Decorating schemes come and go almost as quickly as hobbies in the lives of the crafty. For exampe, from the Craft Graveyard of Monica Cado Shellabarger's closet arose... Miniatures!

"I've tried my fair share of crafts over the years: sewing, painting in acrylics and oils, soap making, candle making, dried floral arranging, jewelry, etc. I have a craft 'graveyard' in my bonus room closet! But I love minis the most by far out of everything I've tried," said Monica.

Her first introduction to miniatures was during early childhood, with a classically constructed Dad House.

"My dad built my first dollhouse for me when I was three or four out of some random pieces of wood. My mom wallpapered it with typical 70's orange and green daisy wallpaper and carpeted it with scraps of avocado green shag carpeting. I loved it and have been hooked on miniatures ever since," she said.

Her own craftng experience didn't begin until a few years ago, however.

"About five years ago, my parents relocated from New Orleans to Nashville after Hurricane Katrina and one of their moving boxes held the entire contents of my childhood dollhouse. It lured me back in!"

Her tastes have "grown somewhat more refined" over the years and she has discovered the differences in scales since becoming reacquainted with her little childhood house.

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