~ A funny thing happened the other day on Instagram. I posted an old, rotted dollhouse and asked,
“Alright, fellow miniature gardeners, please help me decide! This is from an old display from a big garden show a few years ago. Should I just trash this dollhouse that’s already deteriorated – or make it into a Halloween House project??”
But I already knew what my friends, fellow MGs and followers would say despite the house being very rotted, missing a lot of pieces and fragile to the touch. It took 92 comments and one, “Why is this even a question?” and it was decided: make it into a Halloween house. (Just for the record there was only one, “Let it go and move on.” which I was partial to, I might add.)
The Origins
I found the house at the Fremont Sunday Market many moons ago when I was vending every Sunday in Seattle, spreading the joy of gardening in miniature. The dollhouse was made from one of those plywood kits but the owner literally gave up the ghost and aborted all intentions with it and thus – it came into my hands for a mere $20. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it but, being a fixture at the market in those days, we were the “go-to” guys for anyone that had anything miniature to sell. And sell to us they did – my husband and I are suckers for any realistic miniature apparently.
See our Very Scary Miniature Halloween Accessory Department here.
The First Reincarnation
Several years ago I did get a chance to use it in a display for the big Sorticulture Garden Festival for a fairy garden theme. I painted it the blue, white and orange colors to go with the whimsical fairies and mixed in a bunch fairy gardens to go with it. It appears that the photo has been crunched and renamed because it’s been so long, but you can still see it here.
The Second Reincarnation
And it’s been living in the back garden bed after coming home from the show, rotting slowly. However, I do believe we have brought it back from the dead:
See all our trees, shrubs and “mini bedding plants” for your miniature or fairy garden here.
Like these unusual ideas and insight into gardening in miniature? Join our email list to get your FREE almost-weekly Mini Garden Gazette Newsletter. Sign up here.
I really enjoyed your transformation of this house. I like studying some of the areas of miniature garden displays. You made it easy for me to enjoy by addressing some of your details. Thank you.
Thank you, Donna! I really appreciate the feedback! <3
Your Halloween House project is absolutely amazing!!! I have looked at it several times and each time I find something new that I hadn’t noticed before. What a perfect house to start with…..in all its falling apart glory. Nothing else would have worked as well. Congrats on a fantastic project!
This house & its environs were wonderful…and wonderfully spooky. I wish I had your talent (and your stash of miniatures) for my mini-garden. I didn’t get to miss out on the storm here in the Greenlake area- my miniature garden was washed out but nothing was irreparably harmed (at least so far) and the wind over the last couple of days knocked over anything that was still standing. Oh well, I’ll just start over in the spring. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration and education.
Oh wow Janit, this is amazing! The colors on the house are perfect coupled with the lights and all the Halloween decor, absolutely awesome! I also have a large outdoor fairy garden but with the continuous rain here and then Hurricane Ivan just came through and flooded us in I have to keep bringing it all in, never fun. Do you have to do the same with your house? Not sure what the weather is like there. Thanks for sharing, love it!
Thank you Jill, I’m glad your safe from the Hurricane! I can’t imagine the flooding – our hearts go out to all our miniature garden friends down in FL!
The last time I used this house, in 2018, I furnished the rooms with some of my personal collection of miniatures so I didn’t leave it out for long – I think just a couple of days to get some photographs. This year, I’ve taken out my beloved miniatures so they won’t get lost. (“If you can’t afford to lose them, don’t use them” as all things large and mini weather outside.) I’m just going to decorate the window displays and the outside of it. But this house isn’t really dear to me so I might leave it out to weather some more.
My other miniatures I take inside for the winter and put some older/worn out miniatures in so there is something to look at. It’s fun when the snow falls – makes great Kodak moments! – J.