A surrogate home

Here are some of my purchases during a recent shopping trip:
a couch and ottoman, a TV set, an end table, a couple of vases, slippers, a clock, a teapot, a creamer, a plant, and an itty-bitty red polka dot bikini. It may look like a lot for one shopping trip, with few items even in the same department, but this spree was at a miniatures show, and nothing in the photo is over three inches tall.

It's so much easier to decide on a couch that fits in the palm of your hand than to buy a life-size couch. It's not just the cost difference, it's the commitment!

Here are a few reasons to own a dollhouse or miniature room boxes:

1. You can splurge on clothes, furniture, electronics, and plants, all on the same day, and not break a fifty. [Of course, there are pieces that are more like fine art and cost more than life-size, but I don't travel in those circles on any scale.]

2. You can do a complete kitchen remodel for about $15 and a half hour of your time.

3. Same with the bathroom. Add an hour and you can re-wallpaper the living room.

4. You can do a thorough cleaning of the whole house in less than ten minutes. One quick breath and the brush of a fingertip, and a room is dusted and vacuumed.

5. Laundry chores take only a few minutes. For example: the fabric of the polka dot bikini in the photo is very stiff and will need to be softened to look "real." This can be taken care of in two minutes by pouring transparent glue on it and rubbing it between your fingers. Compare that to the maintenance time for the three-sectioned, four-foot-long hamper in my life-size laundry room.

6. Your refrigerator and cupboards are always full. No wilted produce (Fimo dough is very hearty), or spoiled rib roast.

If it seems that I use my hobby as a hedge against real life, it's probably because it's true. I get all the satisfaction of cleaning and redecorating room after room without getting off my stool.

What does your hobby do for you??