Dolls House World Magazine Issue 351 Back Issue

There was a sign, or it could have been a T-shirt, I remember seeing at a show many years ago: “Minis forever, housework whenever.”
That came back to me reading about Robina Patterson’s one problem with making her beautiful gardening scenes: “It only is hard when I would rather spend my time making miniatures than doing housework,” she said. “I have a hard time finding a balance sometimes!”
Carving out time is something that all miniaturists struggle with, and many get round it with early mornings or late nights hunched over mitre saws and tacky glue.
Sheila Caramella’s answer was to give herself a permanent spot working on her house in twelfth scale. That’s her on the front cover. We all loved the scene here at DHW. So unusual.
It’s not always easy to predict what the hardest part of a project will be. Take Colette Cameron’s beautiful birthday bash — a colourful scene she made as a thank you for an inspiring online friend. The toughest challenge came after she finished it — the untreated wood meant she couldn’t send the box overseas without extensive red tape and fumigation.
But at least you can enjoy Colette’s wonderful room this issue, along with a host of other fabulous houses, rooms and shops.
We’ve got plenty of projects and ideas for you too, including the first part of making a doll from polymer clay. I’m sure your attempts at forming the fingers will be better than mine, which resembled a large bunch of thick pork sausages — hands better suited to a Marvel mutant rather than an elegant Austen heroine. Oh well, as Sue said: “There’s always the housework.”