The Joy of Collecting Miniature Houses

Whether you have a real interest in the design of a building, or not, it's a good idea to know the difference between a New England colonial for example, and a row house.

You'll expand your topics of conversation. Maybe you're in real estate or a related field and this would be a good mental exercise in identifying houses in your neighborhood.

Or maybe you're just a Lilliputian (from 'Gulliver's Travels') at heart.

Why not ignite your inner child with a flashback from your youth?

Who didn't like imagining who lived inside a particular house? Who was behind that curtain?Fiction writers ask themselves these same questions to establish characters and plots.

Architects and city planners often construct miniature office complexes and shopping centers as models for the real mccoy.

You could group the houses together to make a village or city neighborhood.

As an adult (or just a child at heart), this is much more fun than using Legos.

Maybe that miniature house is a replica of your lifelong dream house.

Focus only on that house and imagine yourself buying and living in that house.

The 'power of suggestion' can make you feel as though nothing can stop you from achieving your goals.

Your mantra might be: "I must have that house."

There are no rules and no right or wrong answers when it comes to the type of miniature houses you collect.

If you want to collect tiny teapots in the shape of houses, then go ahead and collect to your heart's desire.

If you want to collect buildings from Europe, you can have fun bringing them home from trips abroad or ask your friends and family to think of you when they travel.

Half the fun of collecting just about anything is sharing the fun and delight of amassing the collection itself.

Teach others the history of the house, such as the prairie house shown.

The TV show "Little House on the Prairie" was filmed in South Dakota. If you and your family have watched the reruns, discuss the hardships the family had to endure during that period in the American West.

All miniature house photos in this article were taken by the author, Camille Gizzarelli.

Do you have a fascination for small things? Then maybe you would enjoy collecting miniature houses. After finding a few at flea markets or re-purposed retailers, I can assure you it will soon become a hobby and you will begin to amass more and more.