Lately, the writing hasn’t been going very well. Which is the polite way to say that it’s not going at all, and the book I started months ago is still lingering in limbo. I got my characters into a heck of a mess and I’m still thinking about how to get them out of it — because of course they deserve a truly happy ending.
So in the meantime, I’ve turned back to another kind of creativity. If you’ve followed me for a while, or if you’ve ever been on a zoom call with me, you’ve seen the dollhouse which is a landmark in my office.
But though it’s fun to decorate the house for the various seasons — like putting out the lawn mower, now that summer is here — the real fun with miniatures is imagining and creating them. That’s why I’ve picked up a project I’ve been thinking about for a long time — building a village to go with the house.
My tiny village will have an antique shop, of course (at left). And a bakery that serves really good coffee (in the middle). There’s a bookstore and a flower kiosk (that happens to be located inside an old-style British telephone booth). There’s even a rooftop bar. And then there’s the two-level building at the right, which isn’t anything yet.
So here’s the thing. What should those two new shops be? And what should they be called? I have some ideas, but I’m open to suggestions.
The flower kiosk is called PETAL PUSHERS. The coffee shop / bakery is CHOCO-LATTE (because of course it offers really good chocolate as well as fancy coffee). The bookstore is called BUY THE BOOK. The cart which can provide a glass of wine or a bottle of beer is called BAR NONE. And I’m open to renaming the antique shop as well, because the current name — Trash & Treasures — doesn’t quite fit the theme.
Here’s what my workstation looks like these days. If it seems I’ve dragged out every tool and craft item in the entire house — and then created some extra ones — you’re right. Just now I’m building a bakery display case (that’s the base for it at lower left) and creating the goodies to go inside it, and gathering items for everywhere else.
So feel free to join in the fun! What else does my tiny village need? And what should those shops be called?
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