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 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!
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!
