I never wanted a china cabinet—never wanted to display a china set. Yet my late mother’s cabinet takes pride of place in my condo, with three sets of dishes, one inherited and two that I purchased for purely nostalgic reasons. But that is a story for another day.

Similarly, I never wanted a miniature dollhouse.

And yet…I was minding my own business, doing nothing in particular when I got a text from my dear friend. Kathi had found a dollhouse at a thrift store and thought my daughter, Carleas might want to fix it up on a video blog. “It sounds like the one the girls had when they were little,” Kathi said.

I thought about it for a good half-second and agreed.

“Buy it,” I said, thinking I would send her the money, and about how thrilled my daughter would be to redesign a dollhouse like the one she had as a child.

Carleas has been in business for five years creating dollhouses and accessories for dollhouses on a 1:12 miniature scale. She keeps two 3-D printers busy producing her designs. I help her by making six-inch macrame plant holders from crochet cotton. I admire her work, but mini macrame is the extent of my creative miniature experience.

I texted Carleas about the phone call from Kathi. She wasn’t keen on the video idea. When I told her it was not a miniature, but the Barbie doll house that she had as a child, she was more interested in seeing it done than in doing it herself. It would take time and space, and she didn’t have either. She was too busy to take on the project.

What do I do now?

Kathi had already purchased the dollhouse. Did I want to take it on myself? Maybe we could do it together. My final thought was that I would buy it from her and fix it up for my great grandchildren, whenever they came along.

Kathi, in the meantime, had ideas of her own. We would fix it up and blog about it. We could do it together, or I could buy one and we could each do our own.

I had some thoughts, too. Exciting venture. Terrifying plan. Stupid idea. Kathi can do it herself. No interest here.

Kathi and I are going to Bath this fall to the Jane Austen festival, and I have a lot to do to get ready. I have no time for another project. Unless it’s Jane Austen’s house. I could reproduce Chawton Cottage, where Jane Austen revised her first and wrote her final novels.

Carleas found a house for me on Marketplace. In fact, she found two. Originally purchased at Ikea, one of these houses was close by, still in the box, and one was assembled and at a better price, just outside of the city. I could choose.

I chose both. Chawton Cottage is an L-shaped structure, so if I put two houses together in an L shape I could replicate the outside. Inside I could choose the rooms I wanted to do. Of course, the roofline would have to be changed, and I would have to cut out, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8,10 windows and three doors. And I’d have to make brick. How do you make brick? Am I nuts?

I am nuts! What was I thinking? Where would I work on it?

Kathi wants us to blog about it. I can blog. I can do that. She started sending me ideas from Pinterest. I watched a few YouTube videos on making brick. I need a lot of bricks. Carleas suggested some online sites that she’s used in the past. She also told me she could replicate the wallpaper if she had a good image. I found a good image.

“Where will you work on it?” Carleas asked me.

“At the table of course.” I showed her the picture of Chawton Cottage.

She looked at picture, then at the two doll houses on the table next to the china cabinet. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

My dollhouse front, back and yet to be assembled.

 “It will take some time, I know. But there is lots of information out there.”

“So, you’re done collecting china, you’re going to start collecting dollhouses now?”

I didn’t say anything. After all, Kathi and I haven’t yet been to Jane Austen land. We haven’t seen any of the structures in person. Who’s to say what our trip will inspire?

Chawton Cottage had been through several iterations before Jane’s brother, Edward Austen Knight, inherited Chawton House, the nearby manor house from his adoptive father. While his family lived in the big house, he made a few changes to the cottage. And then his mother, and his sisters, Cassandra and Jane moved in with their friend, Martha Lloyd. It was Jane’s home for the last eight years of her life.

After the passing of the Austen women, the building was used as a multiple-family dwelling, and more changes were made. It is not clear what the house looked like when the Austen’s lived there, but one change in particular was ascribed to Edward. He had the large front window in the drawing room shut up to give the women more privacy from the street traffic and added a similar one on the more secluded garden side.

I like the symmetry of the two large windows on each side of a center door, as it was back then, so I chose that façade for my replica.

On my first house, I will add eight inches to the front and four inches to the side. This means a trip to Home Depot to purchase half-inch plywood for the floor, and quarter-inch plywood for the exterior walls. My second house will remain much the same. Only the roof will change. It will become the kitchen and servants’ quarters.

I have new blades for my electric saw. I’m waiting for the windows and doors that I ordered, so I can take accurate measurements before I make the cuts. Can’t wait to get started.

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