It’s the Little Things

I’m not saying that small gestures of love or kindness don’t make me feel happy or cared about, but I’m not talking about that or about small creatures that only come out when it’s dark. I am talking about little things in a very literal sense.

I don’t know what it is about something I may use or see every day that has been recreated in miniature, that I find hard to resist. Given the popularity of it online I’m guessing I’m not the only one. The bulk of things I’ve seen are doll “stuff”. Whether functional or decorative, a whole lotta people (including me) are simply fascinated with it.

My granddaughter has started to have more than a passing interest in Barbie and her ridiculously expensive line of plastic that. I had taken her to the dollar store and given her 5 dollars to spend it on whatever she’d like. She walked out with a just a puzzle and a Barbie-style mermaid (and nearly $3 in change).

Every time she would visit me she would play with the crappy “merdoll” more than any of the other toys she has at my house. So, when I saw inexpensive dolls or doll clothes I would buy them for her. I also got her a real Barbie and some real Barbie clothes. The last time she visited she played almost exclusively with the dolls and doll things I’ve gotten for her, and she asked for more.

Me personally, I find life like dolls creepy. I’ve never cared for them, not even as a child. I’ve always preferred stuffed animals and animal dolls – you know, dolls with human-like bodies and animal heads? Yes, well maybe I do need some therapy but that’s beside the point! My point? I’ve never liked Barbie dolls! I do like their stuff though, in fact, I’ve always liked their stuff. Their stuff was always the best part about them.

As I mentioned before, Barbie’s stuff is (IMO) hugely overpriced. My granddaughter asked for a “Barbie Dream House” and I looked at the molded pink plastic of ridiculousness with its ridiculous price tag and I felt a little ill. I’d love to give her such a thing, as I know she’d love it and get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but it’s just far too expensive for the piece of crap that it is. Not only do you buy the house, you have to buy all the stuff separately. No dining room stuff, no bedroom stuff, just the plastic house… that is all you get. Apparently, Barbie also dreams of things being sold separately.

Still, I wanted to expand her collection of dolls stuff and give her some kind of dollhouse, even if it wasn’t Barbie’s Dream House. So, I fired up my graphic design software and came up with a blueprint for a house that could be easily assembled/disassembled and stored in a relatively small space. I live in a tiny one bedroom apartment, I don’t really have anyplace to put a Barbie-sized dollhouse that would only be played with for a few days a month when my granddaughter visits, except, I kind of want a dollhouse too.

Once I started looking at doll stuff crafts, I found it very difficult to stop. So many excellent ideas and tutorials online these days! And oh, the tiny stuff… so much tiny stuff, basically all made out of stuff I would normally throw away. Now I’ve been saving stuff to make stuff… tiny stuff. I’ve not made anything yet, but my stash of materials has grown into quite the pile and I’ve ordered a few bits and bobs that I need to really get started with this new hobby.

I’m planning to make tiny stuff a new part of my blog, I’ll be making periodic posts starting next month. I plan to share my dollhouse & miniatures progress here on my blog… oh, and I bought some Barbie-type dolls, as mentioned in my Instagram picture a few days ago. I’ll also be including their progress and they’ll be modeling some of my creations.

Ah, little things… I can hardly wait!