Confessions of a mini-maniac

[BlueVilla]

Back in the 80s, I was embracing my Inner Child by creating roomboxes and dollhouses.

Eventually, I built an Irish pub (it won First Place in a contest), a baseball diamond with bleachers, a riding stables, a doll shop, a zoo with a train, a seaside cottage, a Christmas shop, a haunted house, Easter in a park, a music shop, Winter Solstice in the forest, a schoolroom during Valentine’s Day, a wedding chapel, an Italian restaurant, and a dream office for my British yacht captain husband.

I thought I would get back to it when I was an old woman who wore purple. Guess what? I am now that woman! Unfortunately, arthritis has prevented me from returning to this fun (and expensive!) little hobby.

Here are some roomboxes where you lift the lid and the flaps go down, exposing the miniature scene…

 

[Pinky]

Back in the 80s, I was embracing my Inner Child by creating roomboxes and dollhouses.

Eventually, I built an Irish pub (it won First Place in a contest), a baseball diamond with bleachers, a riding stables, a doll shop, a zoo with a train, a seaside cottage, a Christmas shop, a haunted house, Easter in a park, a music shop, Winter Solstice in the forest, a schoolroom during Valentine’s Day, a wedding chapel, an Italian restaurant, and a dream office for my British yacht captain husband.

I thought I would get back to it when I was an old woman who wore purple. Guess what? I am now that woman! Unfortunately, arthritis has prevented me from returning to this fun (and expensive!) little hobby.

Here are some roomboxes where you lift the lid and the flaps go down, exposing the miniature scene…

Love the roomboxes .. they are brilliant! I hope you will share more of them with us

 

[BlueVilla]

Love the roomboxes .. they are brilliant! I hope you will share more of them with us

Aw, you're so sweet. Here are two more:

 

[katlupe]

Wow! They are really nice! Love them and thank you for sharing!

 

[BlueVilla]

Wow! They are really nice! Love them and thank you for sharing!

Thank you! I keep a few of them here in my home office. They make me happy.

 

[hawkdon]

You are very skilled...thanks for sharing....

 

[BlueVilla]

You are very skilled...thanks for sharing....

Skilled? You're very kind to say so, but I was a hobbyist in awe of true artisans like master miniaturist Brooke Tucker. If you ever get the chance to attend a dollhouse and minatures show, you will be amazed at the exquisite little furniture, clothing, dolls, utensils, food, and paintings you will find. I loved being a member of the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts, attending house parties and conventions, and collecting Nutshell News and Miniatures Showcase magazines. It was a fun addiction!

 

[caroln]

That's really interesting. It's a good thing I didn't know about room boxes when I was growing up. I would have been obsessed! I played with my doll house daily rearranging furniture, etc., and built houses out of plastic "bricks" a lot. I still get drawn to the miniatures section of Hobby Lobby! The tiny wallpaper is so cute. (It's no wonder I'm a HGTV addict.)

 

[hearlady]

Love them!!!

 

[BlueVilla]

You are very skilled...thanks for sharing....

My pleasure--and thank you!

 

[BlueVilla]

Love them!!!

Thank you!

 

[BlueVilla]

That's really interesting. It's a good thing I didn't know about room boxes when I was growing up. I would have been obsessed! I played with my doll house daily rearranging furniture, etc., and built houses out of plastic "bricks" a lot. I still get drawn to the miniatures section of Hobby Lobby! The tiny wallpaper is so cute. (It's no wonder I'm a HGTV addict.)

Once you fall down this Lilliputian rabbit hole, you will look at life differently: "Hmmm. I wonder if I can miniaturize this?"

 

[Pinky]

That is a hobby I could have gotten into at one time. Love all the detail in them.

 

[Gardenlover]

Back in the 80s, I was embracing my Inner Child by creating roomboxes and dollhouses.

Eventually, I built an Irish pub (it won First Place in a contest), a baseball diamond with bleachers, a riding stables, a doll shop, a zoo with a train, a seaside cottage, a Christmas shop, a haunted house, Easter in a park, a music shop, Winter Solstice in the forest, a schoolroom during Valentine’s Day, a wedding chapel, an Italian restaurant, and a dream office for my British yacht captain husband.

I thought I would get back to it when I was an old woman who wore purple. Guess what? I am now that woman! Unfortunately, arthritis has prevented me from returning to this fun (and expensive!) little hobby.

Here are some roomboxes where you lift the lid and the flaps go down, exposing the miniature scene…

@BlueVilla, I just saw this post. What fun, please do post more.

How did you first get interested in creating these roomboxes?

They remind me of book nooks, small scenes that are placed between books on a bookshelf.

 

[BlueVilla]

@BlueVilla, I just saw this post. What fun, please do post more.

How did you first get interested in creating these roomboxes?

They remind me of book nooks, small scenes that are placed between books on a bookshelf.

Thanks for your comment! I've seen those book nooks and I love those, too. Initially, I began creating roomboxes after participating in a workshop hosted by a local dollhouse and miniatures shop. Here is a sea captain's box I made some years ago. It's Christmastime and he's spending it with his cat. (Sorry about the poor lighting.)

 

[Jules]

@BlueVilla, you are very skilled and patient to create these small masterpieces.

 

[Della]

Those are wonderful!

My father was a model railroader with a layout that covered half the basement. I always wanted a dollhouse to furnish and he was always going to make me one but he told me when he was very old that he was so sorry he never got to it. He could have knocked out one that would have thrilled me in a few hours, but he was a perfectionist and he wanted to make me a really fabulous one.

I think these room boxes are a great idea and might not seem too daunting for an beginner like me to try. Having grown up with a miniaturist, I already know what it is to look at a bottle cap and see endless possibilities.

 

[BlueVilla]

@BlueVilla, you are very skilled and patient to create these small masterpieces.

Thank you for your kind words.

 

[BlueVilla]

Those are wonderful!

My father was a model railroader with a layout that covered half the basement. I always wanted a dollhouse to furnish and he was always going to make me one but he told me when he was very old that he was so sorry he never got to it. He could have knocked out one that would have thrilled me in a few hours, but he was a perfectionist and he wanted to make me a really fabulous one.

I think these room boxes are a great idea and might not seem too daunting for an beginner like me to try. Having grown up with a miniaturist, I already know what it is to look at a bottle cap and see endless possibilities.

Della, I didn't think I had the patience for a dollhouse, so that's another reason why I was attracted to making roomboxes. In our basement is a HUGE dollhouse that I never finished. My intention was to make it into a bed and breakfast, but...well...it does make a great dust collector!

 

[Murrmurr]

Thanks for your comment! I've seen those book nooks and I love those, too. Initially, I began creating roomboxes after participating in a workshop hosted by a local dollhouse and miniatures shop. Here is a sea captain's box I made some years ago. It's Christmastime and he's spending it with his cat. (Sorry about the poor lighting.)

Did you build that room inside a functional table? Looks like a bedside table with a drawer.

I'm thinking how fun that would be when grandkids come over and there's a "little-person's" room to explore in every nook and cranny of grampa's furniture.

 

[RadishRose]

These are just adorable. So glad you shared them! Thank you.

 

[Marie5656]

Very nice. I wish I had such talent. But I do enjoy seeing the projects of others

 

[BlueVilla]

Did you build that room inside a functional table? Looks like a bedside table with a drawer.

I'm thinking how fun that would be when grandkids come over and there's a "little-person's" room to explore in every nook and cranny of grampa's furniture.

LOL No, the roombox was hidden in one of my bookcases. I moved it to the guest room to take the picture today, hoping the light was better in there. It wasn't.

I LOVE your idea and I bet your grandchildren will love it. By the way--many years I created a breakaway roombox of my infant niece's bedroom. My sister told me what colors and theme to use and I created it. That niece is in her thirties now.

 

[BlueVilla]

These are just adorable. So glad you shared them! Thank you.

I'm glad you enjoy them. Thanks for commenting.

 

[BlueVilla]

Very nice. I wish I had such talent. But I do enjoy seeing the projects of others

You know what, Marie? You don't need talent, just intention. Oh, and you don't even need a box. Here's a winter scene I created in a Mason jar...