Category Archives: Memoir

Madama Butterfly and the Toy Theaters of Siena: The Davis Theater, Pt. 2

Posted on November 27, 2015 by smallhousepress

The illustration is of unknown origin. I have borrowed it from The Museum of Everyday Things website, an adventure not unrelated to toy theaters, and worth exploring.                       museumofeverydaylife.org             The … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures, People | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The Road to Ruins: Walking Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena…

Posted on July 18, 2015 by smallhousepress

Noel and I spent our month in Italy combing side streets for out-of-the-way monuments. On foot we hoped to acquire a sense of that country’s architectural flavorings. In Rome’s alleys we ferreted out lesser hunks of ancient ruins, in Venice … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , | 8 Comments

The Care and Feeding of Dollhouse Makers…

Posted on June 14, 2015 by smallhousepress

or, Fueling the Muse Part I: Get a Job The Mini Muse started a hunger strike about ten years into our stint as miniaturists. For most of those years we lived, mind and body, immersed in work (even though work was … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Frosty II: Putting It All Together

Posted on September 4, 2013 by smallhousepress

The customer for Frosty was an avid fan we could never say no to. She liked our work so much she built a room over her swimming pool (the same pool we and our dog swam in on previous deliveries) … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Frosty Malt Shop: Part I

Posted on August 14, 2013 by smallhousepress

Started soon after the Greene & Greene was delivered in 1989, the Frosty Malt Shop was completed in late 1990. The months while Noel and I built counter stools and neon signage in miniature, the newly launched Hubble Space Telescope … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Fish & Fries, 1988: Kitsch on the Line

Posted on March 17, 2013 by smallhousepress

1988 was a leap year, and the year we took a leap of faith on how funky a project our students would sign up for. Noel was always pushing the edges of the miniatures world, while I was trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Memoir, Teaching | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Minis, Knitting, Rocket Science–When It’s Over, It’s Over, But Then It’s Never Really Over

Posted on December 7, 2012 by smallhousepress

“I can’t believe you were actually able to part with (the Greene & Greene house) after all that.  Do you ever go to Tucson to visit it?”– Question from Kathleen after my last entry. Thanks, Kathleen, that’s one of those big … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

A Tale of Twin Kitchens—Souwester and Shelburne

Posted on August 4, 2012 by smallhousepress

To round out 1986, we completed two house fragments–the Shelburne and Shoalwater Kitchens, named after two Seaview, WA inns.  These were smaller pieces than usual, but labor intensive—the women commissioning these projects were our two best and most supportive customers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Why Miniatures?–Uncle Cecil’s Wheelbarrow

Posted on June 17, 2012 by smallhousepress

The other night I was eating out with friends in Portland, people I have known for years through my life as a poet. They had another friend along who was visiting town, one of those people who thrives on asking … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Whittier: Travels & Tales in the Black Ambulance

Posted on June 2, 2012 by smallhousepress

Starting with our 2ndmajor miniature show, Sarah Salisbury was an eager and repeat customer—she was open to suggestion, and introduced ideas of her own. Her enthusiasm for our houses had a lot to do with our ability to keep making … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments