highlandminis

My interest in doll’s houses stems from childhood, although I never got to play with my doll’s house, it was kept in the garden shed and I didn’t enjoy sharing the space with spiders!
A few years later I became a bus driver, and on a particular Brighton route I had a 20 minute stopover, not wanting to sit in the bus, I went for a wander and found a doll’s house shop, I was amazed at how they managed to make things look so real. After that I just wanted to find more shops to look at all the miniatures.”
I decided to make a doll’s house for my daughter however, my (first) husband wouldn’t let me use any of his tools. Fast forward a few years and with that marriage behind me, I married my teenage sweetheart, Tim. He bought me a doll’s house magazine, which was a huge eye-opener, and then a band saw with which I made my daughters doll’s house. Unable to find furniture to fill it suitable for my daughter’s age, I then set about making the furniture myself – and have never looked back.
We moved to Scotland in1990, and now live in Nairn on the Moray Firth coast with my three dogs and 18 chipmunks! As many of you will have gathered, I have a daughter in Australia, I’m always keen to visit and help out, she too has her own business and one of my 4 Grandchildren. My other daughter (the eldest) stays in Carnoustie with her 3 kids, and runs a crafting business and often helps out on the run up to fairs that I attend. My youngest, is my son, although he did leave home, he decided it was cheaper and more convenient to move back, he is a tremendous help with many aspects of my business, and last but not least my husband, he has the patience of a saint.
I started The’Wee’ Property Centre in October 1997, while still part-time bus driving. I’d travel the whole of the UK most weekends attending fairs and selling on-line, it became apparent, that I needed to re-shuffle, I was unable to make enough miniatures with the time available, so ceased driving in 2008 and dramatically reduced the number of fairs. I now attend “Miniatura” at the NEC Birmingham twice a year, do a few local events, supply a few items wholesale and sell on Etsy.
I found I was unable to continue working with resin about 3 years ago, I was extremely lucky to find Lynn and Les, they now do all my resin casting and fettling, thanks guys!
Ian took over casting my metal pieces, freeing my time up for designing new items, making furniture, painting and all the other business “to do” jobs