I started my first miniature build in January 2021, as an alternative to all of the puzzles I had been doing during the pandemic.
After 6 months of being home, and the winter weather forcing me and my family indoors, I was burnt out and bored. I missed the days in the summer when I could take a break from my pandemic-induced work-from-home-and-be-a-mom-and-wife-full-time, simply by walking to my backyard and sitting for 5 minutes in my little greenhouse. When I needed a break from my video meetings, or a few minutes of solitude and silence, or just a different place to be, I would sit on a little potting stool and breathe in the earthy greenhouse air. It would calm me and I would feel as if I could keep slogging through.
As 2020 ended, I saw a tiny photo in a catalog for a DIY greenhouse. And I thought - well, if I can't sit on my stool outside this winter, maybe building this will provide a reminder of those quiet moments and allow me to tap into whatever calm and rejuvenation I can muster from the memories. So, I ordered the mini greenhouse without any clue what I was about to get myself into.
When I first opened the box and saw all the little pieces and the step-by-step instructions, I wasn't sure I would even finish the build. It seemed daunting and difficult. But, I had nothing better to do on those cold and dreary days. So, I dug in. And once I got started, I could not stop!
That was the beginning of what has become an obsession.
After I finished the greenhouse, I knew I did not want to stop building minis. I had no sense of the world that exists for this hobby: no idea about the different specialty shops, international and local groups, competitions, shows, tutorials, videos, and blogs about building miniatures. I just knew that I wanted to do more.
So, I went back to that catalog and ordered another. This time I ordered Sam's Study, because I had enjoyed the few books I made as part of the greenhouse.
I didn't get to start Sam' Study, though, because someone close to me asked me to build one for them! They chose Miller's Garden, which I started to work on immediately.
Unfortunately, life got in the way. I had to pack it all up for a few months while life happened. It was not until early Fall 2021, that I was able to pick it up again. As I worked on the kit, I realized this person's birthday was only 2 months away. I decided to try to add a few small details to make it a little more personalized. But I had zero idea of how to do this! I had only ever followed the kit directions.
So, I did what anyone would do these days: I turned to the Internet. That was when I began to discover the world of miniature building. I was still limited, though, and I focused more on where to buy pieces that would help with personalization - such as 1/2" scale photo frames and a birthday cake. I still had a lot to learn!
I completely revamped the outside walls of Miller's Garden to create a personalized birthday motif. I presented it at their birthday party and they appreciated all of the detail I had put in.
This was when I fell in love with the idea of "kit bashing" (although at the time, I did not even know the term!).
Knowing that I had Sam's Study waiting for me, I wanted to take the opportunity to create something different, rather than just follow the kit instructions. I started to search online for other examples of modifications to Sam's Study. Once I fell down that rabbit hole, the ideas never stopped! I joined numerous FB groups and reddit groups about miniature building and found blogs upon blogs of information.
I ultimately decided to turn Sam's Study into Flourish & Blotts from Harry Potter and this kit bash/modification is what I am currently working on. I have done so much work and research to modify this kit, it seems a waste not to try to find a way to share the information with others who may be asking the same questions.
And so this blog was born.
I hope you find it helpful!
Please provide feedback, ideas, thoughts, tips - whatever you bring to the table!
So glad you are here!
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