I’m slowly…slowly…getting the itch to play with miniatures again. For several months, gosh, it may be a year, I haven’t been able to drum up even a little excitement. I tend to be that way. I’ll be really into something like quilting or crochet and then I’ll tire of it. Same with minis, I guess!
Anyway, the other day I turned my dollhouse around so I could see the inside and sort of fell in love again. I’ve been given some miniatures by lovely readers/friends during the past few months and I’m slowly adding them to Hummingbird Cottage.
The beautiful black wooden tray was a gift from Barbara. It’s now holding mail on the table in the entry.
Nancy Drews, from Barbara, are on the bedside table, waiting to be read.
A Maxfield Parrish is hanging in the den. (From Barbara)
And brightly colored Fiesta-like bowls (from Victoria) are on the kitchen counter.
One thing that has ramped up my excitement about miniatures came in the mail yesterday. I don’t know if you remember this, but I wrote about these dollhouses a while back. They’re made by Elaine Shaw, who lives in London. They’re called MiPads; four different floors in a very modern style that can be used in any combination. They’re pricey for yours truly, so I held off. Elaine and I had a little correspondence going and a while back she wrote to say that she was going to take one final order for the MiPads because they were getting more expensive to make and ship. I thought: This is my last chance to get one! So I ordered one floor.
Here it is. (Not the best time of day to take a photograph and I had to resort to the landing under the skylight.)
This is floor number two. It comes in pieces but it’s so well designed that I put it all together in about twenty minutes. Those are acrylic sliding windows at the front. The design allows one to take it apart easily and put it back together again just as easily.
It’s really big – bigger than I had realized. It’s 24 inches wide, 20 inches deep.
I love these stairs.
I love that the MiPads are modern, yet a blank canvas. There are so many possibilities. I’m inspired to buy some more modern furniture and have at it! At the same time, I’m not limited to any one design style.
I put some of my furniture in there to show scale.
Whoo hoo! I’m excited! So much so that I wrote Elaine and asked her if she had any floors available that, for some reason, didn’t sell. She does. So I’m going to add one more floor. Now, where to put this??? That’s always the question here at the cottage. Where in the heck do I put it?
I’m also heartened to hear that Elaine has decided to continue making the MiPads. She is redesigning the next batch and they’ll be a bit smaller. I’m glad I’m in on the original design.
Tomorrow I’m going to a miniature show run by the IGMA – the guild of miniature artisans. It’s right outside Hartford. I’ve never been to a miniature show so I’m really looking forward to it.
Don was surprised and delighted by the biscuits and cookies. He shared some of the cookies with his fellow cast mates and they got a rave, so I’m happy.
He comes home tomorrow night for his day off.
Forgot to add this – last night’s glorious sunset:
Happy Friday.
I ‘m thrilled that your attention is focusing on minis again. I love these & I miss Caroline & her beautiful cozy home. She reminds me of you!
Have a great day & a beautiful weekend. : )
m~
Thanks, Monica! Caroline has been feeling neglected, of course, so we’ll have to focus on her occasionally!
These are such inviting and well accessorized tiny spaces! If one could be downsized to fit, one could march right in and be at home. So sweet.
Aren’t they? I would definitely downsize myself if I could somehow manage it! xo
I’ve missed the mini’s and so glad their turn has come around again! Love the new additions and again your reader/friends are so amazing! The new house is really FAB (mid century modern FAB) and I can’t wait to see what fun you have with it. The miniature show sounds like fun! Have a good weekend!
FAB for sure! It’s so not my usual style. That’s what’s great about minis!
It was your post about finding a dollhouse on Craigslist that pushed me over the edge to getting my own (used, also from CL). It is still mid-renovation and I feel I’ve rather neglected it over the Summer. It’s time to get re-inspired.
I’m telling you fixing up an older, much loved dollhouse is almost as time consuming and expensive as renovating a real sized house!
I cannot wait to see what you do with your new house!
Fall is a good time to get back at it, Andrea. I don’t do a whole lot on them in the summer, either. Too much else on my TO DO list.
I shudder to think what I’ve put into my dollhouse and Don’s dollhouse! Better not to know. xo
good for you getting what you want and how nice that igma show is in a familiar area not too terribly far from you so that you can attend! :) i can see why you like miniatures … the attention to detail on those teeny, tiny pieces is incredible! and i like elaine’s pretty work, too. have fun!
am back to knitting and reading here, thanks to cooler weather and having most of the moving boxes unpacked. :) i am ready for fall – and the weekend!
hope it’s a good weekend for everyone!
kathy in iowa
Glad you’ve unpacked. How is your new place, Kathy? I hope you like it!
I never thought I’d say it, but it’s been so hot here (and will continue to be for a while) that I am ready for fall, too!
I’m thrilled you’re getting back into miniatures and dollhouses. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 12 times, I would love to shrink and live in Caroline’s house but I love the modern houses, too. You know, it’s an indulgence, but I still subscribe to Squint Box. I don’t do anything with them but drool over them each month; makes me feel happy…I guess like jewelry and clothes make other women happy(!)…but, eventually, I have my plans. (I currently have three empty doll houses but I’m giving one to my neighbor for her little girl’s birthday next month; keeping for myself, instead, the two smaller ones; space for me, too, is at a premium in this house.) Squint Box works for me, at least as I finish out the subscription this year, because I don’t shop individually for miniatures at this stage of the game. I had to discipline myself to stay out of the miniatures store in the neighboring town (our only one; brick & mortar) because it’s a large store and I could kill half a day in there…and spend ‘way too much money. (It’s like a museum, with everything for sale.) I’ve also resisted buying miniatures online, although I know I miss a lot, like if I got started on Etsy. I figure it’s an ongoing thing for me, eventually, though; you’ve found so many wonderful artists and crafters for minis on Etsy. Will look so forward to see how things develop on your new ‘floors’. The idea of “Claudia & Minis” again will surely restore some ‘normalcy’ into my life, so thanks! Very glad I get to benefit from your passions/hobbies/collections, Claudia!
You’re lucky (or perhaps unlucky!) to have a store so near to you. There are none in my area. It’s all stuff I find online or in catalogues or from my readers. Etsy is my favorite source because there are so many talented artisans there.
I need the escape of miniatures right now. I know you understand.
I so completely understand.
The thing about that store is that they’re uncommonly expensive. I look back on a teeny treasure chest/jewelry box…whatever to call it; it’s hinged; very detailed…and I still can’t believe I paid what I did for it there (nothing I can afford to do very often!). But, wow, do they have the customers; any day of the week, any time. I mentioned this on another post of yours a long time ago, but it’s young and old…and MEN. It seems the retired guys are not doing doll houses just for their granddaughters but also for their WIVES…and themselves!.. so it’s a fun ‘couples’ activity, too. Love it! Sort of gender-specific (whereas, for instance, you ‘do it all’ from start to finish, Claudia!), but the guys seemed to be doing the construction, roof tiles, framing, paint…while their gals were picking out the wallpaper and furnishings, yet both enjoying what the other was doing, and all to make it a whole, gorgeous thing. What a fun, shared hobby for seniors! And I talked to a gal in her 30s(?) who was slowly and painstakingly, when budget allows, putting together a keepsake dollhouse for her daughter; something she said she wanted passed down through the generations; she was just so sincere and thoughtful about it, making careful choices.
xoxo
Like I’ve mentioned to you before, I’m personally not into dollhouses, but I absolutely love Caroline’s house. Every detail of that house, furniture and accessories are enthralling to me. I guess because they look so real. And I love that style.
I totally understand being “into” something for a bit and then letting it slide. I’m the same way. I don’t know why that is…I guess sometimes I just lose my enthusiasm, or else there’s so many other things that distract me.
I get distracted. Or bored. Sometimes it’s as simple as feeling unenthusiastic about anything. I’ve been that way for a while – plus, I’ve been really busy with work. Maybe it’s fall, the change of seasons, but I’m ready to start in on something.
So, I saw the picture of the new “floor”, and thought….”Wow!! Caroline has an apartment in the city!!” Seems like the perfect place for her to land when she has work in the big city and must leave her beautiful home.
Glad Don gets to come home again. Do you have more days ahead in the city yourself for the play you have been working on, or did you finish. I know you said it wasn’t a long job.
Enjoy your Friday. We are supposed to hit 93* today on this first day of Fall. Unbelievable!!
I do have more days on the show – probably 3 or 4 more days here and there. It’s very, very hot here, as well. Enough already!
Will Don come home weekly on his day off? Of course your cookies were a hit! I’m excited about vicariously enjoying minis via your upcoming blogs. You will share about the show, right?!?! Definitely a nip in the air this first day of autumn. My peace and quiet are disrupted today, as the asphalt of the street behind me is being jacked up and replaced. I may flee to one of my favorite coffee shops, drink a good cups, and read.
He wants to. I know he’ll be home next weekend as well to drop his car off because the next weekend is the end of the rehearsal period for NYC and then they fly off to New Orleans.
I will share as much as I can about the show. I know some miniaturists don’t want anyone to take picture of their creations. I can understand that. But I’ll certainly blog about it on Sunday.
I’m not much for contemporary/modern design myself – in anything – everything I own is country, colonial, Shaker or whatever-else-from-the-past – but I have to confess to LOVING those “floating” white stairs in your new “floor.” So unique. Can’t wait to see how you fill it up.
Have a perfect first day of Fall. Though according to today’s Google doodle, it doesn’t officially kick in until 4:02pm EDT… Peace. 🍁
#Resist
Neither am I. My home is far from modern! That’s the joy of miniatures. You can indulge in other styles for a modest amount of money.
The stairs are the best!
LOVE seeing photos of the dollhouse. If you’re reading this Barbara, where did you find the Nancy Drew books? I’ve never been to a miniature show either … I wish I was going with you! Take lots of pictures.
P. S. I’m completely finished with the inside of my dollhouse. Now on to the outside repairs.
Hi Debbie,
The Nancy Drew books are from the Etsy shop LittleTHINGSinterest. I enjoy collecting copies of the books on my RL bookshelves. I find this shop to be very good for mini replicas, although I have a very long wish list!
Barbara :)
Thank you, Barbara!
Yay! I’m proud of you, Debbie!
sometimes we just have to take a break to rekindle our love for something. xo Laura
Yes, I’ve found that to be true more often than not!
Wow Claudia!…talk about a clean slate!…if I had one of those floors I know that I would have to do it in Mid Century Modern…I am very interested in seeing what you do with it!…This is probably a silly question but is Don going with you to the mini show tomorrow?…Maybe he could find something to add to his mini studio..I bet he would enjoy that…I’m sure we will all be waiting for your report!…That sunset is breathtaking!..Have fun kids!
No, Don has to rehearse in NYC. Theater people work 6 days a week. Usually the day off is Monday, but on this show it’s Sunday. Just one day. I’ll be going to the show on my own.
I thought for some reason he was coming home tonight…I’m sure you will have fun anyway but I enjoy seeing you two together doing things…your happiness shows in your eyes…that makes me smile!
You’re so lovely, Nancy. Thank you! No, he comes home tomorrow night! Maybe I’ll find a little something for his mini studio. Hmmmm.
Yay! I’m so glad you’re getting back into your minis. I do the same thing too. I go bananas doing a certain craft and just tire of it and move on to something else. I’ve not seen or heard of the MiPads, it’s very sleek and pretty! Have fun.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
I will, Shelia! Thank you!
I am happy for you that you are getting back to your miniatures. It is always nice and relaxing to have a hobby. You have many adorable pieces. Glad that you were to purchase one of the floors. That sunset is breath taking. Enjoy your miniature show in Hartford.
Marilyn
I sure hope to, Marilyn! Thank you.
Even though I’m not into miniatures myself, I so appreciate yours, and am happy it’s time to start up again. I’ve missed seeing Don’s place…and Caroline, of course. And I’m curious to see what you will do with your new white flat. It was so blasted hot today…91 I think. I am so ready for a cool down. Have a good evening! ;)
Really hot here, too. I’m over it! I’m ready for some brisk fall days!
I really like the etched mirror above the entry chest, all the new things.. love the Fiesta bowls. My poor dollhouse needs a dusting and straightening. We have thankfully had a few days of rain and it’s helped quell the fire here in the Columbia River Gorge, OR — it grew to almost 50,000 acres. Can you imagine? Some of our clothes smell of smoke. I bet you’re going to have a fabulous time at miniature show. I agree with you that it’s a scary time with those two yahoos threatening to nuke each other. I simply cannot believe this man is being allowed to destroy our once proud nation. The people that could stop it are having way too much fun passing all kinds of despicable things in the meantime. I just shake my head in disbelief. Hang in there. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Mine needs a dusting, too! I’m happy to hear the rain is slowing down the fires. Such a tragedy, Teresa. xoxo
I love so many things about your first dollhouse, and I can’t wait to see how you decorate your new one. It looks like an investment and a work of love to complete one of these. Have fun over the course of time in making it your dream house. xo
I like to take my time because I love the process. We’ll see what happens with this one!