A Return to the Miniature World

 It has been almost three years since I dabbled in the miniature world.  Three long years with no creation of any miniature.   I can't say there was nothing because I dusted my existing dollhouses!  But creation of a sweet little mini, nothing.   Three years without the thrill of seeing a miniature world from my mind come to life.  Three years without a giggle as I finish a piece and see the adorable lifelike piece.  Three long years.  But it is time to return!  And return I have........with a bang!

I want to start by saying that I didn't stop  because I stopped loving the miniature world.  It was a combination of three things.  It was a lack of money (my husband was off work for 6 months....and it took a while to recover from that financial blow and then just as we were recovering from that I got laid off from my job).    In the same time frame I was  dealing with my mom's failing health which created some time issues. .   Mom ended up in a nursing home about 30-40 minutes from me and I made the trip to see her multiple times a week. (I was working full time at that point).   Unsurprisingly, I sunk into a bit of a depressed state causing me to withdraw from life, including the miniature world.

Luckily for me, I never stopped dreaming about miniatures.  Specifically I never stopped dreaming about my grand dollhouse, my personal miniature world opus.  I started dreaming of my grand dollhouse about 5 years ago.  I actually wrote about it in May of 2021. (You can read about it here.)     In essence it is a historical mansion.  Opulent?  Why yes!   Big?   Well yeah!  Crazy?  Probably!

This mansion HAS to have an opulent library.  Not just any library.  I want a two story library.  I want a ladder that rolls on the brass rail.  I want my dream (real life dreams too) library.    If I am going opulent in this house shouldn't there be a ballroom? Shiny marble, gold finishes, soaring ceilings.  In fact, make that a double height room also with balconies!   Dining room?   Well if we have a dining room I have to have a butlers pantry, right?    You see how this project kept growing in my mind.  

About a month or two ago I was dreaming about my plans and I decided that it was time to stop dreaming and actually start doing.  I had dreamed and plotted and planned for so many years that it didn't take me long to dive in.  I drew up some plans. (multiple versions actually...but eventually I settled on a plan)

I have decided to create my dollhouse out of foam board for two reasons.  For starters, price and secondly weight.    Foam board is cost efficient which was a consideration.  But more importantly, this sucker is going to be HUGE.  Weight is a valid consideration.  I am doubling up my foam board and adding 'pillars' of wood' to add strength and stability.  I didn't dither and dally.  I got to creating! 

 I glued my layers together and set them under weights to dry (stacks of magazines worked)

 Once dry I started to build.  I am building this in sections.  I am not building the complete house at first.  I am building it one floor at a time.  (Well in the case of the ballroom and library two at a time since they are both double height!).    I have the first three rooms on the first floor built.  More will be coming soon.  (The back rooms will be viewable from the side. )

 I found some fabulous french doors which I have been painting.  

I am loving the gold trim and can't wait to see the doors installed!  Which may be soon, because I have managed to do a fair amount of shopping in the last few weeks and I have the flooring and wallpaper for the room in which all of the french doors will be installed (ballroom/grand entry).  I can't wait to see the doors installed, but still have the backside of the doors to stain and paint.

I have also of course started the massive project of books.  This is not the first library that I have created.  (You can see that library here.)  I know from experience that when you think you have a enough books you probably need more.   So I have started to make books.  I made about 50 but then worked on something else.  But then back to books.   I don't want to overdose and burn myself out on books.  So I'm just doing it slow.  But seriously, even though they don't have the writing and decorations on the spines they are so stinking cute!

I plan on posting more about my process and also go more into depth about the process to do some of my projects that I will be completing.  For example, exactly how am I making these books?   I also have some other ideas in my head...... did someone say snowshoes for the storage room, trunks in the storage room, fireplaces?  Yeah, so many things to make and add!  Stay tuned!

  This project may well be my life opus.  My grand project.  It may well take me the rest of my life to complete.  Who knows though, maybe it will go a lot faster!  Either way, I'm so glad to be back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look how far I've come

 I sometimes get discouraged.  I want my miniature scenes to be picture perfect.  I get upset though because my skill level is not perfect.   I'm a perfectionist that can't reach perfection!  How annoying is that?

Just recently, I was sitting back and creating books for the Library in the 1920's era house.   I was being my giddy self because while I saw the issues, I was really liking my new books.  And that is when I realized how far I have come from those first creations!   We will use the books as an example of how my skill has progressed!

When I was creating the Mini Mansion Dollhouse, I created a bookshelf for under the steps. Naturally, I needed books to fill my bookshelf.  So I thought about it.  I did a little research and I set about making books.  I was so tickled with my books.  I absolutely loved them!

I actually posted about my awesome books and included a mini tutorial in a post way back in 2016. 

When I decided to start the library in the 1920's era house, I knew I needed books.  So I researched again because silly me forgot that I had a mini tutorial.  I started to make books out of magazines.

I was in love!  They looked so much better than the original ones.  Actually lifelike....or at least closer!

I kept working and making books because I had a full library to fill.  I made some books out of foam board.  I made some books out of wood.  I was a book making machine. 

And eventually, my library was ready to be filled with books.  I was so tickled with the outcome.  But you know what?  Those original books, they did NOT make it to the shelves!  I didn't have the heart to throw them out though.  I put them back in my boxes of extra stuff because when I feel discouraged about something not being perfect, I can look at those books and say, "Give it time Maryfran, progress comes with time"

The Library

It's been a long process!  I got the large dollhouse that I have planned to do in the era of 1920's years ago!  I actually wrote about it in March of 2021!  I had purchased it months before that!    

My work on this dollhouse came and went almost as if with the passing winds.  I worked on the outside and then paused.  I decided to create a library in the one room.  I worked on the floor and then I paused.  I worked on the paneled walls.  And then I paused.    I even made books for the library.  But then I paused again!  And when I say paused, I mean PAUSED.  Paused for months at a time!  But that's ok!  I eventually get back to it!  And that is exactly what I did at the end of 2022.    

I finished my entry into the Creatin' Contest at the end of November.   I continued to ignore the 1920's era dollhouse and instead dove into my miniature memory boxes.   I eventually did turn to that library.  

I began by creating the bookshelves.  I made the shelves out of foam board.  I added a swirl of yarn for decorative purposes and then painted the whole thing white.  

After I made the bookshelves, I realized that what I thought was a huge pile of books that I had made agest ago was not that big afterall!   I had to make more books.  And then I had to make some more!  I made books until I felt them oozing from my pores!

Finally I had enough books to fill the shevles!

Finally, it was time to put it all together!   I Placed the shelves and then started playing with the furniture.  I used a rolltop desk, phone, a side table and a chair that I had found at antique stores over the years.  The lamps, are battery powered and I purchased them here and here from Amazon.    The cookies and the mug were swap items I received.  Everything else was made by myself.

Link to youtube Video: