(Catherine Jones - Funky Farmhouse)
A New Look for an Old Farmhouse - Modern and Marvelous
by Pam North
Catherine (Cathy) Jones’ passion is creating 1:12 scale miniature houses in which she personally would like to live if she were just a few inches tall. “When I look at miniatures I experience a childlike sense of wonder that allows me to escape reality for a moment and imagine that I am physically moving around in those spaces,” she said. Her passion for tiny things was ignited in childhood, inspired initially by her dad’s love of model railroading with its miniature villages, and stoked by her family’s participation in his hobby.
Cathy’s recent piece is her 1:12 scale Funky Farmhouse, depicting her concept of a renovated frame and stone farmhouse somewhere in rural Pennsylvania.
She started with two Corner Place kits from Hobby Builders Supply (miniatures.com), dryfitting them together in various configurations until one felt right to her. “For this build, it was a gradual process for me, each step determining the next. I had to build up the walls to have enough overhead space upstairs. I installed the stairs, the loft floor, and the roof. Once the basic structure was completed, I had a great open floor plan to work with, and the decorating began!”
The original kit came with windows, doors, and steps, but the rest Cathy made herself. She used two picture frames to construct a peaked roof. Both the interior and exterior were finished with a rough coat of joint compound, and the partial stone effect is spackle that she pressed into a handmade mold. She made many of the furniture pieces, and also purchased others, repainting them to her liking. The perfectly scaled bathroom pieces are from miniatures.com.
“Other than the basic kit and the picture frame roof, the rest is constructed from basswood,” she explained. “The railings are tiny fragile strips of balsa that I had to glue on individually, and I’m surprised I didn’t break any of them! They took several days to make as I had to glue each strip of balsa onto a post, then wait until it was completely dry before attaching another. The entire first floor is a piece of matboard that I cut to size.”
Due to the expensive nature of her craft, Cathy tries to be as resourceful as possible with materials and finishing methods. Using regular house paint, joint compound for old plaster walls, dollar store finds, and things from around the house are great ways to stay on budget. Rather than installing real wood floors, she uses acid free matboard and scores it every half-inch with a ruler and an awl. Two coats of brushed-on white primer, then a thin glaze of brown oil paint on top finishes the floor, and the brush strokes from the primer look like wood grain after glazing. She makes sure that any paper, cardstock or matboard she uses is acid free.
“Using a multiple openings picture frame was a great way to make a peaked roof with built-in skylights,” she continued. “Once the basic structure was built, designing the interior was fun. For the area rugs I collected images to print on textured rice paper through my printer. A little double-sided tape and there was a nice flat rug. I used scaled-down prints of my own paintings and photos, spray mounted onto foam board, and then framed with strips of balsa wood. I collected found objects and turned them into decorative objects for the home. I also downloaded and printed a copy of a Franz Kline abstract expressionism art painting for over the bed.”
Cathy likes to approach a new build or renovation in the same way she would if it were a real house. “I ask questions about whether the ceilings are the right height, if the steps make sense there, if a load-bearing wall goes there, or what the exterior finish should be. As I’m building, craftsmanship is important every step of the way to ensure quality.” When she gets stuck, she relies on friends on social media for inspiration and fresh ideas that she can make her own and incorporate into the build.
“There is a lot of trial and error when making miniatures, but every failure turns into success when one  learns from one’s mistakes, Cathy commented. “I like to think that everything is fixable with a little glue! Since I’m surrounded by old stone and wood farmhouses in  rural Pennsylvania, they became my inspiration. Making the interior of an old farmhouse into an updated loft makes it funky!”
Cathy’s favorite area of the house is the loft. “I like to imagine resting on the comfy bed and relaxing as I look out at nature,” she commented. “The front façade of the farmhouse is like that wall of the house was torn off and modernized with giant, soaring windows to let in natural light and an unobstructed view of the rolling hills outside.”
She enjoys transforming kits into her own unique visions. “I love that these basic kits are like a blank canvas, limited only by one’s imagination. They’re not like traditional dollhouses where all the rooms are mapped out. I was so eager to work on the Funky Farmhouse that I finished it in six weeks. It combines my love for all things art with my obsession for miniatures.”
Asked whether she planned on selling her piece or keeping it for display, she opted for being open to selling it. “Since these miniature structures are tiny works of art, my price range would be in the $1200-$1500 range.”
She views the future of miniatures with optimism. “Humans have been making miniatures since the dawn of time to document life. Look at the incredible dollhouses that were made for British royalty. Works like the Thorne Rooms and Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle set the bar for pristine craftsmanship.
We can be inspired by the history of dollhouses as well as looking forward to the future with the advent of modern design and technology like 3-D printers. People are making some amazing stuff out there!”
Cathy plans on entering a build in the Hobby Builders Supply Creatin’ Contest for 2021 (https://www.miniatures.com/28th-Annual-Creatin-Contest-.aspx), and also has other dollhouses in progress. “It’s so rewarding that people are noticing my work,” Cathy stated, “and I continue to find inspiration from the miniature community.”

Contact information:
Name: Catherine (Cathy) Jones
Email: ccjonesy61@gmail.com
Phone: (610) 463-7123
Address: 45 Dietrich Valley Road, Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530
Instagram: jonesin.4.art