When Your Dollhouse Kit Talks To You...

I've had the Linfield dollhouse kit in my stash for a really long time. My ideas for what to do with it have evolved and changed vastly over the years. Every so often I'd hear it whispering to me, tempting me away from whatever project that had me tangled. Usually, my good sense and all the "shoulds" pushed the thoughts away. But this time, it's like an itch that compels me to scratch it. What's my big idea for it now? I'll save the bulk of the ideas for another post, but for now I'll give you a tiny hint about why I might abandon (or share time with) the Willowcrest for a little while in favor of this pursuit.

When I first acquired the kit I wanted the Linfield to become a sweet and heavily detailed Victorian in the style of Robin Carey's New Gothic Victorian. This dollhouse makes my heart swoon, but how many Victorian dollhouses can a person do before they need a different challenge?

At one point I had also considered ideas on how I could turn the kit into a southwestern style adobe house. Totally nutty, right? I even posted about it and made up a diagram. While looking for that post, I was intrigued to notice that the last time the kit was talking to me, it was around Thanksgiving, too. There must be some connection to this time of year and the Linfield calling to me. It probably realizes that the calendar is about to flip to a new year again, and it sees I'm not getting any younger!!! "Pssst! Hey lady! Did you forget about me?".

I actually opened up the kit box that time, just to see what I could see. It was intimidating. While I have finished one Dura-Craft kit before, it was one of the simpler ones. I know fellow enthusiasts with horror stories about these kits, and have read about many of them being abandoned when a builder got stuck and stumped. So, I chickened out, returned everything back into the box and put it back on the shelf. The assembly video is helpful for the basics, and it looks like I have a complete kit, so that's encouraging.

In analyzing why on Earth my mind is craving a whole new adventure, all I can come up with is structure. Rather, too much structure. You see, my last several projects have been measured, planned and precise ad nauseam. I miss my early days of miniatures where everything was a new discovery, I never had a plan because I didn't know what I didn't know. Things came together either by luck or, sometimes, like they had a life force all their own. When something went terribly wrong, I actually enjoyed the challenge of finding solutions. I suppose I want to let the mysterious creative force use my hands to work through me, no real plan, and just see what happens. With what I have in mind, there will be plenty of opportunity for ad lib.

If I'm honest, there is no good reason for me to start on yet another dollhouse project (except that Miss Linfield will be so excited to finally have her chance!). And yet, the feeling that I have to start creating NOW is almost a compulsion, an obsession. I may live to regret the whole endeavor, but right now, I am excited to begin. I have learned that it's important to harness excitement when it comes, and to ride the creative wave. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with something interesting to share...

xo xo,

Jodi