Sunday, May 1, 2016

My New Mini Lovers Blog


As many of you know, I have a real passion for miniature dollhouses.
It all started quite a few years ago, but it's just been the past couple 
of years that my passion has become a reality.  While I still (yes still)
have two unconstructed dollhouses in the wings, I have been collecting
and showcasing my minis on bookshelves.  The particular scene you
see here lives in the library book stack in my studio and I can easily
see it from my desk.



I was very pleased when I was featured in The Dolls' House Magazine
last October and that feature encouraged me to keep on adding to 
my room and adding another room too.


Finding minis to fit a room is much like decorating a full size room.
There is a lot of planning and designing first and then the real work 
begins when I start searching for just the right pieces of furniture and
accessories that start to bring the dream into a reality.

Sometimes, when I can't find just what I want, I start to create my
own accessories.  The two books on the top of the hutch were made
by me.  After I tried two or three of these, I learned from my mistakes
and the future book making attempts were easier.



I made the little aprons too that you see hanging from the peg shelf.
I could not find buttons small enough, so I make them from clay.



And the skirt for the kitchen sink and the little calendar on the right.
So much fun!



The room I have  been working on recently, is a nursery for a baby girl.
I have been searching to find just the right accessories for this room, but
I am still having fun putting it all together.  Little by little, it is coming 
along.  It's a bit farther along now than what you see in the picture
above, and I will share the additions in a later post.



And …. besides my shabby chic rooms, I started working on
another bookshelf miniature display.  This one has more of an
English Country feel with warm and cozy colors and minis that
look more like antiques.  I did make the wing chair several years
ago, and once again, I learned from my mistakes.

So this new blog will be only about miniatures.  I will share
wonderful dollhouses by other miniaturists.  I will showcase
miniature artisans and also clue you onto resources for your
own mini creations.  I want this to be an interactive place, so
please feel free to share your own dollhouse creations, or ask
any questions you might have.  I'll be featuring tutorials too,
so again, let me know what you want to learn.

Miniature dollhouses are not meant for young children, but 
older kids and adults of all ages can have fun putting together
dollhouses, room boxes, or bookshelf rooms as I am doing.
It's a hobby not limited to women and girls, there are some 
wonderful male miniaturists as well.

Thank you for stopping by.  This blog will not be written 
daily, at least not for a while, but I will try to create a 
new post at least three times per week.  I hope that it will
be a fun place for mini lovers everywhere!

Susan and Bentley






22 comments:

  1. Welcome to the dollhouse blogging world!

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  2. Hurrah for your new endeavor, Susan! Can't wait to read more about other miniaturists and all things dollhouse - one of my very favorite subjects. Congratulations!!
    xo
    Claudia

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  3. I'm really excited about this new blog ... such a fun subject. I'm in the process of my first dollhouse, though I've collected miniatures for several years. I purchased my dollhouse already built, and I'm adding the windows, mouldings, etc. (included with the house). I'm doing wallpaper right now ... but I'm very slow!

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    1. This is not an "all about me" type blog, rather an "all about mini lovers blog". Send me some pics and I will showcase you. You can give us updates too. I am glad you are here!

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  4. Congratulations on your new blog! How exciting and I know it will be so much fun. Can't wait to see what all you do.

    Judy

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  5. Dear Susan.......love this new blog. Back in the late 70s a friend and I bought dollhouses at a state prison in Mass. They were made from full 1x12 boards with plywood walls and asphalt shingled roofs. We spent an entire year working on these houses for our daughters, many times til 2 or 3am. The house was stored when Jennifer grew up then brought back out for her 3 daughters. Now I'm working on a sewing room for myself. Hubby built me a 2 story room (attic on 2nd floor) and cut shingles to scale from the ones on our house. Little by little I'm working on it. I'm really excited to see how your blog progresses. Maybe swap some ideas with you. Here's one: we made itty bitty plant pots by rolling terra cotta colored quilling paper. Pushed the coils, filled them with glue and poppy seeds and added spider plants with babies and a macrame hanger made with two thin strands of jute taken from a length. Tiny, tedious work but so cute and to scale.

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    Replies
    1. I want to see them! Let's feature your work too!!

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  6. Susan, miniatures are not part of my collecting habit, but I will be eager to follow along on your new blog. I enjoy seeing these delightful mini houses! This will be fun!!!

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  7. Congratulation, Susan, on your delightful new blog! i love all things dollhouses and miniatures and look forward to each upcoming post.

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    1. Isn't this fun! Dollhouses just grab the little girls who live in each of us saying ~ "let's play"! Thanks for stopping by Sharon.

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  8. Thank you for sharing. You are so inspiring. I love everything about it, and it brings back so many fond childhood memories. I wish I had the doll house that my mom made out of hardly nothing. We were poor, but I had the most loved doll house in the neighborhood, made from cardboard, and pictures cut out of a Sears catalog, even the people. It was amazing.

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    1. Handmade dollhouses are often the best time. So much love and creativity goes into the making. You were lucky to have such a loving and talented mom and all the wonderful memories she left for you. Thanks for stopping by Sharlene!

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  9. Wow what a fabulous little house. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the nursery. Let us know when the new little one arrives!

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    1. Well, it will be hard to let y'all know when the baby has arrived because fairies live in these rooms and they are very elusive ;-)

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  10. I love this. When I worked in Beaumont, TX many years ago, I visited a co-worker's home. She had the most glorious doll house -- Southern plantation, 2 story, 2 galleries, oh my. And it was all lighted and decorated for the 4th of July. I had doll house envy for sure. I expected to build a doll house, but it never happened. I'll follow your example and collect and display minis in another way. Thank you, I've enjoyed yours often on your regular blog. Love your style!

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  11. I'm so excited you are doing this. Your minis are just so cute.

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