Most of us have many passions and if we are lucky, we get to do something we love for a living. As an OB/GYN I have delivered thousands of babies and that is one of the most amazing things to see no matter how many times you experience it.
But I have a very creative side and one of my other passions has always been interior design. I am obsessed with design shows and I’m constantly redecorating my own house. I can’t help it, I need projects!
Last Christmas I thought it would be really fun to buy a dollhouse kit to put together for my three-year-old daughter. I purchased a Melissa and Doug brand child’s dollhouse and remodeled it. I had so much fun I decided to buy another one just for myself. I bought the dollhouse at Target from the Hearth and Hand collection by one of my favorite shows, Fixer Upper, hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines. (Unfortunately, it just went off the air because Joanna is expecting another child).
As soon as I opened the box I jumped head first into the wonderful world of miniatures. I went to town and channeled Joanna Gaines’ neutral palette and farmhouse chic style. There is a “copper” tub in the bathroom, a charcoal gray bookcase downstairs, exposed wood beams in the ceiling, subway accent tile in the kitchen and a marble island set with tiny dishes, topped off with a gingham living room chair. I even have a tiny copy of Magnolia Journal that’s the size of a postage stamp in the magazine rack and a miniature copy of Capital Gains: Smart Things I learned Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines on the nightstand and Joanna Gaines’ book, The Magnolia Story on the coffee table.
As I started working on the house, I would bring in pictures to show to the ladies in my office and they went insane. They insisted I post pictures of my work and at first I thought “really?”, it’s just my hobby and this is all about having fun.
I took the plunge and put up my first post on my birthday February, 28. Almost immediately hundreds of “likes” started pouring in. By the end of the week I was getting messages from as far away a New Zealand and Indonesia. Then followers began tagging Joanna Gaines using the hashtag #showJo and soon Joanna Gaines via Instagram was admiring my work. I only posted 25 times and then everything exploded, which they tell me is unheard of in the social media world. HGTV, People Magazine, Country Living, Southern Living , Buzzfeed have all picked up my story and NBC’s Today, ABC News and even the Daily Mail in England have done stories. I now have an Instagram page called “Tiny House Calls” and have 33,000 followers.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think anything like this could happen. And while the attention is exciting, the best part of it is that I get to indulge in one of my favorite passions and my mother isn’t asking me why I have another chandelier. I’ve even had requests to decorate other homes and now have the beginnings of a burgeoning decorating business. But I also still love to decorate in miniature and currently have two more dollhouses in the works right now, a Harlem brownstone and a Hamptons Beach house. Like I said, I always need a project!
