# Suggestions on finishing dollhouse



## bradinc (Oct 7, 2011)

So.... two plus years ago we purchased a dollhouse kit for my oldest daughter, who is now 13. The basic structure is complete, but there is a long ways to go before an occupant could ever get a CO 

I am looking for suggestions on where I can get help finishing this thing before my daughter goes to college and concludes that I'm a failure. I would love to find someone close to me(Marietta/Roswell/Alpharetta) that could keep it and work on it when time permits, that would make accomodations for me to also work on it when I can. If it's a commercial business, they just need to be close enough so I can deliver it to them(Atlanta area).

I can get pics of the house in its current state and attach them later. This will help whoever is interested to determine how much time they'll need, and how much it's going to cost me.

Any suggestions or offers would be greatly appreciated! I just can't stand the thought of my baby girl outgrowing this project before it's even close to finished.


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## jsears (Apr 5, 2012)

I am wondering exactly why YOU don't finish it. Is it because you simply don't have the time? Is it because you don't have the interest? Or is it because you don't have the knowledge? At least two, and maybe all three, of these reasons could be remedied. 

Not having the time is the toughest one of the three. But I think if this is the case, maybe your priorities need to be re-examined. Does your everyday life/work get in the way? If it does, then you need to slow down. MAKE the time to build the dollhouse for your daughter. She's 13 now. Time flies, and sooner than you like, she will be out of the house and on her own. Wouldn't it be great if she could take something that dad built for her, and pass it on to her daughter, rather than have her take something that dad bought for her? Reminds me of Harry Chapin's 1974 song "Cat's in the Cradle". If you haven't heard it, Google it and listen to it.

If you don't have the interest, then maybe it's because you are doing this project on your own, with no one to appreciate what it takes to build something like this. Is your daughter involved in helping you build it? Does she even have an interest in it? If she's not helping, ask her to. Ask her how she would like this to look and how she would like that to work. Ask her if she could help you with it because "you are having trouble deciding how this should be done". Get her excited about it, and I'll bet when you see her making decisions and offering suggestions, you'll get the fever to make it like she wants it.

The easiest one to fix is not having the knowledge. Read books on building, decorating, electrifying, etc. the dollhouse. Research the internet and see what others are doing with their dollhouses, and what is available for them. Check your local hobby shops and craft stores to see if there are any "dollhouse building clinics" available. If all else fails, just jump in and start working on it. When you make a mistake (and you will), fix it, take it as a learning experience and move on. That's how 90% of us learned to do what we do in woodworking. Remember. It's just a piece of wood. It can be sanded, shaped and/or replaced if it gets screwed up. 

Above all, have fun with it and enjoy the time with your daughter while you can. I'm sure the dollhouse will mean much more to her if it was built by dad, or it was built by dad and me, "back when I was a little girl".

I don't mean to go off on a parenting rant, so please forgive me if it sounds that way. I have no intentions of doing that. 

Don't ask me how I know about these things. Let's just say I do because I have a 27 year old daughter and a 23 year old son.

Jim


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## beemor (Feb 29, 2012)

Definitely a parent/child project. My sister and her 2 daughters made their doll houses and are now treasurer by the grandchildren. For the roof, the extended family was involved in collecting bread and milk bag tags which were clued on and then painted - perfect shingles!


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## bradinc (Oct 7, 2011)

Wow, I must say I'm a little surprised the the responses. I am familiar with Chapin's song. I coach my other daughter's softball team and work with my twin boys on learning to play baseball, as well as working on finishing an addition because I had to fire the builder and am currently suing him.

The work that is generally required to this point and for some time is not something that really interests my daughter. Sanding, shaping, gluing... just doesn't do it for her. She would much rather makelittle people or furniture with paper.


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## sunrunner (Apr 17, 2014)

It seems to me that you need to put all your projects\activities into some type of productivity plan. Although it does take discipline to follow a productivity plan it has given me insight into what I want to achieve and how to do it. Although it could be done manually I have used a Windows software package called Achieve Planner for many years to figure out how to make time when there is no time for activities 
such as the doll house project. 

Generally the software allows you to input all your activites and tasks you wish to accomplish both for work and personal. There are two powerful features that I have found extremely useful. The calendar shows all your activities and allows you to move tasks around by dragging and dropping. When I first started using the program I was shocked at how I would just allow the calendar to remain blank when a scheduled activity needed to be rescheduled. The other found habit was that two activities that are similar could have been done together but were scheduled apart from each other. Now if I decide I want to use rescheduled time to exercise I put in a new task showing that is what I did.

The second feature that I like is you can deadline every task and provide a status. If you miss a deadline you can put in comments as to why and how you plan to complete it or reprioritize it to a lesser status. On the other hand if you finish a task ahead of schedule you can also comment why this occurred. After seven years of using this software it gives me insight into what I wish to accomplish and how well I am doing it. 

I spend about 10 minutes every night just putting in notes on what I did today that was really good and what could have been improved on in my productivity software. Similarly I put in what I was pleased about getting done that day and what I was disappointed in not getting done.

After a couple months of this you get to see where your time is really going. Generally it allows you to see how to use your time in a much more productive manor. 

After reading this back I sound like a sales rep for the software but I'm not. Like you I have goals that I want to achieve but find very little time to donate. I am constantly shuffling my schedule to accomodate current priority and keep my time usage productive.

The important thing to remember if you use this or any other time productivity system is that everyones schedule is fluid. If you put a bunch of activities and goals into the program, don't try to meet every goal. The idea is to find the best way to use the time you have to achieve what is most important to you. Unfortunately not every task will be accomplished and if you live by a fixed calendar it will drive you crazy. That calendar is a living document not a fixed work schedule. Priorities always change and your entries should reflect that. On the other hand if you see a bunch of past due icons on a majority of tasks you need to think about why that is happening and change appropriately.

I believe if you look into this methodology and follow it you will find the extra time to work on the doll house. Besides you can schedule the doll house project too and see exactly why it isn't getting done. The reason may or may not surprise you. Remember this is not about me or anyone else it is about you and how to meet your goals in an acceptable way. 

Best of Luck
Victor

Time Management Software - Get Things Done with Achieve Planner Task Management Software!


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