Dollhouses on a Shoestring how it all began.  Valerie and I are not professional doll house builders.  I am the mother of four sons.  I didn't have an opportunity to enjoy sharing a daughter's toys. One year my youngest son asked what I would like for Christmas. I told him I wanted something I could play with. So I received my first dollhouse--the Dura-craft farmhouse. He attached a condition to the gift. One day, if he had a daughter,  he would like to have the completed house for her. I agreed. When I opened the box, I was overwhelmed by the many pieces. It did not deter me. I doggedly began following the instructions, and loved it. I was hooked that quickly. That dollhouse occupied a good portion of my kitchen table for many months.  My husband and I ate from one corner, while construction on the house continued.  I was thrilled to finally begin the actual decorating of the rooms. This was when I discovered I could improvise and create my own accessories. That was just the beginning. Sometime later, through a mutual friend, I met Valerie. I couldn't believe how alike we were.  She had built dollhouses for a number of years, but it never occurred to her that she could create so many of the pieces she needed to complete her decor. She was more advanced than I was.  She electrified many of her houses, while I did not. Several years ago, she lost her family and became a member of ours. I now have someone I can share my love of miniatures with. I have been creating clothespin dolls for sometime, and she has become involved in that activity also. Together we share thoughts and ideas and offer suggestions that give solutions to some of the problems we may encounter. Through the years we have sold, donated and made gifts  of many of the houses we have completed. Under our beds and in our closets you will find kits for a variety of houses waiting to be assembled. Plastic boxes and foot lockers contain an abundance of furniture. Some need to be refinished, others need a touch of elegance or a tweaking to fill a specific room decor. Plastic utility boxes--the type with many little drawers-- hold a collection of tiny accessories and bit and pieces to be combined to fill needs as they arise. We, laughingly, tell my husband, he's lucky it's only dollhouses we decorate or he would be in the poorhouse.                                                                 ----Rita INDEX          MAGAZINE ARTICLE