Shopping List

If you're like us, you've struggled to find new and interesting products and ideas to use in your projects.  This is our "best of" list--and it's growing all the time!  We'd love any website, artisan, or product suggestions you have.


Click on the bold title to visit that shop's, or artisan's site...

DOLLHOUSE DESIGNERS

If you can't stand the idea of one more Houseworks dollhouse, check these designers out. 

1. Barbara's Mouldings kits are absolutely wonderful--and very unique.  
2. Sid Cooke Dollhouses are lovely, but expensive.
3. The Dolls House Builder creates truly magnificent homes for very spoiled dolls.
4. Majestic Mansions carries a lovely range of kits.  Reminiscent of Disney World's "Main Street, USA", they're ideal for anyone looking to create a truly American house.  This company is a stand out for two reasons: they carry a couple of very unusual models (a hotel and a palace), and they have a substantial range of 1:24 scale dollhouses.
5. Maple Street designs absolutely fabulous tudor dollhouse kits.

DOLLHOUSE KITS

1. Baccraft Miniatures is a wonderful site, run by wonderful people.  And, unlike many UK-based sites, they ship to America.  They're the only company I've found who carry the Barbara's Mouldings line of dollhouses, and are willing to ship worldwide.

DOLLHOUSE DECORATING

1. Les Chinoiseries carries the highest quality dollhouse wallpaper on the market.  They carry a wonderful range of historically accurate papers, taken from some of the loveliest historic homes in North America.  This website is a real find for anyone looking to reproduce either Colonial American homes, or post-Napoleonic French homes.
2. Richard Stacey products are the best, most true to scale masonry products on the market--and, for what they are, extraordinarily reasonably priced.
3. Swan House DIY carries a variety of wonderful artisans, such as Henry Bart, who are hard to find elsewhere.  This stuff isn't cheap, but and they don't carry everything, but if you want architectural details that are truly original, Swan House DIY is the ultimate "do it yourself" web portal.
4. Sue Cook Miniatures carries a complete line of fabulous fireplaces, and other hand cast and hand painted items.  The gothic revival and victorian offerings are the most unique.  Unlike other cast items, which fail on close inspection, Sue Cook's fireplaces, etc are highly detailed and stand up to the closest scrutiny.
5. Romney Miniatures sells handmade chimney pots, floor tiles, etc.  They offer things I literally haven't seen anywhere else.  If you're building any sort of historically accurate house, this site is a must-see.
6. Olde Mountain Miniatures Co. has some lovely kits, including (hard to find!) window kits.  They're also the only purveyors of historically accurate hardware.  Because it's made from soft metal, their hardware is best used in a decorative, or low traffic setting.  

FURNITURE KITS

1. McQueenie Miniatures sells the best kits available.  They also feature a (growing) line of lovely Tudor furniture, both in kit form and premade.  This is my favorite kit site on the web.
2. Theresa's Miniature Creations carries some lovely kits, although biased toward later centuries.
3. Cynthia Howe Miniatures sells lovely laser cut kits for furniture and accessories, as well as doll making bits and pieces.
4. Michelle's Miniatures sells a limited range of laser cut kits in both 1:12, 1:24, and 1:144 scales.  This shop is also the home of the gypsy caravan (an upcoming project on this blog!)  A good source of hard to find art nouveau and art deco furniture and accessories.
5. Moe's Miniatures has a few pieces of simple cherry furniture, and several wonderful toy kits. 
6. Robert Longstaff offers truly unique kits.  It's very rare to find furniture kits available in hardwood, especially mahogany--and with turned legs!  This is a must-see.
7. Minimum World offers the full Mini Mundus range.
8. Art of Mini has a truly enormous collection of kits, for just about everything.

FURNITURE

1. Miniature Scene carries wonderful Tudor furniture, in addition to a range of other products.
2. Masters Miniatures sells absolutely gorgeous medieval and tudor furniture and accessories, including historically accurate musical instruments.
3. SP Miniatures sells an excellent selection of furniture and accessories, as well as work from many different artisans, including Al Chandronnait.
4. Ashwood Designs sells a large range of furniture, including quite an impressive selection of church items.  Church pews, altars, etc are extremely difficult to find.  This is the best resource I've discovered so far.
5. Willow Models sells a limited range of lovely furniture suitable for a tudor, or even an American Colonial home.

ARTISANS

1. Colin Bird makes gorgeous furniture.
2. De Cave Designs creates some of the most lovely furniture (and roomboxes!) available on the market today.
3. Smaller Than Life, in the persons of Pat and Pete Boorum, create lovely American colonial and American Shaker pieces.
4. Tom Walden makes incredibly detailed miniature furniture, including historically accurate radios for your 1930's dollhouse.
5. Kerri Pajutee Miniature Animals are, quite simply, incredible.
6. Jane Laverick makes truly unique dolls, in several scales.  What sets her dolls apart is their personalities.  Looking at them always makes me feel jubilant.
7. Diane Scott makes amazingly detailed custom-order French knot rugs.
8. Al'Turn'Ative Proportions makes absolutely wonderful lamps and accessories.  Their art deco lamps are without rival.  Also, check out their jardiniere stands!
9. Ken Byers has some astonishing things.  He's way, way out of my price range, but I'm a big fan nonetheless.  Worth remembering is that many of his pieces are single, special or limited editions.
10. "Bubba" (Barbara) of Bubba's Mini Country Cupboards is such a nice person, I always feel really happy giving her my money.  And her cabinets are beautiful.
11. Jill Renee Marquis of Marquis Miniatures creates with character.  My dollhouses have several of her pieces.  If you want to create the feeling of a lived-in space, she's on your must-visit list.
12. John Mayoros of JnA Woodworking offers a small range of really well-crafted pieces.  He usually also has a few modern selections.  Although, I'm sorry, I bought the Danish modern desk for myself.

NEEDLEPOINT

1. Knight Time Miniatures is the place to go for medieval, tudor, and fantasy items.  Their wall hangings, bedspreads--they have bedspreads!--and cushions are fabulous.  Really, a great bet for hard to find items!
2. Janet Granger sells a lovely range of kits, including some wonderful dining chair kits.
3. Stitches In Miniature, by Janet Patacca, offers an excellent range of rug kits.
4. Nicola Mascall has a significant range of fire screen kits, as well as a number of other well-conceived designs.
5. Cookie's now offers mini crewel kits, which would be ideal in a tudor setting.
6. Jennifer Kwong designs pillows, rugs, etc., focusing on William Morris patterns.
7. Magic Miniatures features some awesome, and really challenging, designs.  If you want tapestries, this is where to go.  The selection is staggering.  A must see!
8. MicroStitchery, by Bobbi Schoonmaker, sells a nice range of kits suitable for an American colonial, or Shaker home (although she does also have some lovely Cluny-inspired pillow designs).  She also sells a prayer rug kit, which is extremely rare.  Like all true prayer rugs, it "points" toward Mecca.  An excellent choice for the Muslim dollhouse.
9. Carolyn Waldron sells kits, as well as finished rugs, cushions, and bell pulls.
10. Mini Stitches sells a large selection of samplers, but the highlight of the site is the victorian gothic seat cover.

PLACES YOU CAN GET EVERYTHING

1. Miniatures.comhttp://www.miniatures.com/Default.aspx isn't my favorite outlet, BUT it's probably the best (and cheapest) source for basics like Houseworks building supplies, "plaster" paper, etc.
2. Swan House Miniatures sells the best of everything. 
3. Swan House DIY has a good selection, BUT you can usually get the same direct from the actual artisans and manufacturers.  At least, anyway, in the case of the friendlier ones.  But if you're hankering for something specific from an, um, shall we say, less friendly artisan, Greg Madl can probably find it for you.

 ARTISANS WHO DON'T SELL DIRECT
(Or, at least, their work isn't readily available.)

1. Barbara Sabia, queen of stained glass.
2. The English Kitchen represents, along with a VERY small handful of others, the best quality miniature food on the market.  Probably the best place to find her work is through Greg Madl.
3. Cristina Minischetti doesn't seem to currently maintain an internet presence, which is disappointing, because her food is lovely.  Again, Swan House Miniatures seems to be your best bet.
   

BOOKS

1. An oldie but goodie, The Authentic Tudor & Stuart Doll's House is still a favorite.  Although not completely historically accurate, as it claims, it's nonetheless full of excellent details.  This is a must-have for any tudor enthusiast.

What are we missing?  Fill us in below!  We're always looking for new resources...