Before we were married, I told Mark that when we’re retired I’d like to have a cabin in the woods and a cottage at the beach. That way we can enjoy each location, and alternate between them when the tourists get annoying.

Many years ago, we were browsing a new consignment store and wandered into the children’s section. Mark pointed out this little log cabin and said “There’s your log cabin. I’ll buy it for you today.” We laughed and then went over to inspect it. It was filled with a jumble of furniture and household items.

As we looked at the construction of the cabin, it became very clear that someone lovingly built this from scratch. It is more folk art than a scale miniature.

The stairs are wonky, the shingles are enormous, there are pencil markings where the builder notched the logs and a few adhesive smears on the windows. Nothing is to scale, and there are large holes drilled in the back for nightlight bulbs.

I like to imagine that Grandpa made this for the grandkids to enjoy. I had to have it.

For $35, we brought it home and cleaned it up. I used nail polish remover to clean the adhesive from the window glass. The chimney was covered in what looked like aquarium gravel. Little bits fell off every time we moved it, so I scraped all that off. I plan to add stone that is more to scale.

I added dollhouse miniature wood floors and covered the plywood ceilings with embossed paper to mimic tin panels. With doors that are 4″ high, it’s somewhere between 1:24 and 1:18 scale. It can be a challenge to find furnishings that fit because it is not a standard size.

The roof lifts off, and the 2nd floor lifts out to access the first floor. The only other access is through the tiny doors.

I gave the furniture a coat of paint, and painted the kitchen hutch to resemble our Hoosier cabinet.

When our nieces and nephews were little they loved to play with the furnishings and decorate it for the holidays. They’re now teenagers and young adults with no interest in the log cabin. I guess it’s up to me to carry on their important work!

I found some new miniatures in my advent calendar, so I have a few tiny projects to make for the log cabin. I love coming home from work in the evening and seeing the warm glow of the log cabin with the lights on. So cozy.

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