Dollhouse Articles
When I was 9 years old, I received one of my favorite Christmas gifts of all time . . . a beautiful custom-built dollhouse that my Dad somehow managed to build and keep secret until that magical Christmas morning! To this day, I don’t know how he did it. I was in and out of his workshop all the time.
Many years later, after having taken my beloved dollhouse with me through various moves, I lost this treasure to a house fire. The house was also fully outfitted with custom-built furniture that my Dad built, and my talented elder sister painted with beautiful motifs. I had antique dolls that my Grandmother, Grace Middleton had given me, and even a hand-pieced tiny quilt that she made for me. To this day, it causes me sharp pain to remember it, and all its special contents and to know they are gone forever.
Although this precious house could never be replaced, my elder sister’s dollhouse (the College Street House). which had been left behind when she moved all the way across the country, was given to me after the fire. I was so excited! It is very special because it was actually the first dollhouse my Dad ever built. It was through receiving this gift and deriving pleasure from renovating it that I got back into doing dollhouses & miniatures in a big way. As I have built my new collection, I have started sharing these with others by writing articles about them. As a collector myself, I know how much miniaturists enjoy seeing new pieces. I also hope to eventually bequeath my collection to a museum so that others may enjoy seeing the actual pieces even after I am gone.
One accolade that I am very proud of is that my employer, the USPS, featured my miniature work in two separate on-line articles. The first one was featured in “Postal Buzz” and was 9 pages long. I was surprised that they featured so many of my miniature structures, as their initial interest was in the little post office I had created. These articles received enthusiastic response, and one fellow postal worker in the northeast even sent me a surprise gift comprised of various little miniature items & a ceramic post office to add to my collection. Truly, though, the most pleasure I get from sharing my work, through publication, is knowing that people enjoy seeing it.
The dollhouse articles I have had published in Dollhouse Miniatures magazine are listed below, and I have more finished pieces that will be submitted soon. You will notice that Dollhouse Miniatures magazine is the only publication that I have submitted my work to . . . that is because that publication is my favorite in that genre. It offers a pleasing lay-out with vivid colors, interesting articles, and fun project ideas. I am proud to have my work featured in that magazine. Please note that I will not post any dollhouses on this site which I plan to submit for publication until after they appear in print. It would not be fair to the publisher. Each of the dollhouses listed below, however, are featured on this site and additional photos not seen in the articles have been provided.
(1) “Sibling Rivalry in Small Scale”: features Coppertop Cabin – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, Nov/Dec 2008, Issue #06.
(2) “Viva La Casa Maria” (Part 1) features Casa Maria , my Mexican hacienda – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, May/June 2010, Issue #15.
(3) “Viva La Casa Maria” – (Part 2) of Casa Maria feature – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, July/Aug 2010, Issue #16.
(4) “Cantina El Toro” – features Mexican cantina by same name – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, May/June 2010, Issue #15.
(5) “On the Road Bohemian Style” – features gypsy vardo – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, July/Aug 2010, Issue #16.
(6) “Postal Buzz” – 9 page article on the USPS website featuring a selection of my dollhouse miniatures, 2010.
(7) “Authentically Appalachian” – features “Chester’s Retreat” cabin – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, Sep/Oct 2010, Issue #17.
(8) “With a Stamp of Approval” – features U.S. Post Office – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, Nov/Dec 2010, Issue #18.
(9) “The One That Started It All” – features the College Street House – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, Nov/Dec 2010, Issue #18.
(10) “Middleton Manor” – features haunted mansion by same name – Published in Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, Sep/Oct 2011, Issue #23.
(11) “A Small World’s Big Buzz” – The history of Middleton Manor – Ashdown Publishing’s website, Sep/Oct 2011.
Last modified on: January 21st 2013.