Collecting Dollhouses and Dollhouse Miniatures

What we know as dollhouse miniatures have been unearthed from Egyptian tombs dating back 5,000 years. These wooden miniatures of people, household items and animals depicted life as it was in the Old Kingdom. Foraging and conferrence are potential human attributes. Therefore it comes as no surprise that collecting meaningful and representational objects will forever be a part of mans' culture. Itsybitsy collecting in the 16th and 17th centuries was not Itsybitsy to the female gender. Monarchs, scholars and rich merchants owned cabinets in which to display collections of fossils, precious stones, rare coins and the like.

During the 16th century cabinet displays known as Baby Houses were collected by well to do families in Holland, England and Germany. These early collectible wooden dollhouses were architecturally designed and furnished with true to life miniatures. One example is the Tate House built in England in 1760. Back then it was very tasteless for the wealthy to travel for extended periods of time, so the dollhouse was built in sections for easy transport. These Baby Houses were a major part of daily life, as even the building of them reflects both delight and necessity. It was original for a visitor to gift the host with trinkets to display in the Baby House in appreciation of hospitality.

Dollhouse Families

It was tasteless in the 17th century for wealthy Dutch merchants' wives to spend inordinate amounts of money on the hobby of collecting dollhouse miniatures. Petronella Oortman, the wife of a Dutch silk merchant, commissioned a Baby House that became a work in progress from 1686 -1705. She enlisted the efforts of several artists and experts to bring her idea to fruition. Pottery Itsybitsy collectibles were obtained from China, and discrete mediums such as copper, tortoiseshell and marble were used to generate the collectible wooden dollhouse. Silk and velvet tapestries and furnishings graced the rooms, and when all was said and done the cabinet cost between 20,000 - 30,000 guilders which could have bought a real home plus a canal in Amsterdam. Interestingly, the only historical example of a maternity room, or lying - in room dating back to that time is preserved within the walls of the Oortman Baby House.

The Killer Cabinet, so named because it was commissioned by Dr. John Killer of Manchester in 1835 is an additional one example of the meshing of culture and family tradition. Dr. Killer ordered a replica of his favorite lacquered cabinet in which to display dollhouse accessories handcrafted by the ladies of his house along with a chair fashioned from pheasant feathers as well as dollhouse miniatures crafted in London. Possibly the most grandiose dollhouse of contemporary times is Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle which is displayed in the Museum of Science and manufactures in Chicago. This labor of love was begun in 1928 by the silent film star. In all, 700 experts contributed to the carrying out of this divine venture.

The group was comprised of Beverly Hills jewelers, Chinese jade craftsmen and surgical lighting experts among many others. Walt Disney painted discrete murals and paintings within the wood dollhouse. The collectible dollhouse miniatures consisted of chandeliers studded with diamonds, emeralds and pearls, 2,000 year old antique statues and the tiniest Bible ever written which dates back to 1840. The Fairy Castle dollhouse contains more than 2,000 miniatures at a cost of 0,000 to complete. It is safe to assume that collecting dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures have always been and will remain an ever gift thread in the tapestry of mankind.

Collecting Dollhouses and Dollhouse Miniatures

Doll House Miniatures

Whether you are building that doll house from scratch, from a kit, or purchasing one that is all ready built your doll house won't be perfect until you have furnished it with a vast array of doll house miniatures. Doll house miniatures aren't just the dolls and the furniture that is placed in these minuscule abodes but an entire ray of merchandise that can make your dollhouse look like a real home.

Finishing off the Rooms

Dollhouse Families

One kind of dollhouse miniatures are those items that allow you to finish off each room just like you would a real home. This kind includes: wall paper, borders, flooring, and even carpeting. There are also minuscule chandeliers to use for some of your lighting fixtures as well.

Furniture

Dollhouse miniatures also includes the furniture that you place in each room. There is suitable furniture for every room of the house including, living rooms, dining rooms, house rooms, library's, computer rooms, bed rooms for both adults and children, and even patio or deck furniture along with Bbq grills.

Accessories

Miniature accessories comprise a wide range of dissimilar objects along with area rugs, lamps, pictures in frames, food, dishes, toys, flowers, perfume bottles, wine bottles, dishes, tea pots, rolling pins, pots and pans, microwaves, bedding along with sheets, bedspreads, quilts and even decorative pillows. And all the other odds and ends you will find in real homes.

Other accessories designed for the adult collectors comprise such things a liquor bottles, martinis in glasses, blenders, and other tiny items.

Think of the fun you could have building your own dollhouse and then choosing the exquisite miniatures to perfect the inside, yield and decorate it. You can pick any style of home you would like from Victorian, to country, to chic and modern. This could come to be a frightful home task for the entire house and the done product would be one you could view with pride.

People who built doll houses and yield them with dollhouse miniatures for a hobby, spend hours and even days searching online for just the right pieces to perfect their decors. In some cases, part of the enjoyment of this hobby is buying kits and finishing the many of the miniatures oneself.

Price

Doll house miniatures run the gambit from fairly reasonable items made out of plastic and wood, and to items ranging 0.00 and more. There are even shows for these miniatures and habitancy trip far and wide to the latest products to add to their doll house collectibles.

Getting Started

The best way to get started collecting doll house miniatures is to either build or buy an unfurnished doll house, conclude on the type of décor you would like and then start shopping both at your local hobby shop and online for the kind of miniatures you would like. Don't make any hasty decisions though because you want to have the opportunity of getting a good idea of all the dissimilar choices available to you.

Doll House Miniatures

The spellbinding Story of Mott's Miniatures Museum

Mott's Miniatures Museum is one of the most famous of its kind in the world. It began back in 1911 as a collection of the Mott house in Iowa. It all started when eight-year-old Allegra Mott (Mitchell) found a diminutive toy in the box of Cracker Jack that she had purchased from the local store.

She started a love affair with the small toys and started swapping her candy to other kids for their small toys. She soon had two shoeboxes full of Cracker Jack toys. After marrying DeWitt Mott, it was not long before Allegra shared her passion of miniatures with him and he was soon carving his own sets of small toys.

Dollhouse Families

DeWitt was soon creating diminutive replicas of furniture owned by the family, so Allegra had something she could display alongside her tiny collection of Cracker Jack toys. She soon got weary of having to keep dusting the collection and asked her husband to originate some type of cabinet she could house them in. However, she wanted it to have a glass cover so the miniatures were still visible. Instead, DeWitt built her a recreation of an actual cabin he had spotted close to Lake Okoboji, Iowa.

This became known as the 1850s "Eastern Cabin" and it was regarded as first diminutive display created. Just about all of the museum's wood furniture, houses, and buildings in the Mott's Museum was carved by DeWitt's hands with just a pocket knife along with some sandpaper. By the time the 1940s rolled around, the Motts had a collection of several diminutive toy displays in their living room. The local Parent teacher association soon heard of the makeshift museum that was on display in their home and they asked if they could take classes of school children to the house to view them and learn some American history at the same time. The Motts did not turn anybody down and Allegra would often conduct tours of the premises all afternoon long as well as early evening.

The Motts soon garnered some publicity from the media, and following an interview by a Time-Life magazine reporter, they moved west to California. The house located in the Farmers shop section of Los Angeles and shortly after found themselves featured on television, as well as in magazines and local newspapers. The Motts were talked to by Walter Knott in 1957. Knott operated a small amusement located at Orange County, California and he realized how popular the Motts and their miniatures displays were. He then asked the house to display their features in his park. Their museum was opened in 1958 at Knott's Berry Farm and was situated there for more than 34 years. While that period, millions of visitors utilized the chance to enjoy the Mott's Miniatures Museum each year.

However, in 1992, the new owners of the park ended the ageement with the museum. The house then turned down several offers from the park to buy the museum and was reopened in 1996.When it reopened the Motts combined the museum with a sell shop. However, the museum was complete down in 1997 and the exhibits were auctioned off the following year. The sell store is still in performance and is located at 2471 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Fullerton, California. For more data you should visit their website.

The spellbinding Story of Mott's Miniatures Museum

Welcome To contemporary and Scandinavian Dollhouse Miniatures

Are you concerned in limited furnishings, but the Victorian era just isn't your thing? Try your hand at creating a mid-century limited world. Contemporary but vintage at the same time, doll houses with furniture level from the Contemporary era offer a break from the customary Victorian doll house. Their bright, customary colors supply a optic 'pop,' while the sleek, clean lines are distinctively modern, manufacture them a great choice for those who aren't attracted to the frilly details of the Victorian era. If you love Eames furnishings or the Ikea aesthetic, you'll love Scandinavian limited designs.

Scandinavian-style miniatures have been colse to since the mid twentieth century, when Swedish toy makers Brio and Lundby built electrified, two-story houses with sleek plastic furnishings. Inspired by trends in the interior create world, these doll houses with furniture were designed to mimic the era's popular fashion and interior create styles. Modernist designs created between 1950 and 2000 reflect the spirit of Nordic life and have an innocent and childlike appearance that many doll house enthusiasts find appealing. A new book, "Scandinavian create in the Doll's House" by Yvette Wadsted and Ulf Beckman, examines the popularity of limited Scandinavian furnishings.

Dollhouse Families

How can you get started building Contemporary and Scandinavian doll houses? To create the perfect setting for your Contemporary miniatures, begin with a Contemporary ranch house kit. The "Brookwood" is a great choice for those trying to recreate that mid-century Contemporary aesthetic. Look for a doll house create with lots of angular lines, instead of the intricate trim of Victorian dollhouse kits.

For the perfect modernist abode, paint the surface and rooms with bright, Contemporary colors, rather than the muted tones of a Victorian-era home. You may even want to paint the trim or accent walls silver to simulate a metal finish. Then, add sleek plastic and metal furnishings, along with Contemporary fixtures. Produce the home with furniture suggesting the Contemporary era, such as molded plastic chairs, straightforward tables with level legs, and streamlined sofas without the flourishes of earlier periods of furniture design. Get inspired by your own home, the one you grew up in, or the sets of excellent Tv sitcoms. Or check out Mini Contemporary ( http://minimodern.blogspot.com/ ), a blog all about mid-century Contemporary doll house furnishings, for ideas.

If you're more accustomed to decorating your doll houses with furniture featuring the ornate details of the Victorian period, try your hand at a modern-style home. The clean lines and sleek interiors will offer a create challenge for even the most experienced limited hobbyist.

Welcome To contemporary and Scandinavian Dollhouse Miniatures