About

THE "RESIDENT" OF THE DAISY HOUSE -
My name is Elizabeth Neilly, and as the owner of The Daisy House I am happy to share some of my background and passion for the wonderful world of dollhouses and miniatures!

Dollhouses and miniatures have been a fascination for as long as I can remember. At a young age, my mother handed down her set of walnut Strombecker furniture that she played with in her own dollhouse as a child. And after my first glimpse (at around age 7, on tiptoe!) of the fascinating Thorne Rooms at The Art Institute of Chicago, I was thoroughly hooked!

As a young child I had a large, modern, plain and practical, Creative Playthings dollhouse with four open sides and lots of room for imagination, and I remember being mesmerized by the fully furnished and electrified Lundby dollhouse on display in the toy department of the local department store.

At about age 10, I fell in love with a simulated red brick Victorian (right) that I yearned to have but that the high price tag (at the time of my small weekly allowance) would not allow. But I continued to collect miniatures – the more realistic the better (that’s the Thorne Rooms’ influence!). I also attended shows such as the Three Blind Mice shows - often being one of the youngest miniaturists studying and pouring over the displays.

Then at age 14, I finally got my first “serious” dollhouse – fully finished (though I did re-paper a couple of the rooms) with a “brick” foundation, yellow clapboard siding, black shutters, shingled roof and a full front porch (pictured right, unfurnished).

Over the years I have continued to collect miniatures, construct various furniture kits and complete miniature needlework projects. Gingerbread has even been a miniature outlet including this Woodsman's Cabin ready for the holidays (left).

Now, I'm thrilled to be at the helm of The Daisy House and to be able to share your passion and fascination with the world of all-things-small!

Click on the photos above for larger images.

THE DAISY HOUSE has been designing and producing a quality line of miniature furniture and accessory kits since 1999. There are nearly 30 designs in the Daisy House collection. Since they are not of a specific style or time period they fit nicely into many different dollhouse or room settings. New kits are in development and will be added to the line as soon as they are tested and ready. We are always on the lookout for new ideas, so if you have an idea please Contact us.

THE KIT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS involves the drafting of an initial design where the size, shape and proportions of the furniture are defined.  When the “look” of the piece is right, a number of prototypes are built so the design can be refined and perfected.  When the piece is just right for a miniature setting, the design is finalized and the production process is started.

THE KIT INSTRUCTIONS undergo an arduous process of writing and rewriting.  By using them to build the kit in development, the instructions are then tested and retested until they are accurate and easy to follow. There is no thought given to short-cutting this process because of the numerous compliments received over the years from miniaturists on the accuracy and clarity of the instructions.

THE DAISY HOUSE OBJECTIVE: The hobby of miniatures should be fun and rewarding. With that in mind, Daisy House kits can be successfully completed in an evening or a weekend and can be finished in any number of ways. We often hear compliments from customers who have finished a Daisy House kit and have purchased more because "the kit worked" and because they had so much fun!

Now, it's your turn to have fun with a Daisy House kit!