For the past few weeks, I've seen a few of my regular blog reads discussing recent finds. Sounds totally normal, except that their purchases are just a few inches tall — fit for a dollhouse.
The ever-talented and endearing Emily Henderson of HGTV's "Secrets from a Stylist" has launched the call to design enthusiasts everywhere to join in what she has dubbed the "I'm a Giant!" challenge.
As Emily puts it, "It's a chance to create a mini-fantasy world of your own, don't worry about function, just bout looks."
I never had a dollhouse; I never really had any dolls besides a few Barbies whose hair I cropped. Nevertheless, the idea of having a blank slate of a space where you could go crazy and not worry about practicality or what your significant other or roommates think sounds pretty fun to me.
What do you think — would you make a dollhouse? If you're intrigued by the idea, know that there are basically no rules, and the challenge will run until December 15.
Find out more at Style by Emily Henderson.
Image: Emily Henderson
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I used to make 1/12 scale dollhouse miniatures for sale, from polymer clay. (Candy, cookied, gingerread houses, floral displays, etc.) (At one time scale dollhouse miniatures were THE top hobby in the US -- before scrapbooking dethroned them.) Since then the quality and variety of handcrafted, truly-to-scale items has mushroomed, but because working tiny and to scale is difficult, also gotten expensive. (True scale, when photographed in a neutral setting, looks indistinguishable from the real thing -- which makes skinny chair legs and other things very delicate and hard to build. Sewn things need invisible stitches. Etc.) Collectors still spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on exquisite, perfect, tiny things...
More recently, and less constricted as to scale, the library where I work had done programs on "Fairy Houses", which are tiny rooms for fantasy folk, using natural materials like seed pods, shells, moss, bark, and twigs to craft domestic items.
Toy houses are a compromise with scale -- little furnishings that would be blocky and oddly proportioned if blown up to human scale. But they can still be fun.
Lots of options!
I love dollhouse miniatures with the fire of a thousand suns.
I have a dollhouse in my garage that my dad built for my daughter. I've thought many times that it would be fun to create a miniature world in it. This is the inspiration I need to get started.
My mom, sister and I spent a long time building a dollhouse when we were younger. It was very rewarding to see it all come together. We still have the dollhouse with all the little furniture pieces - its adorable and now an heirloom!
Looking forward to seeing what the "I'm a Giant" challenge produces!
I am a DC interior design blogger - my blog is Chinoiserie Chic - http://chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com
I am participating in the I'm a Giant challenge and I am creating a modern dollhouse filled with Chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency, modern, vintage, and mid century modern. I know nothing about dollhouses and miniatures, but I'm having lots of fun.