Authentically You: My Journey as a Miniature Crafter and Creator
Hey, Craft Crew:
Welcome to Artistry Den if this is your first time, or welcome back if you are returning! Let's talk about my fascination with all things miniature! When I took a trip to Tokyo, Japan, a few years ago, I had no idea I was harboring a deep-rooted hidden secret. Ya girl has always loved miniatures. As I walked through the various shops and looked at the intricate works of artists making miniature-scale food, house dioramas, action figures, and animals, I was transported back through time to when I was five or six years old, begging my mom for Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake figures.
You see, I fell out of being comfortable with loving dolls after one conversation with my best friend on the eve of entering sixth grade. We had a massive collection of Barbie dolls, corvettes, fashion accessories, and two dream houses. My bestie kindly told me to spend the day before school began playing a never-ending soap opera with our Barbies as an ode to our childhood because we were entering middle school. My impressionable young self-listened, and I packed my doll collection and toys away. I shifted from pretend play as fast as I left four ponytails to morph into a single ponytail. My middle school years consisted of playing video games and the Gameboy. I left my dolls to fall victim to my little cousin's imagination of a doll pandemic of chickenpox with a permanent Sharpie marker. All the dolls I would love to have in my collection today were ruined and discarded. My loving mother salvaged a couple of dolls she put up for safekeeping because I think she secretly knew I would return to my true love one day.
My husband convinced me he would welcome my dolls lovingly into our home, giving me the green light to research which Barbie I would buy first. Unfortunately, it was the holiday season, and living in the Middle East, we get dolls long after fully stocked Western markets. The made-to-move Barbie series was all the rage, and I wanted the African American (AA) one for my first doll as an adult. However, it sold out online, and Ebay prices exceeded my budget. I asked my husband and son to see if Santa could leave her under our Christmas tree, but my hopes were low.
I remember being super excited on Christmas morning because I was shocked to find two of the IKEA Flisat dollhouses under our tree with the furniture options. It was time for me to open my last gift, and I was so clueless because the box shape was different. I ripped the paper, and the AA made-to-move yellow doll appeared before my eyes. My body froze; I screamed and immediately burst into tears. All the years of separation from my love of miniatures and dolls hit me so hard, and I was so appreciative and privileged to be reunited with my passion again. I promised myself I would not shy away from my love of dolls and miniatures but share my joy with the world from that moment. I am a proud miniaturist and doll collector.
We are almost at the end of 2024, and I still have the two Flisat dollhouses. I want to decorate each of them. One will be a mid-century American-style home, and the other will be a contemporary house plan. Please follow my dollhouse creations and other crafts on Blogistry.
Now, create something!
Love,
Chanda
What are some hidden delights you are ready to share with the world?
