Shapeways, and I'm not talking about undergarments...

Remember this?

I got irritated with the system kitchen sink I have been working on. I want smooth! I want chamfers! I want real stainless steel! The wood and gesso were just not cutting it. I found Shapeways!


This:
Shapeways 3D Printing!

Not this:

 

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I modeled my sink in Vectorworks (a modeling/drafting program), converted the file to a .stl file, upload to http://www.shapeways.com/, and placed an order. It took a few weeks, which is almost longer than I could stand, but I got my model last Friday. Can you say super-excited?!

Lookitlookitlookit!

This is my new sink in the counter:

I still need to settle on my drain cconfiguration, but I don't feel stuck anymore! The faucet (I've got something in mind for this one...), the cook top, and the broiler are the major tasks that remain. This is the Japanese System Kitchen in its current state of completion:

Muppet...?

Snuffleupagus...?

April Fools!

I have a dollhouse!!!

2013 so far:
Friend from Japan and Alex's little sister visited.
New company merger
Flu
Allergies (Florida's the worst for this...)
Now, the parents are coming....

But, I have a job, so these are definitely not complaints. It has just been really busy.

I have been fitting in some time for minis, but just no time for blogging about them. I will attempt to catch up.

Home Depot sold a Real Good Toys dollhouse kit during the Christmas season. I heard about this through the CAMP Yahoo group. Somebody posted a tip about a coupon, so the thing ended up being something like $50. I've bought some Houseworks components, so the cost will increase some. However, the quality of the construction is so good, that it's negligible. 

Here's my inspiration house:

 

By Union Studio Architecture & Community Design in Providence, RI

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Union Studio Architecture & Community Design

Here's my house in it's current state of completion:

 
I added some attic windows which I have yet to build. I'm going to do a stained wood porch floor. I cut an additional hole in the third floor for a stair to the attic. (I hate how the stairs in dollhouses are so unrealistic... These won't exactly be working stairs, but at least it will appear to have a path to the attic.) I'm going to do brackets for the porch posts like the inspiration house. I'm also going to rebuild the porch rail with square balusters, and I want to add the vents on the crawl space under the building. I'm trying to figure out the lighting right now.

Having a dollhouse has always been a dream of mine. I currently have 4 kits - 2 in progress - so the dream has never been fulfilled. I'm not getting too crazy with a redesign of the RGT house so my dream may become a reality. I've been super happy since I did the first bit of construction. It may not look like much now, but I had to share.

Happy Easter!

So... apparently, the Silhouette Cameo is good for Easter bonnets too...

Evie, the puggle, hopes everybody got some rest today...

My Christmas Presents - Big and Small

I'm sure that it's obvious to anyone that has read my blog that I have the best boyfriend in the world. :) You know, the one who made mini tulips with me, who bent a tiny u-bend for my system kitchen, the one who made an Excel spreadsheet for super-accurate measurement conversions for 1/12th scale... (I could go on...) That one. It's very hard for me to not gush about him, so I'll try to keep it to a minimum (haha...) in this post. 

I have many wonderful, high-quality miniatures since I've been collecting for a long time. I've always wanted a dollhouse, but time and too much creativity has never allowed me to finish a project. Lately, I've been drooling over an IKEA curio cabinet that would act as a staging area for my minis until I can finish a project. I hate having them boxed up and dust is deadly...

Klingsbo Glass Door Cabinet

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Alex bought me the cabinet for Christmas, but since we were traveling for the holidays, it was too difficult to give it to me on Christmas day. As a place holder, he made me this:

Yep...even the door opens.

Look at at the detail!

With paper and plastic from some container! Awesome, no? I think I like it more than the full size one. Big surprise...