Dollhouse Therapy

♪♪♪ It’s a small world, after all ♪♪♪

Writing has always been my go-to when I’m stressed, anxious, depressed, or unable to sleep.

But when COVID hit, writer’s block plagued me, and there seemed to be no end in sight. I couldn’t write, no matter how hard I tried.

Beginning March 6, 2020, I self-quarantined at home for more than 55 weeks.

Looking back, choosing to lose a full year of my life seems crazy. But at the time—stuck in it like quicksand—I didn’t realize how wasteful it was.

As a control freak, I found it impossible to adjust to being stuck in a situation I couldn’t control. The longer I stayed in my house, the more comfortable I became as a hermit.

I desperately needed a distraction from the anxiety of my pandemic life, but I had no idea how to spend my time—COVID-day in and COVID-day out.

Without the ability to write and amid the uncertainty of COVID, my life felt purposeless.

That was until I rediscovered my family’s dollhouse—Blind Brook—sitting in an unused bedroom, its front facing outward, dusty and forgotten for years, and in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint.

When I turned it around, I had almost forgotten the dolls, the furniture, the animals, the fairies, the battery-operated lights, and everything else crammed into the six-room house.

I sat in front of Blind Brook for hours that day, the next day, and the day after. You could say that’s when I went bat-sh*t small-scale crazy, though I was already full-scale COVID-crazy.

The only thing that kept me sane during COVID was finding my panacea for avoiding the real world by creating a make-believe, kinder, gentler miniature version of it.

During the COVID lockdown, dollhouses and all things in 1:12 scale became my security blanket.

The art of creating in miniature was deeply therapeutic and helped me build the life I wasn’t living—albeit in Lilliputian size.

Blind Brook ultimately saved me during the COVID-19 lockdown and beyond.

After renovating Blind Brook, I refurbished several dollhouses as gifts for family members. Then I built a few IKEA dollhouses, which I gave to some VERY thankful and excited young girls.

Fast-forward to 2026, and I am forever hooked on all things 1:12 scale.

For those who don’t know, a 12-inch scale, also known as 1:12 scale, is a proportional system in which 1 inch represents 12 inches. For example, a 24-inch table in real life would be 2 inches in a 1:12-scale dollhouse.

The most common scale for dollhouses is 1:12, and the dolls who live in them are 6 inches tall, except for Barbie-size dolls (12 inches), who live in 1:6 scale dollhouses.

Some might think this is way too much dollhouse information, but if you’re here, I think you probably get it.

Now, I’d like to introduce you to some of my dollhouses, starting with BLIND BROOK.