His mother grew up in a very large family with ten children. Her mother stayed home to raise the kids while her father worked in a cotton mill and did carpentry on the side. There was never any money to spare so her dream of having a dollhouse as a little girl was never realized. So Greg decided to build one for her. The house was built for his mother`s love of the old and the Victorian. Her dream was to someday live in an old house by the ocean with a large porch to catch the breeze but shade her from the heat of the day. She wanted the house to be filled with ornate and dark woods of the Victorian Era. She wanted it to take her back to a time that she loved so much.

Greg spent a lot of time looking for the perfect house and came to realize that for him to give her the house of her dreams, he would have to build it from scratch. He found a HouseWorks plan and started a project that he did not realize would take him nearly twenty five years to complete. I asked Greg what this piece expresses about him. He says that he inherited his love of the old from his mother. He loves the Victorian times and he tries to bring his dollhouses back to that era. He does the same with his real home. His mother no longer has the space for the dollhouse in her own home anymore so it now lives in Greg`s house in a prominent and safe place. He says this house will be with him until he is gone. He would love to donate it to his to town for them to display when that time comes.

Terri had no problem choosing her favorite miniature. She says her prized possession is this resin chair and ottoman.

She received it as a gift from her boyfriend as a Christmas present. He was going through chemo and radiation at the time. He was very sick and had problems leaving the house but he went out alone to buy her this chair. This was not a specific item that she wanted. He just wanted to get her a Christmas gift without any help from anyone. She feels that this gift expresses something about him instead of her. He was ill but felt the need to get her something special. Terri knew that it was difficult for him to go out to shop, but he knew that it would make her happy. Because of those reasons, that chair and ottoman are very special to Terri and she will never part with them.

Pam says that although she has many miniatures that are very special to her, this vanity set is at the top of her list.

She will never part with it because it is just too pretty. She understands that as years go by and she becomes more involved in collecting that she may find something else that she loves above the rest. But for now, this vanity is the cat`s meow. This set is from France but Pam did not acquire it there. The set means so much to her because she bought it at her very first dollhouse miniature show in Seattle. She spent that weekend with her two daughters. Her oldest daughter got Pam hooked on miniatures and the youngest daughter became hooked that weekend. Pam did not have anything particular in mind when she went to the show. She spent the days walking around and drooling at all there was to see and purchase. When she came upon the vendor, Valerie Ann Casson, Pam was mesmerized by all the gorgeous pieces that she had for sale. After much internal arguments with herself and a bit of prodding from her oldest daughter, she decided to purchase the vanity set for her Willowcrest.  Pam says that is is not only perfect for the bedroom of her Willowcrest but it also fits her so well. She says that she has always been a girlie-girl  and this piece speaks to her inner french diva.

I hope you enjoyed visiting with these three wonderful collectors.  I will be busy searching the Greenleaf galleries for more succulent eye candy. Do not be surprised if you get asked to be chosen as a member of the Collector`s Cabinet. See you in April!

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