Dollhouse Decorating - A Guide To Accessorizing
By Susan Downing

Accessories for doll houses can be made from so many items. Wall art can be a piece of jewelry like a brooch. Or Mod Podge magazine pictures or posters onto foam core and frame them. Twist Fimo into a piece of sculpture, worthy of standing on a plinth in a MacMansion vestibule. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Coffee tables offer lots of space for books, flowers and decorative pieces. To keep objects orderly and pleasing to the eye, use trays to group similar items, such as ceramics and pillar candles. Try clustering candles of different sizes and colors in one tray and bowls or vases in another. Jazz up a stack of books by topping it with a vessel filled with found objects.

Personalize a space on the mantle by using items that symbolize you and your interests. You will want one piece or element to dominate the grouping, with smaller items supporting it. The subject can be anything that describes you. Just be sure to keep the items in the same theme.

Adding flowers can provide a beautiful and colorful focal point to the space. Choose one large arrangement or multiple, smaller potted arrangements to showcase organic elements.

Complement a credenza with a striking piece of wall art. In reality, it should hang from 8 to 12 inches above the credenza to form an eye-pleasing connection between the items. So adjust for your project's scale. To complete the effect, make sure that some of the accessories are tall enough to overlap the artwork, helping the art and accessories appear as a single unit.

Using elements that are different will give your space interest and flow. But be careful not to create a hodgepodge of collectibles scattered around a room. The eye will not be able to focus -- and enjoy -- any one item. Simplify what you collect. Stick with items that are a similar size or hue. Then gather your favorites in one spot for major impact, sans the clutter.

Harmonize objects of different shapes and sizes with an asymmetrical arrangement. You'll want to avoid items that have all the same height or all the same size and scale. Balance a tall, large object with several smaller ones. Nestle the items together to increase the arrangement's visual weight and overlap shapes to create layers. Choose items from the same color palette to unify unrelated objects.

Keep your miniature fresh looking by rotating accessories, Change the flowers on the coffee table often. If you have more than one interest that you can symbolize in a grouping, rotate that display on the mantle.

Make sure you have the "right" coffee table. This is mainly an issue in contemporary miniatures, where the idea is to depict life as we know it today -- or a recent "yesterday." Is the coffee table in a formal living room, or in a space where the kids will be hanging out doing homework, while your husband watches a football game? The old maxim "function before form" will point you in the right direction on what kind of table to select, and how to accessorize it.

Susan Downing is the owner of MiniDecor & More, specializing in dollhouse furniture and accessorizes. To take advantage of a free dollhouse decorating service, click on the Free Stuff tab at [http://www.minidecorandmore.com]. Dollhouse news and decorating tips are offered on http://www.facebook.com/MiniDecor

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All About Period Doll Houses
By Laura Anne Grey

When building a period doll house you can choose to have a doll house from a particular period in time. You could theme your doll house around a particular era like the Victorian of Georgian era.

Doll houses themed on the Tudor period have become very popular recently because of their unique ornate ness and quirky charm. These houses with their wooden beams and leaded windows are a pleasure to make and display and are a really wonderful example of the period doll house.

Victorian Doll Houses

The Victorian period is one of the most popular. Victorian wooden doll houses offer large rooms, character and their furniture is decorative, the Victorians showed their wealth by their possession's cramming as much into a room as possible. This is great for miniature collectors, you can have as much furniture and ornaments in a Victorian dolls house as you like and it will not look out of place.

Georgian Doll Houses

Georgian doll houses are the most common form of wooden doll houses and the one you will come across most. They are popular because they are large and attractive. The Georgian period was very much influenced by classical architecture and is often called neoclassical style. There were three main themes: Greece and Rome, Terraces and Town Houses, Palladianism and Country Houses.

Tudor Doll Houses

Tudor wooden doll houses are absolutely wonderful display pieces. They are very attractive from the outside and replicate real Tudor houses very well. Tudor dolls houses are definitely for collectors.

The image of a Tudor house is one of a white building encased in black timbers. The roof would be covered with thatch, tiles or slate. Inside the homes would have wood paneled walls which were sometimes arranged into decorative patterns. The ceilings would be bare timber or sometimes the rafters would be concealed with plaster.

Laura Anne Grey has been a doll house builder and miniature enthusiast for over ten years. She own a doll house business in South Wales and is an expert in her field. Find out more information on doll houses at http://www.doll-house-miniature-club.com and http://www.ladollshouse.com

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Georgian Dolls Houses - How to Achieve a Genuine Georgian House Style
By Julie Ann

Influences and style

To achieve a genuine Georgian house style when building or decorating your own Georgian dolls house it is important to understand the influences and style during this period which spanned from 1714 to about 1830. During the Georgian period people really began taking an interest in fashion and interiors. The upper classes would often enjoy a Grand Tour of Europe for a year or two and during this time were heavily influenced by the fashion & interior design they saw on their travels. This influence also extended to the design and style of the Georgian dolls house. Other major influences included the architecture of Inigo Jones and the Orient.

The style of the time was all about delicate colour schemes and woodwork, dainty furniture, harmony, balance and a sense of light and airiness to the rooms.

Characteristics of a Georgian dolls house

The most popular color schemes evolved from the heavier burgundy, sage green and blue greys of the early Georgian period to much lighter greens, sky blues and dusky pinks. Floors of Georgian houses were typically bare boards covered with Oriental rugs. Or, if the property was more up market, the floor would have been a pale colored stone or marble.

For a genuine Georgian effect dolls house walls should be paneled up to the dado rail and then painted or papered above.

Repetitive patterns in wallpaper such as trefoils and far eastern designs were very popular. Wallpaper also reflected the trend for block printing towards the end of the Georgian era and featured simple, bold geometric patterns such as squares and stripes.

Cotton with a delicate floral pattern was the fabric of choice for soft furnishings . It was important to match the sofas, armchairs and curtains, and the latter were often adorned with pagoda style pelmets. Often armchairs and divans were protected with loose covers made from cheap, striped linen and these were removed for entertaining on special occasions. Georgian lighting featured chandeliers made from glass, metal and wood, as well as brass, silver, or silvered wood wall lights. In less expensive properties light fittings were often pewter or tin.

Furniture was delicate, for example wing chairs and chairs with hoop or shield backs.

The Georgians loved their fireplaces and the grander the house the more elegant and eye-catching the fireplace! Carved surrounds with swags and shells were an indication of wealth and status. Ornaments and pictures would usually be grouped around the fireplace to emphasize the importance of the fireplace as the focal point of the room.

Moldings on the ceilings often consisted of elaborate ribbons and swags, classical figures and urns.

Georgian front doors generally had central knobs positioned at waist height and no letterboxes. There was often a filigree fanlight with a canopy and pediments. Original Georgian properties had sash windows and shutters.

Find out more about Georgian dolls houses and miniatures at Julie-Ann's Dolls Houses

About Julie Ann's Dolls Houses
Julie Ann's Dolls Houses supply wooden dolls house kits (including Victorian dolls houses and Georgian dolls houses), dolls house accessories, dolls house furniture and advice on building dolls houses.

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A Colonial Dollhouse Christmas - The Rich and The Poor
By Susan Downing

Researching the life-styles of the Royals and merchants at Christmas is a snap. There are images galore on the Internet because artists were hired by the gentry to memorialize their good fortune in oils and etchings. The holidays were not as visually festive for the poor, and few painters found their drab surroundings artistically stimulating.

If authenticity is your thing, the following brief guide may aid your decorating decisions.

The Lower Orders

In colonial times, the poor usually lived in one all-purpose room, with the fireplace being the center of their lives. It was the kitchen and work room most daylight hours. The table might be boards on saw horses or a piece of wood with swing legs and drop leaves. When not in use, this was stored against a wall. The room converted to a sleeping space when rolled-up bedding was spread on the floor. How close to the fireplace depended on the season, and how far north they lived.

Christmas decorations were limited to an evergreen branch or two on the mantel, wound with a strip of bright cloth or ribbon for color. A candle representing the Star of Light might be lit for a short period. Gifts were made by loving hands at home, and might include clothing, tools and a trinket or two.

The Christmas feast depended on how bountiful the harvest, and the quantity of game in the forest. Only in a good year would the portable table became a "groaning board," sagging under the weight of Christmas dinner. At best, this could include a loaf of round bread, potatoes, yams, pumpkin, peas, carrots, corn, onions, fowl, cakes, pies, cookies, brandies, wine, beer and coffee. This is a great place for a fledgling miniaturist to learn how to use polymer clay. A "finished" look is not desirable with homespun, anyway.

The Wealthy

Homes of the wealthy were large enough to have rooms devoted to a single purpose: a kitchen, pantry, dining room, bedroom - each would have a fireplace and a mantle loaded with Christmas decorations. Swags of boxwood or conifers, entwined with magnolia leaves and boughs of white pine, were popular. Clues to the future ornamentation were fresh lemons and oranges, brought by trading vessels from the West Indian colonies.

The Christmas feast would be spread on a table crafted by a local cabinetmaker or imported from the Continent. The table settings could be pewter, red ware - glazed clay ceramic -- or possibly Chinese blue and white porcelain.

The meal might have dishes the lower class enjoyed, but differed greatly in variety and quantity.

Again, try making these items yourself. If your first try at crafting in 1/12th scale, "3 larded pheasants and a swan pye" falls flat, trash it, and try again. Fimo and Sculpy are cheap, costing about $2.50 for a 2 once block. Polymer clay lasts forever, if stored in plastic wrap or a Ziploc bag.

The wealthy had store-bought gifts, such as jigsaw puzzles, rollers skates, harmonicas, or a paint box with color pellets. Like the poor, the rich had good years and bad. Their economic wellbeing depended on ships surviving North Atlantic storms, or trappers snagging enough beaver pelts.

One thing not to put in a colonial miniature is a decorated Christmas tree, although its "invention" is attributed to Martin Luther two centuries earlier. He had taken a walk one clear December night in a forest and felt closer to God at the sight of stars twinkling above snow-laden bows. On arriving home, he set a small conifer on a table and decorated it with candles to inspire the children.

The Christmas tree did not arrive in America until the early 1800s.

Susan Downing is the owner of MiniDecor & More, specializing in dollhouse furniture and accessorizes. To take advantage of a free dollhouse decorating service, click on the Free Stuff tab at http://www.minidecorandmore.com.

Dollhouse news and decorating tips are offered on http://www.facebook.com/MiniDecor

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Polymer Clay Studio Tools - Which Household Items And Objects We Can Take To Our Studio?
By Iris Mishly

What household items we can take to our studio?

Cleaning stuff, hygiene and makeup -

dishes scotch pads - These are ideals for texture, you can use them in all kinds of shapes, sizes, thickness, and they are wonderful. A tip I learned from the great Nan Roche, is to hold your sanding paper on top of a scotch pad, this way the sanding paper is being held by the soft pad and your hand & fingers get a much more comfortable support.

baby wipes - cleaning and more cleaning! clean you clay, your hands, your floor, your pasta machine, these wipes are very useful.

floor polish - although i do not use floor polish as a finish to my work, "Future" Floor Polish is a great example of this. Some people like to dip their beads in finishing liquids, or you can use a brush and apply few layers until you get the effect you want. This material is an alternative to gloss and lacquer.

Tooth brush - another texturing tool (and cleans as well!)

Makeup brushes - I have a store nearby that sells cheap makeup brushes that are soft and nice, suitable for applying paint, lacquar, gloss or resin.

Makeup powders - those are great as metallic/matt effects on stamped clay, i use to be a makeup artist and have tons of those powders, they are perfect for clay and can be a wonderful substitute to the mica powders (see photo).

Lotion - a good material we can use with very dry clay, just add a small amount of lotion to your dry clay and keep conditioning it, it helps softening the material.

Manicure sponges - the manicure sponges have 2 main purposes - 1st is for sanding in medium-coarse grit and 2nd is texturing.

Manicure stickers - nails stickers are a great decoration for cured polymer clay designs - flowers, butterflies, dots, etc. Don't cure them, the plastic in them won't survive the heat of the oven. same with plastic rhinestones.

Stylus - this tool is awesome, making these cute dots on your clay whether it is cured or raw, i love "dotting" my clay, you can also use acrylic paints to add dots after cure.

Vaseline or other Petroleum Jelly - same use as lotion.

Talcum - very useful release agent, brush your stamps, texture sheets for easy releasing. you can also use cornflower for the same purpose. Be careful not to inhale talcum, it's not healthy.

Dental Clinic -
Syringe - although this tool is not something i want to meet in real life, it is great for measuring material, especially when working with resin which has to be weighted carefully. i know some people use them as extruders, but i haven't try that:)

Dental tools for sculpturing - these tools are perfect for sculpturing and miniatures. if you are into those subjects - it's a must have.

Molding materials - haven't try those either but i heard from one of my students which is a dentist that the dental mold works great for polymer clay as well.

Carpentry, Construction
Sanding paper - sanding paper in all kinds of grits are welcome in our studio - coarse? use it for texture. fine? use it for sanding. they are fun to use, cheap and make a beautiful finish on your back pieces.

Lathe machines - Never used those but i saw the magic done with them by grant diffendaffer.

Tool boxes - working tools for your DH? no, they can be a great storage box for US! i have tons of boxes from the hardware store used to store my canes, tools, cutters etc!

Ceramic tiles - take all the leftovers from your home renovation (or ask the neighbor for some tiles) and use them as working surface. they are cleaned easily and can be cured in the oven.

Mesh - this is one of my favorites! metal mesh can be cured so it can be used as an addition to our clay designs, as armature and many other uses.

Screws/Nails etc - steam punk style? these oven proof tools and materials are a cool decoration for your work. they are also useful for texturing, piercing, and just for fun.

Pliers - it was supposed to be the other way around but i always find MY pliers at my DH tool box! these tools are a must for wire work, jewelry making and any studio needs a couple of these.

Silicone Gun - mostly used as an assistant to older polymer clay extruders (scroll down on this page) if you don't have the green Makin's extruder, you may want to use the silicone extruder as an aid.

Enjoy!

Iris Mishly

My name is Iris Mishly and I am a polymer clay artist. After 15 years as a web designer, the coincidence led me to discover polymer clay in November 2004, I took 1 lesson, and i knew it was different from anything I'd ever done before. I am the founder of PolyPediaOnline which was established on 2009 to allow artists and hobbiests from all over the world to learn from my personal experience from any where in the world: polymer clay free tutorials & videos, jewelry, accessories and millefiori canes tutorials.

Iris Mishly
Get instant access to free tutorials and videos! http://www.polypediaonline.com

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Help Stamp Out Beige - Decorating Dollhouses With Intense Colors
By Susan Downing

The first part of the title was the tag line in a paint manufacture's advertisement in the 1970s, touting a new line of vibrant colors. "You no longer have to settle for 'pallid paints,'" was the punch line.

I got to thinking about that advert while thumbing through a stack of old Better Homes & Gardens at a yard sale. Which led to wondering why so many miniaturist are a bit timid about color, almost as fearful as some of my interior design clients. Which led to thinking about Victorian dollhouses. How's that for a stream of consciousness.

The Victorians certainly weren't afraid of color. The CCC rule - compatible color combinations - was seldom observed. Do the following image search on the Internet: "Victorian Painted Ladies San Francisco". Be prepared to be amazed at the whacky color combinations that come up.

Or take a cue from the residents of Atlanta in the 1870s. The Civil War left the city in ashes. Those that could afford to rebuild their spectacular early Victorian homes did so with the flourish of a defeated people who refused to be conquered. If you visit Atlanta, take a history tour to see some well-maintained masterpieces.

The Queen Anne style of Victorian houses became popular in the 1880s, which coincided with the development of synthetic pigments. Vivid blues, greens, purples and yellows were now possible. Multi-hued schemes accentuated the corbels and columns, or the fish-scale shingles under the eaves. Ornate friezes painted in both light and dark colors, stood out in sharp contrast against backdrops of darker shades.

Technology created other new materials and production methods, and the cost of ornamental elements dropped. Architects and builders applied decoration liberally to houses, creating styles that no one had ever seen before, combining features from different eras with their own flourishes.

Are you fired-up yet about a Victorian dollhouse being your next project? If so, you first have to decide: Which Victorian?

The era lasted from about 1840 to 1900, and historians agree - more or less - that the following individual styles evolved:

Italianate

British Arts and Crafts movement

Gothic Revival

Italianate

Jacobethan

Neoclassicism

Gothic Revival

Painted ladies

Queen Anne

Folk Victorian

Renaissance Revival

Romanesque Revival (Richardsonian)

Second Empire (Mansard Style)

Octagon Style

Stick-Eastlake

Industrial Architecture

Research these styles and pick one that speaks to you. Don't forget the interiors. The owners of a twenty room mansion could indulge themselves in twenty different styles. Or mix and match within the same room. To quote Cole Porter, "Anything Goes!"

Now you have a big-picture decision about color: Do you want your project to look as bright and new as it did on the day the painters packed up and left? Or do want to put some "age" on the dollhouse, giving it the look of faded gentility. Both are authentic; it's a personal choice.

So fear not! If your next project is a Victorian, you can be as subdued, (but not all the way to beige, please). or as lavash with color as you want. Some might question your taste, but no one can accuse you of being historically inaccurate.

Susan Downing is the owner of Mini Decore & More, specializing in dollhouse furniture and accessorizes. To take advantage of a free dollhouse decorating service, click on the Free Stuff tab at http://www.minidecorandmore.com. Dollhouse news and decorating tips are offered on http://www.facebook.com/MiniDecor

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Dollhouse Decorating - For The Perfect Fabric Think Color, Pattern and Weight
By Susan Downing

If your inspiration for decorating dollhouse miniatures comes from interior design magazines or TV show, do not forget the scale in which you are working. It sounds self-evident, but so many of us lose sight of that fact, when we gaze at all the wonderful fabrics offered to us.

Following are some guidelines to stay focused on what is most important: you are searching for a perfect fabric to use in a dollhouse miniature. Now please don't say, "Duh!" just yet.

I strongly feel that when we focus primarily on color, and don't keep the "technicalities" of pattern size and the weight of the fabric in mind at the beginning of the design process, we risk falling in love with an inappropriate material. The color is gorgeous, but perhaps the pattern is too large, or the fabric too stiff and heavy. But it's such a beautiful color! Right, then we try to force this material into our project and the next step is usually to start over.

Fortunately, we can "audition' fabrics before we buy them.

Brick Mortar Stores

Educators tell us we all learn in three different ways: visual, auditory and kinetic - touching. The trick for teachers is to figure out which the three is the primary portal to the brain or each of their charges. We have a kinetic learner in the family. When he encounters something new, he says, "Let me see!" grabs the object. This darling is kept out of fine glassware and porcelain shops.

Fortunately for miniaturists, fabric stores give us the opportunity to hone our kinetic skills, without fear of breakage.

Choosing The Right Pattern

One trick is to cut a one inch square out of a piece of stiff paper or a plastic card. I prefer a plastic card because its convenient to keep in my wallet.

Scan the bolts of fabric in the rack and pull several that might be suitable. Remember, you are considering color, pattern and weight, all at the same time. To zero in on pattern, pass the one inch window over a fabric. This expands your choices because even large flowered prints may have areas like stems, buds and leaves that may be useful to your design.

This video from Joanne's Minis gives a good demonstration of the One Inch Window technique: http://youtu.be/zXd38Jm4bpI

Wrinkles Are Good.

If you need pleats on curtains, dresses or furniture skirts, the fabric must hold a crease, Scrunch the material in your hand and see if it wrinkles. If it does, it's a prospect.

Stains Aren't Good.

Wet a small spot with some saliva and see if it stains. This will be important if you want to use glue anywhere and don't want it to show.

Fraying, Sometimes Good.

Check out the cut end of the cloth to see if it frays. You don't want to be sewing tiny seams and have it fray apart. On the other hand, you want it to fray a bit, if a fringe is in your plan.

Weight Control.

Pay attention to the weight of the material. If it is heavy, it may be too thick for miniature work. I feel comfortable working with cotton, light-weight wool, cotton and silk blend, rayon and some other light-weight fabrics - if they behave the way I want. Regular quilting cotton or similar materials have the qualities I like for most projects

Online Shopping

No local store can compete with the variety of fabrics available online. And you need not be overwhelmed by the number choices. A "long tail keyword search" gives you ample control on what is presented to you.

As an example, start with "fabric tiny prints." Narrow it down by adding "cotton" or "large weave." Use as many key words as you can, before the search engine gets totally confused and nothing but irrelevant choices are offered.

Using Both Online and Local Shops

Here is a recent experience I had. Custom made curtains are a popular item in my online shop, I received an order for pleated curtains in shade of gray that aqua throw pillows would love. The local JoAnns had nothing useful; same at Jay's Fabrics. Online shopping was next.

First I went to several tried-and-true websites and used the internal links to browse. Still no luck, so I went to my favorite browser and entered this long tail keyword string in the search field: "dollhouse curtain fabric brocade cotton gray" and got links to three possibilities. The descriptions of the fabrics looked good. I did a screen print of each and emailed them to the customer. She made her choice, I made and shipped curtains. All is well.

It would have been much easier, less time-consuming, ergo more profitable if I could have found what I wanted at a local fabric store. They sell to a mass market, and the miniature artisan gets lost in that demographic. In the end, there is always a way. Sometimes we just have to learn new things.

Susan Downing is the owner of MiniDecor & More, specializing in dollhouse furniture and accessorizes. To take advantage of a free dollhouse decorating service, click on the Free Stuff tab at http://www.minidecorandmore.com. Dollhouse news and decorating tips are offered on http://www.facebook.com/MiniDecor

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Dollhouse Decorating - Take Better Pictures For About $60
By Susan Downing

We work hard to make the dollhouse miniature items we love. But sometimes, not as much care is devoted to presenting them on the Internet, where good photographs are critical in selling our wares. That's a shame, because about $60.00 worth of lights and a folding table top "studio" is all you need to take better pictures, no matter what kind of digital camera you own.

Lighting

To photograph dollhouse miniatures, from small objects in 1/12 scale to grand Victorian palaces, the lighting set-up should be your first concern. A Table Top Photo Studio sells for about $40.00 online. I use one a card table near a sunny window, careful not to let direct sunlight hit to object. This minimizes unwanted shadows. An old gooseneck reading lamp with a daylight-balanced compact fluorescent bulb hovers above the "studio," if supplemental light is needed. Cost? $8.00 for the lamp at Goodwill; $12.00 for the fluorescent bulb could find.

Alternate Set Up

I guess my mini movie set works very well, because I get questions on whether pictures I take are of a real room or a dollhouse. Actually, it's two pieces of foam core taped at a right angle. I cut in a 1/12 scale casement window, paint the walls and trim the colors needed, then "dress" the set with 1/12 scale furniture and accessories. On the open side of the set, the camera is free to take wide shots of the whole room or zoom in on individual pieces.

The Camera

Any low-end digital camera, like the Nikon CoolPix or a Canon Powershot, work just fine. They really are glorified snapshot cameras, in the best sense of the word. You can point and shot, and if there is enough light, be assured of getting a clear picture.

Most of these cameras have a macro setting, even macro zoom. This is a plus because in small object photography, you want to have the effect of getting in close so that you can see detail. Without a macro setting, getting too close to the object will cause distortion of the image. In that case stay further back, build up the light level as much as possible, then crop the photo tight in whatever program you are using to download pictures from your camera to your computer.

Shooting Through Glass

Try to avoid it. But if you must, watch out for glare, lights reflecting back at you, or your own reflection with the camera in front of your face. Although, that could be an interesting self-portrait.

The End Result

There are three main types of small object photography: catalogue, fashion and art. To sell dollhouse miniature products online, catalogue style is best. Catalogue pictures give you fact; art and fashion go for emotion. Our customer wants to clearly see what is being offered for sale and is probably not interested in sexy lighting or selective focus.

More Information

This article gives a quick overview of small object photography for dollhouse miniatures. If you want to go deeper into the subject, there is plenty information available on the web. Use "small object photography tutorial" in your browser's search field, and you will find as much information as you need, short of becoming a professional photographer.

Susan Downing is the owner of MiniDecor & More, specializing in dollhouse furniture and accessorizes. To take advantage of a free dollhouse decorating service, click on the Free Stuff tab at http://www.minidecorandmore.com. Dollhouse news and decorating tips are offered on http://www.facebook.com/MiniDecor

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Miniature Doll Houses - A Magnificent Obsession
By Steven Gail

Doll houses are commonly considered to be playthings for children, but building and furnishing miniature doll houses is very much an intricate and adult pastime. Most hobbyists take their craft very seriously, and for some it's a magnificent obsession that spans a lifetime of painstakingly replicating and miniaturizing furniture, wallpaper, rugs, crockery, and paintings - spending hours and hours to get every detail just right. Some hobbyists are fortunate enough to share their passion with a daughter or grand-daughter, but for most it's a singular obsession to be savored alone.

The whole object of building miniature doll houses is that they should be a perfect miniaturized reflection of home life, and as faithful in every detail as possible. All aspects of the home are reproduced in exact miniature form, and even true-to-life miniature dolls are made in minute detail to live in this small, enchanting and lovingly crafted world.

Most adults begin this hobby with casual interest, but once the bug has bitten, it soon becomes a lifelong passion of reproducing, as well as collecting, miniaturized items for these charming little houses. When it comes to the miniature doll houses themselves, there are many styles and themes that are available either in kit form, or as plans that you can download from the Internet and build yourself.

You can order amazing dollhouse kits in a variety of styles and themes that you can assemble, paint and decorate yourself. Some of the styles include faithfully reproduced, magnificent laser cut Victorian doll houses that run to three floors, including attics, bay windows, fancy staircases, and intricately designed facades, complete with a porch and the curved Mansard roof of the era.

The fine detail of these magnificent Victorian reproductions is absolutely stunning and they are made to true miniature scale (1 inch = 1 foot). Hours of utter pleasure can be spent painting the exterior, and the enjoyment is doubled by painting and decorating the interior rooms. You can either collect or buy the furniture needed, or reproduce the miniatures yourself. And the best part is that you don't have to be a child to completely immerse yourself in this engrossing hobby!

There are many other contemporary and themed miniature dollhouse kits available for self assembly. For example, faithfully reproduced quaint and charming miniature cottages, which include attics and octagon shaped dormer windows, bay windows, porches, shutters - and even tiny flower boxes! And for those who are passionate about their Barbie collection, there are Barbie dollhouse kits available that feature both country as well as townhouses - large enough for Barbie and Ken to move right in!

Considering the beauty and faithful reproduction of these delightful miniature houses, it's easy to see why so many adults are fascinated by this captivating hobby.

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