This is how it all started…
My husband brought home an old dollhouse and asked me if I wanted it. I did, sort of. It was in pretty poor shape and I was really unsure of what to do with it. It sat in the corner untouched for a while. I had some plastic doll furniture from my childhood in the attic, but it did not appeal to me to use it in the house.
An ad for an online course on making miniature furniture caught my eye and I signed up. In the first meeting we described our experience making miniatures and some of the other participants shared that they had made some kits before. I didn’t even know what they were talking about! After making my first little table with working drawers from scratch, I was hooked. I was ready for a dollhouse but the old dollhouse was still too much for me.
I began exploring miniature making resources online and bought a dollhouse kit. An article about common mistakes those new to miniatures make resonated with me. Was I making the “starting with a big dollhouse” mistake? The advice was to start with a small project that you can complete in a reasonable amount of time while building your skills.
Off to Hobby Lobby I went to get a terrarium that I would convert into a greenhouse. It was a great decision. I learned I really love making miniature plants. I tried some things that I know I won’t do again. I completed something, although I also learned that part of the fun for me is never really being finished.
In discussing my new hobby with others, I noticed I got a lot of confused looks when I said that I was making miniatures. I could feel the unspoken questions: “Is she playing with dolls now?” Nope. Dolls in dollhouses kind of creep me out. I don’t know why. It must be like the clown thing for other people. “Making miniature what?” Plants. “What do you do with miniature plants?”
Although I don’t desire to populate my mini spaces with dolls, I do think about how “mini people” might fit into the space. Is this chair too low? Could this be a realistically sized walkway in normal scale? I also find that my mind jumps to how a friend might like the colors of something I’m making or how it relates to the interests of someone I know.
I pondered how I could share my hobby in a way that is more understandable to friends and family who aren’t consumed by mini fever. I decided to create this blog. I enjoy other mini blogs with tutorials, so I include some here for other miniature enthusiasts. I also share some of the inspirations I have while creating that are related to people I know and give them a little shout-out. Is there anyone who doesn’t like knowing you are in someone else’s thoughts in a positive way? I hope not!
