Sunday, October 12, 2014

Book - "The Miniaturist"


Well, we survived our wedding this past week, and while on holiday for a few nights up in the San Juan Islands, I ran across "The Miniaturist" in a little bookstore in Friday Harbor. I just finished it this morning. Honestly, I was mainly attracted to the book by the title, but I did get engrossed in it. The dollhouse cabinet does have an interesting role in the story, and the reader never does really learn a lot about who the miniaturist is directly. If you enjoy novels, I think it is worth a read, although the story is less concerned with miniatures than on the characters. For me, that wasn't an issue. If you do want a book about miniatures though, you may end up disappointed.

As for my own dollhouse, well the kit is still in the box. But miniatures are still on my mind!

Friday, October 3, 2014

Haven't opened the box... yet...


Still haven't opened my Craftsman Bungalow kit box as work and life are very busy at the moment. But looking forward to the day that happens. Also, I'm realizing that I need to really clean off my desk so I'll be able to have a space to work! I've still been looking for inspiration in how I want the house to look. The image above is from a house that Pat and Noel Thomas did in 1984 and it is AWESOME.

I'm enjoying thinking of who I am designing the house for, which is (of course) an occupant who has similar tastes to my own. One of the few things I have purchased recently, aside from the kit and miniature magazines, was a doll from a Lithuanian artist on Etsy that will be the occupant. This surprised me a little as I really think I'm more interested in the architecture and interior design of this project than on collecting dolls, but I liked her work and it just felt like the right thing to do. In a sense, I'll have my "client" with me as I complete the project. He'll likely arrive in the mail in the next week or two.

Down the road, I think I'd like to try making a good deal of the furniture for my house rather than filling it with purchases. That may be a bit ambitious, and I've identified some pieces I might want to buy rather than making everything myself, so we'll see how it ends up. I've been looking at the IGMA website and am dreaming of attending their Guild School someday. I could technically register for the 2015 school, but I don't know that I can afford the tuition, travel, and time off to go to Maine next year.

I wish there was more of a presence in the Pacific Northwest here for miniature hobbyists. We have two stores left in the greater Seattle area, and both of them are pretty small. Alki Beach Miniatures is a cool place, but about 350 square feet, so not a ton of stock. And Darleen's Dollhouse Shoppe is also a cute little space, but it is operated out of Darleen's basement and also doesn't have as wide of a selection as I'd like. (Although Darleen herself has been in the business for many years and is a lovely lady to chat with.) There are so many other shops I remember in our area that have gone out of business over the years: Mr. Peepers (University Village), First Ventures (Kent), My Shop (Renton), Sue's Fascination Shop (Edmonds), Dolly's Dollhouse (Phinney Ridge), one in Burien that I don't recall the name of. Probably more than that too!

In any case, I'm hopeful that I'll get the kit opened and started on things before the end of 2014. I think it could be as soon as the end of this month, but I figured I would try to give myself some room rather than set hard deadlines on what should be a fun project.