Subconscious Intent




My last post spurred some very helpful comments and discussion about clutter and how you might approach it. Thank you!!! I loved reading all of the ideas and commentary, some of which made me laugh, some of which impressed me, and much of which made me realize that I have some work to do!!

On the topic of mini clutter, the newest issue of Dolls Houses Past & Present is out, and in addition to developing very interesting reads about collections and storage, Rebecca asked if she could include in the issue what I have written over the past few years about my collection, and in particular about my storage triumphs and challenges. It was fun to see it all compiled into one article -- read it if you get a chance and please check out the rest of the issue!

This scene tumbled out of my brain. I was on autopilot most of the time and it was a lot of fun to do. What I can tell you is that my very dear friend D. was heavily in my thoughts, since she was in labor with her second child, a girl born late last night. Perhaps that is why I was drawn to a new free downloadable wallpaper by Herman Miller (read more about it). There are eleven, but this pink geometric one caught my eye and ended up on the floor of my IKEA room box.









A little background on the setting and accessories. The colorful wall squares are magnets from Staples. See?



Happy coincidence that the back wall of the IKEA box is metal, so they stuck right on! I randomly placed them above an AG Minis shelf (also magnetic) and accessorized from there. I love the little matryoshkas! And the girly boombox is from an eraser set by Kid Robot




There's another little eraser bear tucked in the crib, too. About that womb-like  "crib" -- it is a votive holder from the Crate & Barrel Outlet that had a previous life as a base for a fire pit in one of my other scenes. The bottom of the crib is made of two napkin ring holders, which I got as part of a *free* bag of "junk" at a recent estate sale:


It may not look it, but this crib is soft and comfy, I swear. :)

Welcome to the world, little J.!

Credits: Wall art consists of magnets from Staples; shelving is AG Minis; light is minimodernistas; chair is Reac; "crib" is a Bambu votive holder from the Crate & Barrel Outlet, with a base of estate sale napkin holders; planter is Playmobil. Accessories are from Housing Works Thrift Shop, Jazams, random doll house store finds, and Kid Robot.

The time it took me: 28 minutes

Tea House

I have been extremely busy these days with work and family, and have not had much time for my minis. The level of disorganization here is pretty high, and I feel like none of my houses have a tidy spot for a scene!

Perhaps that is why I chose to do a setup in my IKEA room box, which was (basically) empty. I had a day off on Friday with my two older children, and we had a great time together. One of our stops was the Crate & Barrel Outlet store in Cranbury, NJ, which always yields something for mini play. In addition to lots of Reed chair ornaments for under $1, I scored a silver teardrop ornament that reminded me of the 1:1 scale ModFire fire pits, which were reproduced amazingly in 1:12 by Pepper of MitchyMoo Miniatures. My approach was far lazier than Pepper's...no attempt whatsoever to craft anything with my hands! Instead, I placed it in a Bambu votive holder (on clearance for $1.50), and built my scene around that.









The tea kettle stand is a condiment bowl, also from the clearance bin ($1.95). The flooring is from a sheet of the "Maze Pool and Papaya" paper from the Paper Source. It has an Easter palette so I felt inspired to use it here. The black shelf is a throwback to my childhood -- it was given to me by a family friend, who somehow ended up with a box of my dollhouse stuff from when I was a kid. I initially brushed it off as something I wouldn't use, but then I reconsidered for this scene.

Happy creating!

Credits: Fire pit is an ornament from CB2 and its stand is a votive holder by Bambu; chair is vintage Lundby; planter is Playmobil with an aquarium plant; light is minimodernistas; tea kettle stand is a condiment dish from Crate & Barrel; shelving is from my childhood collection. Accessories are Re-ment, random eBay finds, and Lomography.

The time it took me: 40 minutes