It's a Small World

Oops - sorry if I put that horrific song in your head!  This post isn't about Disney stuff - it's about all things small.

From as far back as I can remember, I've been into mini things.  I've always loved anything that was shrunk down to a smaller scale - dollhouse miniatures, Barbie stuff, model cars and ships, architectural models, model railroad figures - you name it, I loved it.  I still do.  I know that's a large reason why I got into ATCs - they're really tiny!  :D

A couple of months ago, I discovered a blog here on Blogspot called "Call of the Small".  Maybe you've seen it; they were just featured in the New York Times (how cool is THAT?).  The really neat thing about
her site (run by Christine Ferrara) is that she focuses on modern dollhouses and interiors, not the stuffy Victorian ones that we all grew up with (well, I didn't; I had a very contemporary dollhouse, furnished with Better Homes & Gardens dollhouse furniture, circa 1979).  Ms. Ferrara buys a lot of her stuff on German Ebay, where all of the cool mid-mod miniatures can be found.  If you love modern design and miniatures, you'll love this blog!

My Flickr friend Sandy also collects vintage dollhouse furniture, and a lot of it was hers as a little girl.  She's Finnish, so again, there are some fabulous examples of modern design in her dollhouses' interiors (she also knits mini outfits for her Blythe dolls!).  You can see her photos here.

So now that you've seen some fantastic miniatures, you may be intrigued too.  Why do we love to see objects that we see every day, only smaller?  I can only speak for myself as a little girl, but I think at that age it's the "cute" factor - tiny things are cute!  I was pretty darn small for my age, so maybe I related that way (they used to call me "Too Small Jones" - Jones was my maiden name, and Ed "Too Tall" Jones played football then).  As I got older, I think the interior design aspect became my focus, and it's much cheaper to furnish a doll house than a real one (MOST of the time!).

I also think miniatures evoke a feeling of comfort - everything is cozy in a dollhouse.  There always seems to be a fireplace in dollhouses, and many times you only see dollhouses around Christmastime.  I suppose any time you're dealing with a dollhouse, you're going to think of your childhood home, whether you still live there or it's a place that is long gone.  There's a great deal of nostalgia that goes along with dollhouses, too, whether it's longing for a bygone era (hence, the Victorian dollhouse) or playing with your childhood dollhouse as an adult.  I loved the idea of having a two-story house - I grew up in an apartment, so a two-story seemed like a mansion to me.

How about all of you? If you're into miniatures, did you love them as a kid, or did you only get into them as an adult?  What's your favorite era - Victorian or modern?  Post your favorite miniature memory in the comments - I'd love to hear!