An Edwardian Doll's House Carousal Pop Up Book

I have this Edwardian Doll's House Carousal Pop Up Book in my library of books about minis and dolls houses. It's a bit of fun, something different and is actually quite informative. The book looks tall and skinny but then you undo the ribbon ties, stand it up and fold it round to make a circle and redo the ties to keep it together. 

The book folded into a carousal

And there you have it, an Edwardian era house of a middle class family decorated in the latest styles of the early 1900s. The colours, furniture, carpets and decorations portrayed make this book a good resource for anyone wanting to make their Edwardian dolls house authentic looking. 
   A family of cardboard figures comes with it and there's even a cat on the roof! What I especially like is that you can open the doors and drawers and see what's inside them, just like in a real dolls house.
  I have also seen others in the range of these pop up books -Victorian era and of Anne of Green Gables.
   Here are some more photos to give you a good idea of what the Edwardian book is like.

Peek in the wardrobes in the girl's bedroom

The well-decorated parlour

The 'modern' bathroom with boiler

Involving Children with Miniatures

Jurassic Park in Miniature

Children seem to be fascinated by small things. Some, boys in particular, love detail - look at the popularity of the 'Where's Wally?' and the Richard Scarry books. So our miniatures hobby is ideal for getting kids involved with planning and making mini projects.
   My husband made this Jurassic Park diorama. He rigged up the car so the headlights turned on and he had spotlights along the high wire fences. And what child doesn't like dinosaurs? This mini scene was a hit with primary school age children.
  Children from our local pre-school centre sometimes visit our house to look at my dolls houses and miniatures. Their mums and grandmas come too. Last time they visited I asked the children what they'd liked best. I was expecting them to say the Alice in Wonderland scene or perhaps the mini village.
  And their answer - "The dog."
  That 's our real dog. He's definitely not a mini!

Free Printables for Mini Projects

Accessories I've made from free printables for my dolls houses

Have you discovered the wonderful range of free printies for dolls houses yet? There are so many things you can make out of paper and card when you visit websites that have printables for miniatures. All you need to do is print what you want on your home printer, then glue them onto thin card, cut them out and construct them by folding and glueing. Easy peasy!


   Items range from boxes and bags; books, magazines and newspapers; packages of toiletries and food; signs and labels; games and toys, and wallpapers, flooring and maps. There are even dolls houses in 1:144 scale that can be found as free printables.
   Here are some of my favourite websites for printies:

• www.jennifersprintables.com   This has an extensive range, especially in 1:12 scale wallpapers.
• www.printmini.com  Printies are available here in several scales in many categories. Especially useful for modern mini settings.
• www.cdhm.org/news/printies.php  Some beautiful labels and food packaging amongst a good range of items
• www.miniatures.about.com  Search under 'printies' for examples and also a good section of instructions for constructing printables.

Be prepared to spend an enjoyable time looking at these sites! You'll find so many ideas of extra accessories to add to your mini projects. And they're free!