Hi there! I'm Jamie from just a little northwest of Houston, Texas! I just recently joined the site (so I could purchase the Fairfield kit minilover62 was selling here, *Waves Howdy!*) But I have been reading the forums and drooling over all of your work for years
I started building 1:12 scale furniture in basswood out of the old book, "The Book of Miniatures: Furniture and Accessories" by Helen Ruthberg right after it came out in 1977. The fact that my very first piece (a glazed front display case with hand made pin hinges and working drawers!) turned out perfectly is more a credit to Ms. Ruthberg's talent than mine. Nevertheless, I was hooked.
I have built furniture, houses, room boxes, and miniature dolls off and on ever since-- depending upon what age and stage my 3 kids were at, how much disposable income we had, the size of our living space, how many jobs I was working and whether I was in school or not. Over the years pretty much everything I have made (houses included) has been given away, lost, destroyed (kids, hurricanes, etc.) or donated to one good cause or another.
I recently got bitten by the mini bug again but due to a combination of cost and space limitations, I have been doing 1:48 scale. Although I LOVE this scale, I suffer from a rare brain disorder (after cancer treatment) that causes intense headaches and has damaged my optic nerve so badly that I am nearly blind at a distance. I use jewelers' magnification to work on my minis, but can't work more than 1-2 hours before my eyes (and head) are shot for at least a week. My hands also shake at random, inopportune times.
So now, I am starting my Fairfield (it arrived yesterday) and it seems so HUGE! I am so excited at the possibility of being able to work longer and more frequently as well as adding the type of accessories, detail, and DOLLS I couldn't have in 1:48 scale!
As far as me, I'm a "vintage" mother of 3 (finally) adults, 34, 31, and 26. I have been married to my "first husband" for 35 1/2 years, I am a former paramedic and have been a professor of history, literature, and the humanities for 22 years. I have no grandchildren but I have granddogs, since my children are uncooperative so I will play with my dollhouses myself and not share! I also cross stitch, knit, crochet, and sew. I'm also a part-time professional actress and I currently play Mother Goose at the Texas Renaissance Festival every Autumn.
I look forward to learning a lot, admiring your work, and getting to chat with people here who "get it" about why tiny things are the best things!
Thank you for having me!