It's a Small World

I think it all started with the cartoon from the 80s about the little people. In fact, it was called "The Littles". It concerned the adventures of tiny human-like creatures that were four to five inches tall and lived behind the walls of people's houses. Kind of like a modern race of Borrowers (a series of books by Mary Norton). I was fascinated from the first time I saw that cartoon. It wasn't long before I was making cardboard box 'houses' for the Littles I thought were living in my house. Well, I was a kid after all--with a vivid imagination!

I remember asking my dad to help me make furniture for my house. It was he who suggested dollhouses. Until then, I didn't even know what one was! He told me about how he made little upholstered chairs and couches when he was a kid. He also told me how to turn everyday things into furnishings for my small house.

I'd picked up some books from our local library that explained how I could make perfume bottles out of beads glued together. Or construct simple chairs from old cardboard tissue rolls. And use dissected dishwashing liquid caps for lamp bases. Or make dinner plates out of buttons. Matchboxes glued to each other became tiny dresser drawers. I became a devout packrat after that! Nothing was thrown away without my inspecting it for miniature possibilities.

Then my dad made a couch for me from a few scraps of wood. It was soon joined by a dining room table. He instructed me how to bend heavy wire into retro-looking chairs to which I sewed little seats. Soon my old cardboard dollhouse was full of my homemade treasures.

I wheedled Dad into making a real dollhouse for me before long (but I don't think he minded). It was townhouse that consisted of seven rooms. After sealing the wood properly, I was free to paint and wallpaper as I saw fit. I remembered using contact paper in lieu of wallpaper (but the effect was just as nice). The furniture was moved in soon after the paint was dry. I played with that house for many years until I became......a teenager.

It was put away for the longest time, simply collecting dust in a far corner of my bedroom. I just wasn't interested in it anymore.

Then, after about ten years or so, I was talking to a woman I worked with who happened to mention her dollhouses. I was floored! She spoke of the joy of creating little treasures from virtually nothing. I was so inspired by her descriptions, that I blurted out, "My dad made me a dollhouse when I was a kid!" She convinced me to get it back out of storage and make more stuff for it!

I discovered all over again how good it felt to create something that previously didn't exist. I was a packrat again--in my element! But now I had more resources to pull ideas from. I subscribed to Dollhouse Miniatures (formerly Nutshell News) and also Miniature Collector. Judy also got me to join the local miniature club and N.A.M.E. (which stands for National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts).

So now I currently have four dollhouses, two roomboxes, and a dressmaker's shop. I prefer to make most of my own accessories and found myself to have a talent for it--according to those who've seen my work. Making delicate Victorian hats from pistachio shells, sculpting realistic food from polymer clay, sewing simple dresses out of fabric scraps, and using bits of cross-stitch cloth to make tiny sewing baskets are just some of the things I've learned how to do.

Dollhouses and miniatures are fine hobbies to have, in my opinion. They open many different realms of possibilities. If I ever get tired of doing something like sewing mini clothes, I can always move on to sculpting, painting, carpentry, or whatever! When it's done on a smaller scale, it's a lot more interesting to me.

If you'd like to see some of my creations, have a look at this: "Miniatures I've Made"