Dollhouse News
2010 Spring Fling Contest Results
I would like to start by apologizing for the delay in delivering this years contest results. Though we had our usual deliberation issues, there where other complicating factors that rest squarely on my shoulders. I mismanaged this event and for that, I am truly sorry. Hopefully those of you who have been patiently waiting will forgive me when you see this years participation gift. All who entered will be receiving one of these bad boys which you can read about below. So without further delay I present you the winners of the 2010 Spring Fling Contest:
First Place - Congratulations otterine!
Brae Wins a $500 Gift Certificate to the Greenleaf Company and Re-names this Dollhouse!
That’s right, I’m happy to re-introduce you to one of our newest dollhouses, Baslow Ranch which is named in honor of Brae’s dear departed pets, Basil (pronounced bazzill like an Englishman’s name) the cat; Clover and Willow who were both dwarf hamsters. In addition to bragging rights, Brae will get $500 to spend at will in the Greenleaf Company Store and a laser engraved trophy house!
Second Place - Congratulations Madhatter!
Jennifer Wins a $250 Gift Certificate to the Greenleaf Company Store and a laser engraved trophy house!
Third Place - Congratulations Rich T!
Rich wins a $125 Gift Certificate to the Greenleaf Company Store and a laser engraved trophy house!
We truly enjoyed all 44 entries and I thank all who participated. All entries are available for viewing online in our Community Contests and Classes Gallery which you can visit here.
Hold on - Congratulations, everyone’s a winner!
That’s right, everyone who entered is going to get a quarter scale version of the Baslow Ranch! We scaled down this wonderful little house and put our new laser cutter to work so everyone can have a memento of this historic event! I hope everyone enjoys this house as much as we’ve enjoyed looking at you amazing projects!
And a Personal Thanks to the Judges
Big thanks to my big sister Lisa, Rick and Bev for a job well done!
The Spring Fling 2010 Contest
Introducing Our Fourth Annual Spring Fling Contest
Greenleaf is proud to announce the start of our fourth annual Spring Fling Contest! Last years contest was such fun, we decided to step it up a notch with a laser cut dollhouse kit! The Winners Garage is just what you need to get you in the spring mood! It’s a unique house with a lot of potential and we honestly can’t wait to see what you do with it!
Just like last year, we are making it extra interesting; we’re going to name this new building after the winner! That’s right, instead of the Winners Garage, we’ll rename it after you - for example, The Loganberry Mill! Now how cool is that?
In an effort to keep the contest affordable, we are offering this years contest house with an add-on room upgrade option. Please refer to the picture below and maybe it will spark your imagination. You may select this option at the time of purchase for an additional charge.
The 2010 Spring Fling Optional add-on Room
The design challenge was a little dicey this year. Our mission was to present an interesting project at an affordable price. You might say that these two goals are Greenleaf’s age old mission statement, but we were determined to expand on this with a laser cut dollhouse. The laser cutting process is much more time consuming than our traditional line of die cut dollhouses, so naturally, it affects the pricing. I know that many of you have been chomping at the bit to get a look at one of our laser cut dollhouse kits, so we needed a solution. The roof upgrade option worked well in last year’s contest, so we decided to do something similar. The core project will be offered at a fantastic delivered price with the option to add this addition for an extra charge. Please note that this add-on will only be available at the time of purchase.
We’re having a heat wave!
It’s starting to feel like spring here at Greenleaf! Even though there’s still over a foot of snow on the ground, I wore shorts to work today! Why? Because this year’s Spring Fling contest house has me boiling over with enthusiasm! In fact, I’m so excited; I decided to release this picture of the contest house! So I introduce to you, the Winner’s Garage!
As I previously mentioned, this year’s project is entirely laser cut so everyone can see for themselves what all the fuss is about. I’m sure that those of you who are new to laser cutting will be amazed and veterans will continue to be impressed at the level of detail and ease of assembly.
The optional addition for this project adds a whole new dimension to the kit, but I decided to sit on the photos for another week… you’re going to love it! The great thing is it’s just that; and option. All entries will be judged in the same category equally. Stay tuned to see more next week!
Getting Ready for the Spring Fling Contest
We’ve been working long and hard to come up with something unique, something unusual, something affordable and something LASER CUT! That’s right! The Greenleaf 2010 Spring Fling Contest will be centered on a fantastic laser cut structure at a price that will knock your socks off! To fit this kit into everyone’s budget, we will be offering a base structure that will have an optional addition available for those who want to expand on their kit. As with last year’s contest, the use of the upgrade option will have no impact on the judges, so you can feel comfortable competing with just the base model.
So what’s the big deal about laser cutting? I think that many of you might have that question and this will be the perfect opportunity to find out. For now, I’ll focus on the detail in the accompanying teaser picture. As you can see, the doors have laser engraved detail that we just can’t accomplish through traditional means. That’s just the start; it’s a breeze to strip out the pieces and sanding is minimal, so assembly happens at light speed! And speaking of speed, we’re even going to include some samples of our new speed shingles so you can be well informed about the laser cut options available exclusively at the Greenleaf Company Store!
Stay tuned as more details unfold as we approach the kick off date of March 20th (which just happens to be the first day of spring). This year’s contest promises to be more fun than ever … we can’t wait to see what you’re going to come up with! As in previous years, the winner gets more than just bragging rights and cool prizes; they get to name this new product and be immortalized as part of the Greenleaf product line, right next to Annie’s Lobster Shack and the Loganberry Mill! So get your thinking caps on and just imagine what’s going to be behind these doors!
The Beaumont Dollhouse gets a facelift
The new laser cut Beaumont Dollhouse was just about ready for release when it hit me that we were still thinking like die cutters and not taking full advantage of our new laser cutting process. To date, all of our new laser cut dollhouse releases have been almost exact replicas of their die cut brethren. So we went back to the drawing board and decided to give the Beaumont Dollhouse a face lift!
One of the more significant changes has been to the windows. We decided to move away from our traditional silkscreen windows and added laser cut detailed mullions to a new double hung design. In addition, we changed the shutters to a new louvered design that adds an authentic appearance never seen before on a Greenleaf Dollhouse. All these changes looked so great, but the upper windows where partially covered by the pediment, so we lower all the second floor windows to show off these new features.
We didn’t stop there! The entrance way has been radically changed as well. Out with the double doors and in with a new engraved design with detailed sidelights to match. The raised panel door look extends to the interior doors as well! The French patio doors got a makeover that will make you want to head out to the balcony for a mint julep! And speaking about the patios, the new railing system makes the conservatory roof look so inviting; you’ll get a sun tan just looking at it!
There are other improvements, but you’re going to have to stop by the Greenleaf Dollhouses Company Store on August 10th for both the big picture and all the mini details. Because of a limited availability of the front columns, there will only be 12 units available for this initial release, so don’t miss out on your chance to own a new Greenleaf legend; the Beaumont Dollhouse Kit!
The 2009 Spring Fling Contest Results
Wow! Another banner year for the Spring Fling Contest! Again, the judging was near impossible and this year, I had to step up into the judges seat to finally resolve the contest. It was difficult for me as I feel I know many of you personally, but I ensure you that I remained impartial. We did bend the rules a bit like last year and added another winner with a two way tie for third place. I honestly felt like everyone was a winner, so I’m sending out a gift to all entries which you can read about at the bottom of this post. So with out further delay, I present you the winners of the 2009 Spring Fling Contest:
Greenleaf launches new line of laser cut dollhouses
Greenleaf Dollhouses is proud to introduce our new line of laser cut dollhouse kits! We are starting off with an old fan favorite, the Tennyson Dollhouse, which has been out of production for years. Enjoy this house like never before with it’s improved laser cut features. For new offerings, we have released a Dollhouse Lighthouse in both one inch and half inch scale, both of which have a level of detail that is amazing.
Laser cutting works by directing a high powered beam of light with incredible precision across the surface of a sheet of wood leaving a high quality finished cut. There are many differences in die-cutting and laser cutting wood, the most important is that we can realize intricate designs that are too complex for die-cutting. We can also cut smooth curves and even engrave highly detailed patterns into the wood, a technique that will add dimension and scope to our products. Additional benefits of laser cutting is considerably less stripping of parts and minimal sanding.
For over sixty years, Greenleaf Dollhouses has been die-cutting thousands of products with great success and will continue to do so. We look forward to a future of blending laser cutting into our product line, while continuing to die cut our dollhouse kits that are loved worldwide.Â
Base option for Dollhouse Lighthouse
The soon to be released Greenleaf Dollhouse Lighthouse will be accompanied by a base upgrade kit to add a new dimension to your miniature collecting. The Harbor Island Base Kit expands on the nautical theme adding an ocean side pier look around the bottom of your lighthouse. The unique construction allows you to rotate the base to the look that best suits your tastes. One side has an octagonal appearance while the other has a larger area for adding outdoor miniatures. The Harbor Island Base Kit is part of the new laser cut line of miniature products offered by Greenleaf Dollhouse.
The base sits flush with the floor and entrance way for a seamless appearance. It can be permanently fixed to your lighthouse or the snug fit allows you to let gravity do the work in case you want the option of rotating the lighthouse whenever the mood hits you. Being that the light house is an octagon, that leaves you with eight different positions to choose from! Please see the photo below for some examples!Â
EDIT:Â The Harbor Island Base and the Dollhouse Lighthouse are now available at the Greenleaf Company Store!
Miniature Lighthouse enters production phase
I know it’s been a while since my original post about our Dollhouse Lighthouse project, but I’m happy to announce that the long wait is almost over! As you can see, there are significant changes from the original prototype, largely due to a new manufacturing process at Greenleaf … Laser Cutting. Using a laser cutter, we are now able to add new design features that were impossible to obtain through die cutting. Additionally, you will spend less time in assembling your kit as many parts require no stripping and call for minimal sanding.Â
The Miniature Lighthouse will be available this month for sale exclusively at the Greenleaf Company Store with an expected retail of under $100! I’m still working on the name, so if you have any suggestions, please post them below!
EDIT:Â The Dollhouse Lighthouse is now available at the Greenleaf Company Store for $99 with FREE shipping!
New at the Greenleaf Doll House Forum- From the Greenleaf Forum Memeber Blogs
Aww, thats very kind of you Dean! I will save my pennies and see how soon they'll be enough to ...
We been kicking around the idea of doing just that Caroline. I mentioned this in an interview I did ...
Absolutely amazing!! Beautiful, thoughtful work, Dean! Have you all thought about releasing trim, railings, and molding details that ...
