The Beginning

I guess it all started with an issue of a "Dollhouse Miniatures" magazine that showcased Colleen Moore's fairy castle. I mean, I have loved fairy tales all my life, of course, but it was that magazine that got me dreaming not only of a prince and a love story, but of magical places brought down to miniature scales.

It was before I had even finished my first dollhouse, on a family trip up to New Hampshire. We were staying in a little motel room, my two sisters, brother, father and I, and the only reading material I had with me was the magazine issue and my favorite childhood book of fairy tales. It was Colleen Moore's castle that inspired me to build, and my fairy tale book that gave me the theme. What I loved most about this particular book of fairy tales was all of the beautiful artwork. Each story was illustrated with beautiful pictures filled with exquisite detail and vibrant colors. I decided that for my castle, each room would be based on a different fairy tale from my book. I would scan the illustrations and shrink them down to fit into miniature picture frames, so there would be paintings going around the walls of each room, telling the story on which the room was based.

That night, I never would have guessed how expansive this project would become. What began with three rooms: a ballroom, a princess bedroom and a dining room, now includes over twenty rooms, as well as an elaborate outdoor courtyard. The ideas for rooms come from movies, books, magazines, pictures; while I'm awake, asleep, working, playing, doesn't matter--I find ideas come from many sources and in many places.

But that's getting a little ahead, I suppose. That night I drew the first sketch of my ballroom:

I've spent the nine years since learning how to bring it to life.