this project began in april 2025 when the carpeting on the staircase was becoming sand more than rug
commence destruction!
reconstruction in miniature (still a work in progress as of november 2025 - i keep finding and adding photos of family & friends in miniature)
from top to bottom:
outer space (blue tread) - stickers, stars, star wars figurines, a pop it, and lighting
garden (green tread) - flower pots, sunflowers, stickers, cut outs, miniature boots, watering can, cactus candle, tiny gardening implements, hanging potted plant earrings from etsy, fencing from DM, miniature garden hose (not pictured) from factory direct craft (h/t JM)
dépanneur / bodega / bakery situation (yellow tread) - upcycling newspring, newsstand cut out from a magazine (real simple), window panes courtesy of DM (the frame was left after game pieces were punched out), miniature paper pieces from a sam & julia / mouse mansion kit, stickers, vending machine from daiso
art / library / armory - "wallpaper" is scrapbook paper, the shelf is a scrabble tile holder, the ladder is form playmobil, the "art" is a patch, the painting is by a resident, the grandfather clock is a cut out from a german children's book, stickers, purchased canon and statue of armor*
from top to bottom:
Christmas (red tread) - background is scrapbook paper from DM, fireplace is from a grinch kit from oriental trading, framed photo is from awkward photos, stickers, shelf from daiso, foam bricks from DM (really this whole project is probably inspired by / blamed on her), random tiny toys from thrifted monopoly , gnomes and trees and stockings from that time i made ornaments
art / library (purple tread) - framed photos of family, sticker of my grandma, art by ruth hinman, shelf from The Modern Dollhouse on etsy which i had plans to fill with books before i realized that making tiny books is super tedious, lego library from lego, rug cut out from magazine, frames from factory direct craft (h/t JM!)
the bar (blue tread) - decorated by BY, magnet from the CCRx, pirate magnets from BW, skull magnet by JM, bar made of scrabble tile holders, bottles from nye ornaments, foam bricks from DM, tiny dart board, tiny lamp, treasure chest, table built with miniature jar lid by BY, anchor and compass from a nautical-themed wedding
from top to bottom:
the music room (green plaid background, green tread) - piano made form black foam board and junk mail from the symphony that had a keyboard on it, window from DM, cow jumping over the moon from USPS catalog, flute portrait from MS, harp in honor of my grandma who played the harp
the classroom (leopard print background, yellow stair) - desks built from sam & julia packing cardboard, tiny apothecary / library card catalog from The Modern Dollhouse on etsy , wall art from a sam & julia / mouse mansion kit, filing cabinet from daiso, clock from packaging on a watch
construction site - "caution" washi and miniature cinder blocks are things we have around because we are completely normal people, boom box from DM who is also completely sane and normal
Halloween (red tread) - once again, items found around this completely normal home - door is repurposed playmobil, legs are a bookmark, ghostbusters sticker by TM, wednesday addams for the vibes, one-eyed cat by BY, 3D printed ghosts from the museum of science and industry, cauldron was an "over the rainbow" find from oriental trading but i broke the gold and green bits off, tiny broom is again a totally normal thing to have in your house, i cannot stress this enough. ditto a billion tiny skeletons.
from top to bottom:
the library (purple) - book washi on scrabble tile holders, cactus candle in tiny pots, used a real map (atlas frontispiece) between two chopsticks for the map, national park service junior ranger badge, totoro, bookmark of a lady with a book, bookshelf out of popsicle sticks, tiny monopoly toys on shelf, marble globe
under the sea (blue) - stickers, chair by JM, gas tank ornament, tiny sand pails, quartz kit fish things, mermaid tail, ship linocut by RP
front yard (blue brick background, green painted stair) - scrapbook paper form DM, chair by JM, windows are from punching out game pieces, flower pots et al (clothesline, birdhouse, door) made by yours truly, sunflower by BY, mailbox from a fisher price set, other parts made from jenga pieces, and the wreath on the door is from the thrift store
dinosaurs (green) - sushi grass, jurassic park sticker, pop it, wooden cut outs, plastic dinosuars, and a 3D printed one that i think is from the museum of science and industry
Chicago & miniatures: a friendship to the end
these miniatures were inspired by Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute, the scale model of US transportation infrastructure at the Museum of Science and Industry, the book series "The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures," Sootypaws, The Mouse Mansion, and living in a dystopian hellscape.
since the strata / HOA didn't like me decorating outside, I moved the tiny party inside.
*why a statue of armor? (i'm sure that is your only follow-up question)
to honor the illinois math and science academy & the person who left a random statue of armor on our doorstep many years ago (which made it out to california but not back to chicago, sadly).
also had to copy the thorne rooms, natch
n.b. if you make hot glue seals and then try to hot glue them to the wall, you will loose fingerprints in the process and swear a lot.
inspiration:
the lego store in schaumburg
apparently i was on the wikipedia about this in 2022, so the fascination goes back a bit.
this picture is from 2013 and i have no idea where it was taken
another domestic diorama, this one in lego
1992 playskool dollhouse scene of horror & despair
miniature train car held in the MacLean Collection (which i had the pleasure of visiting in 2021)
museum of science & industry
calico critters / star wars / army guys crossover fan fic, curated in-house
a little library of congress for ya
PS if you've read this far and you are still wondering, is this 1:6 scale or 1:12 scale or 1:2 scale or 1:24 scale the answer is yes to everything that fits.