Once upon a Miniature...

There are some worlds we grow out of. And then there are others we carry with us.

For me, the world of miniatures began long before I ever realised it would become part of my life. It began in my childhood, somewhere between make-believe and reality, where a little imagination could turn an ordinary room into a theatre, a house into a stage, and the smallest objects into treasures.

I think I have always been drawn to tiny things because they leave so much room for imagination. And perhaps, when I look back now, I can see that the little world I would eventually create was quietly being built around me all along.

My first Creative Cheerleader...

When I think about where my love of creating really began, I always come back to my Great Aunt Joyce. Joyce was theatrical, creative and wonderfully encouraging. She had a natural gift for making imagination feel important. With her, there was always permission to play, to dress up, to perform, to make things up and, most importantly, to simply be myself.

We would create theatre shows at home, dress up and invent our own little performances. Ordinary days could become adventures, and an ordinary room could become a stage. There was laughter, creativity and that wonderful childhood feeling that anything was possible if you could imagine it.

But Auntie Joyce gave me something even more precious than those memories. She gave me permission to be creative. She was my cheerleader.

Before there was a business, before there were customers, before I could have imagined where my little creations might eventually take me, there was Auntie Joyce encouraging me to be creative. She championed me from the very beginning. She believed in me, perhaps even before I fully understood and believe in myself. She encouraged me to follow my imagination and to make things simply because I loved making them.

Looking back now, I realise how important that was. Sometimes one person believing in you can give you the courage to believe in yourself. Auntie Joyce was that person for me.

A Little House, A Little Theatre, A Lot of Imagination...

There was also a little piece of family history that would stay with me.

Joyce had a vintage tomato box that had been transformed into a handmade dollhouse. I love that it wasn't something that came from a shop or a catalogue. It was made by hand from something ordinary and turned into something magical through imagination and creativity.

Eventually, that little dollhouse was handed down to me. I didn't know it then, but perhaps that was the first little seed of my miniature world. A tiny house, made from something unexpected.

A little reminder that beautiful things don't always have to be perfect or newly made. Sometimes the most precious things are the ones that carry a story. And perhaps that little dollhouse carried a little piece of Auntie Joyce with it too.

When make-believe became a creative obsession...

Years later, I found myself drawn back into that world when I purchased a second-hand dollhouse. It was very much a maker-upper - a project waiting patiently for someone to give it a new life. I loved the idea of taking something tired and forgotten and transforming it into something beautiful.

But as I began decorating, I discovered a problem! I had a very particular vision in my mind. I wanted furniture that felt romantic, faded, painted, collected and full of character. I wanted pieces that looked as though they had lived a life already. Something softer and more soulful than the miniature furniture I could easily find at the time. I wanted a tiny world that felt real.

And that was where my love of miniatures and the world of Shabby Chic collided.

Falling in love with Shabby Chic...

One of the greatest Interior inspirations for me was Rachel Ashwell and her beautiful world of Shabby Chic Couture. I adored Rachel's aesthetic - the faded florals, painted furniture, soft colours, vintage treasures and effortless sense of romance.

There was something about it that felt familiar. It reminded me of the things I had loved since childhood: old things, beautiful things, things with stories. I wanted to recreate that feeling in miniature.

So, when I couldn't find the pieces I imagined, I began making them myself. I started creating miniature versions of the furniture and interiors that had captured my heart.

A comfy chair.

A floral painted side table.

A miniature french cupboard.

Pieces that were small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, but somehow held an entire atmosphere within them. And slowly, my dollhouse began to become the world I had imagined.

When inspiration becomes a journey...

What began as something I was making for myself gradually grew into something much bigger. And, rather wonderfully, my miniature world eventually crossed paths with Rachel's world.

What began with admiration from afar slowly blossomed into something incredibly special.

Eventually our paths were able to cross a few times, after meeting Rachel at some of her events being held in her forever loved Nottinghill store.

We decided to meet one afternoon in Covent Garden and discuss both our worlds.

Not only did I find myself becoming a stockist of my own handmade miniatures, creating one-off miniature furniture and dollhouses inspired by the iconic Shabby Chic aesthetic. But, Later Rachel and I became dear friends. (More on this in another blog..!!)

There is something quite magical about that journey when I look back on it now.

The child who loved dress up and creating imaginary worlds.

A theatrical Great Aunt who encouraged me to dream, create and be myself.

The vintage tomato-box dollhouse passed down through my family.

The second-hand dollhouse that needed a little love.

The search for furniture that didn't exist.

The decision to make it myself.!

And eventually, finding myself connected with one of the very people whose creative world

had inspired me. (Thank you Rachel xx)

It feels almost like the pieces of a story quietly finding their way back to one another.

Creating little worlds...

For me, making miniatures has never really been about making something small.

It is about making something meaningful.

A miniature room can hold memories.

A tiny piece of furniture can tell a story.

A dollhouse can become a little stage where imagination is allowed to wander.

Perhaps that is why I have always loved them so much. They give us permission to dream. To create without rules. To take a little piece of the world and make it our own. And there is something wonderfully comforting about being able to hold an entire room in your hands - to see the details, the textures, the flowers, the faded paint and tiny imperfections that make a place feel loved.

And so my miniature world began...

When I think about where it all started, I don't think it began with a dollhouse.

I think it began with imagination. With Auntie Joyce. With homemade performances. With theatre and make-believe. With someone who gave me permission to be myself and encourage me to follow my creativity. With a vintage tomato box. With a second-hand dollhouse and a head full of ideas. And with a love of beauty that couldn't quite find what it was looking for - so decided to make it instead.

That is the beautiful thing about creativity. Sometimes you don't set out to create a world. You simply follow the things that make your heart light up, one little idea at a time. And before you know it, you've built one. A world of tiny rooms, faded florals, painted furniture, old-fashioned charm and stories waiting to be told. And somehwere within that world, I think there will always be a little theatre, a little imagination and the voice of Auntie Joyce cheering me on. Because she didn't just inspire me to make miniatures. She helped me believe that my imagination was worth following. And perhaps, in the end, that is where my miniature world truly began.

My world of miniatures...

A little world born from make-believe, shaped by art, inspired by family and the past - and still, after all these years, filled with a little bit of magic.