A Bit of This, and a Bit of That!


*A Bit of This, and a Bit of That!*



*A Little Bit about Dolls, Miniatures, and Other Wonderful Things!* Please sign my Guest Book while you are here! And, something important: "refreshing" each page you visit will ensure that you see the newest items on that page.

Welcome to my "This and That" page! There is nothing for sale here, but rather a glimpse at the hobbies that have become a great source of satisfaction, enjoyment, and fascination for me. I've always enjoyed being creative and expressing that creativity in small ways. But my life has been devoted to my family and career, which didn't leave much time for developing hobbies. But now, no more children to raise, and since early 2005, no more career to get up each day to pursue. I'm a former school teacher who, because of health problems, was forced to retire. It has been a journey for me; to accept my situation, and then find a way to fill my days with something good, productive, and stress-free!

I began teaching myself to sculpt dolls from clay and found it so enjoyable, yet challenging. Everything I've learned so far has been from the Internet, and there is a tremendous amount of help and instruction there.

Then my granddaughter, Taryn, was the inspiration to begin designing clothes for some restored "thrift store" Barbies! I made Taryn a few little outfits for her doll, then I moved on to some glamour designs for the "naked" Baribie dolls I found at the thrift store.

Finally, just to make things really messy around the house, I had my husband bring in the dollhouse that belongs to my daughter, Amy, who is a busy working mommie. It had been stored in the garage for more than 20 years, and I just couldn't bear to leave it a day longer! Thus, the third dimension of my hobby obsession: restoring the dollhouse and furnishing it with the appropriate scale household items.

I want to share what I've learned, what I hope to learn, and some of the ideas that have come to me in my pursuit of these "little things" that I've come to enjoy so much!

I'm at the very beginning stage of both my hobbies and my site, so I hope you'll return again some time and see if I'm making any progress. There are many things that inspire me and keep my mind racing: I'll be sharing all of that here too!

Thanks for dropping by, and do come back!

Judy

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"Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with all your might."

Do you ever need a few new recipes? Please drop by my "kitchen". Clicking here will take you there!

Read the poem about this dollhouse! Just click on it!

This is the dollhouse that was lovingly and expertly constructed by my Dad, Tony Whitten. It has had some bumps and bruises during it's years in isolation, so I'm trying to do the minor repairs and then spruce up the interior. This is the "before" picture. As I make progress, more pictures will be added.

It is built in 1:12 scale (or 1 inch equals 1 foot), and is fashioned as a "turn-of-the-century" farmhouse. Solid as a rock, and just as heavy, it is truly and heirloom that will last for many generations to come!

Click on the star! It will take you to my contact page where you can see a picture tour of my home town!

Updated January, 2007