Very few people live in a perfectly tidy house, dolls houses on the other hand can often seem overly tidy. The ability to achieve perfection, which often cannot be achieved in real life, may suit some people. However, a dolls house can be brought to life by some simple stage setting.
If you are the kind of person who likes dolls in the dolls house, then dolls can be staged or positioned so they look as if they are doing something, such as cookery or sitting in a chair knitting. If you prefer not to have dolls posed like this there are some simple ways to make a house look more lived in. Maybe the miniature people have just gone outside to the garden for a while – leave a basket of vegetables/flowers on a kitchen work surface or table, leave the back door open with slippers nearby. Other rooms can be left as if the occupants have gone out for longer – dog or cat curled up on the best chair (you can even find miniature animals which have chewed a slipper/knocked over a plant), an open book or cup of tea on a side table by the chair, a cardigan or jumper left draped over a chair arm, a newspaper discarded on the floor, knitting in a basket. Bedrooms can have open drawers with clothes spilling out or wardrobes left open, maybe a heap of discarded clothing in a child’s room or toys scattered around. Perhaps leave the bed unmade and rumpled, with slippers by the bed and clothing thrown on the bed.
Lofts or attic rooms can be made dusty or add small wisps of toy filling to give the impression of cobwebs. Wellingtons or muddy shoes can be left outside doors. Cats can be placed on doormats outside, maybe a dog waiting inside by the doormat for the post, or with a lead waiting for a walk.
So next time your miniature knitting goes wrong, instead of throwing the item away, carefully transfer this to tiny pins and use it as a prop for a doll or place it on or beside a chair, remember dolls aren’t perfect either, they must make mistakes in knitting too!
