Category Archives: Houses

The Shasta Shoot

Posted on April 7, 2011 by smallhousepress

The South Bend miniature house has a two-part story, beginning with its initial construction in the fall of ’77, and its re-hab in 2005 for a new owner. In both cases it has found a happy home—first in California, and … Continue reading →

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Spider-rama, or, the Chocolate Summer

Posted on March 31, 2011 by smallhousepress

By June of 1977, with the start of The North Head, our 14th house, we were beginning to get down the vocabulary of Victorian. Noel came up with 3-point design of two gables with a tower between, plus a showcase … Continue reading →

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In Defense of Black Holes & Dirty Work Spaces

Posted on March 24, 2011 by smallhousepress

Our inner alarms went off a few years ago when we were asked to photograph our studio and workshop for a slide show comparing artisans’ work spaces for the IGMA annual Guild School gathering in Castine, ME. To say we … Continue reading →

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The Magic of Electricity

Posted on March 19, 2011 by smallhousepress

Between November 1977 and Nov 1978 we would produce three more houses, this time on commission. When we returned from the NAME show in early November we had two years worth of orders, but only a little money, so we … Continue reading →

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Fish Tales, Perry Mason & Bug Juice–the Summer of ’76

Posted on February 6, 2011 by smallhousepress

The summer of 1976 saw the Seaview walls rise, rooms begin to take shape. To pay the rent, Noel baited hooks for a charter boat skipper. I still had my noontime radio program, and tried to grow corn in a … Continue reading →

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Back to the Drawing Board

Posted on January 30, 2011 by smallhousepress

Leaving the N.A.M.E. National miniatures show in July of ’76 was one man probably more deflated than we—the man hoping to sell the house he had built in his garage. It was too big to fit through the exhibit hall … Continue reading →

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Driving Blindly into the Future

Posted on January 23, 2011 by smallhousepress

All the President’s Men was the only movie I remember seeing in 1976. Gas prices were high, and we didn’t have a lot of spare change. Going to the movies meant a ½ hour drive across the river, plus a … Continue reading →

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Life on the Edge

Posted on January 14, 2011 by smallhousepress

When Noel returned from San Francisco without money or new orders, there was no lack of work to do to keep us afloat. When we weren’t building dollhouses or working our day jobs, we were learning to hunt, gather, barter … Continue reading →

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A Wing and a Prayer

Posted on January 5, 2011 by smallhousepress

In 1974, while Noel was helping the local doctor build his dream boat, and I was counting bolts at the hardware store, we somehow managed to produce four dollhouses. We were working fools, eating clams we dug on the nearby … Continue reading →

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Who we are, and yes, it’s a miniature

Posted on December 29, 2010 by smallhousepress

My husband Noel and I have been building aged miniature houses–Victorians, Bungalows, commercial buildings and roadside restaurants–for collectors and museums since 1974. At that time we quit our careers in advertising, and left the city for a simpler life on … Continue reading →

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