's a great way to reduce the space requirement! And for photos, just a corner is frequently best. I love the wallpaper!

 

This is great, and I'd never considered it! I love Playmobil, and have several of the "medieval" cottages that could possibly work for a couple of characters. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

I love tiny homes!

My current project is converting a large lantern from Ikea into a fairy home, I don't seem to have any photos on my PC.
But this is my original project, my PukiPuki "Borrowers" hanging out in their bed room:

 

The same roombox that I which I showed above, but without wallpaper and another angle.

 

Claire's sells tiny tubs filled with mini bath bombs and lotion that can fit 2 PukiPuki's

 

I love that the tub sparkles! Super cute.

 

Yeees, it is like my favorite tub (I have several different sizes haha) Claire's also has a bigger purple plastic one that is shiny and fits like my 16cm Doll Zone Fox Boy

 

I want to show you the bag-dollhouse, which I made for my micro BJD Zabava

 

The room looks great! What is a "bag-dollhouse"? How tall is your micro BJD and what make is she?