Maple and Moss Miniatures

08/16/2026

Instagram is where I share the moments. The Journal is where I tell the stories behind them. It’s where I write about the houses, the people who built them, the unexpected turns, the inspiration behind a design, and sometimes the memories that have nothing to do with miniatures—and everything to do with why they matter.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what happens between the reels and the finished photos, I’d love to welcome you there.

Which story are you reading first? New stories are added every week

https://www.mapleandmossminiatures.com/blog

08/14/2026

Choosing a palette sounds simple.

Pick a few colors you love and start painting, right?

Except that’s rarely how it works for me.

With Victoria’s Farmhouse, I wasn’t trying to make every room match. I wanted each space to have its own personality while still feeling like it belonged to the same house.

So the palette developed slowly—one room informing the next, colors repeating in different ways, and wood, pattern, texture, and furnishings helping tie everything together.

In this week’s Journal, I’m looking back at how Victoria’s palette came together and why choosing color is often less about the actual colors than it is about deciding how you want a house to feel.

Read “Choosing Victoria’s Palette” in The Journal at mapleandmossminiatures.com.

And with the Lawbre sitting on my workbench now, I find myself beginning that process all over again...

08/13/2026

I bought this Melissa & Doug dollhouse for one reason: I had seen Jo’s Mini Dreamworld completely transform the same model, and I couldn’t wait to try my own version.

Then something unexpected happened. Before I ever picked up a paintbrush, someone wanted this dollhouse for their little girl.

Suddenly, the renovation didn’t feel nearly as important as the opportunity to give a child a house she could start making memories with right away.

So this one never became a Maple & Moss restoration.
It became someone else’s beginning instead. And honestly... I think that was exactly what it was supposed to be.

08/12/2026

08/10/2026

One of my favorite parts of sharing Carried Forward has been discovering the memories it brings back for other people.

This reader from Türkiye shared something that stayed with me. As a child, she and her friends created their own miniature worlds—making furniture from clay, painting it, and building little homes with their own hands. They didn’t have many things, but they had imagination.

And years later, those memories were still there. She said the book brought her right back to that feeling—the understanding that the things we create and preserve often carry little pieces of ourselves with them.

That is exactly why these stories mattered to me. Not because they are about tiny houses...But because they remind us of the people we were, the things we loved, and the stories we continue to carry forward.

🇹🇷

08/09/2026

Last week I asked which house should be next, and you definitely had opinions. 😊

The Nob Hill and the little cottage stole the show. The good news is you’ll still see both. The Nob Hill is part of something special I’m planning later this fall, and the little cottage is already headed to the workbench as a commission.

But there was one house I couldn’t stop thinking about.

The Lawbre.

It’s unlike anything I’ve restored before, and the more I looked at it, the more ideas I had. Sometimes that feeling is impossible to ignore.

So for the next little while, I’ll be bouncing between two very different projects—a one-of-a-kind Lawbre and a cozy three-room cottage.

I have a feeling they’re both going to surprise us.

08/08/2026

One of the biggest challenges wasn’t building two houses at the same time.

It was making sure they didn’t become the same house.
Victoria’s Farmhouse asked for light, fresh spaces with a contemporary feel. The Lodge Harrison wanted warm wood, cozy corners, and the kind of rooms that invite you to linger.

They shared the same workbench, the same tools, and often the very same day. But every design decision had to answer the same question:

“Does this belong in this house?”

That’s one of my favorite parts of restoration. Every house has its own personality. My job isn’t to recreate the same style over and over—it’s to listen carefully enough to discover what makes each one feel like itself.

Which style feels more like home to you: Victoria’s Farmhouse or the Lodge Harrison?

08/07/2026

Every house eventually reaches the same moment.
The paint has dried. The lights are on. The rooms have found their purpose.

And all that’s left is for someone to open the front door and begin making new memories.

These five houses have each followed a different path to get here. Some fought me every step of the way. Others quietly became exactly what they were meant to be. Every one of them has changed me a little as I’ve worked on it.

Now they’re ready for their next chapter.
If one of them has been quietly calling your name as you’ve followed along, I’d love to hear from you.

🤍 Which one feels like yours?