The Birth of an Obsession

One day a few weeks ago, I went to the Circus Dollhouse store in Pompton Plains, New Jersey with my friend Sally.  I thought it might be interesting, but mostly I went along for company while she looked for items to use in a craft project. I never expected that when we walked through the door, I would have some kind of an epiphany.  I haven't been the same since.

Here is their website -  if you are susceptible to sudden obsessions, view at your own risk:  http://www.circusdollhouse.com/

Suddenly, I am in the grip of a consuming passion for dollhouses and all things miniature.  No other topic interests me for long. I have gone back again and again to the dollhouse store to look at the different types of houses and all the amazing furniture and miniatures that go inside them.  I've taken out every dollhouse-related book at every local library and I pore over them endlessly.  I have prowled the aisles at Michael's and JoAnn's looking for supplies and tools.  I have surfed the web endlessly, reading how-to articles and looking at pictures of dollhouses and interiors.  My husband is slightly alarmed - I have gone off the deep end for various hobbies over the years, but never like this.

This song keeps running through my mind.  Please enjoy the following cheesy 80's music video:

My original intention was to  buy a pre-built house, because mostly I am excited about decorating the inside.  Circus Dollhouse had many beautiful finished houses, and there are no shortage of dollhouses for sale on Craigslist.  But the more research I did, I realized that I wanted to build my own house.

Here is one website that really inspired me:

"Let's Build a Dollhouse"

These ladies make the hobby seem fun and accessible, and they generously share their ideas, tips and projects.  (Check out Lavender Cottage! Can you stand the adorableness?)  The upshot of all this is, after extensive research and endless internal debate on the pros and cons of each choice, I decided that I will build.  I have never built a dollhouse or written a blog, so I am combining the two activities to document my progress.

When I was trying to name my blog, "dollhousefever," "miniaturemadness," "mydollhouseobsession" and pretty much every other variation on the theme that I could think of were all taken.  It is comforting to know that I am not unique in this level of devotion to my new hobby.

One final thought:  I am a grown woman. I want to build this house and then fill it with furniture and decorate the bejesus out of it.  But no doll will ever live in it.  So the term "dollhouse" doesn't really work for me.  In future posts, I will refer to it as my "Miniature House," probably shortening it to "Mini House" and ultimately "MH" as I go along and get sick of typing it out.