I spent the last day of the year in the Land of Little Houses*

It was only when I returned home from my day trip to Brisbane to visit the fabulous exhibition California Design 1930–1965: Living in a Modern Way and downloaded my photos that I realised I seem to have spent the last day of 2013 taking photos of little houses. Which is not a bad way to spend New Year's Eve at all, wouldn't you say? (Warning, some of these shots are a bit rough and ready)

 This is a display at the Queensland Museum of buildings made by school students. I forgot to take a photo of the display information and I can't see any information on their site. Notice the Sydney Opera House at the bottom left!

At the California Design exhibition there was a Barbie Dream House:

 (Plus many other treasures

 which I will share with you when it's not 11 pm on the last night of the year and I've just returned from a full-day adventure in a state far far away...)

 Also at the California Design exhibition, a bird's eye view of one of the Case Study Houses

 and little house-shaped gift boxes for 'trend setting store' Joseph Magnin, designed by Joe Hong:

 In the pop-up gift shop, I was tempted by this book, which seems to meld two of my interests together quite perfectly:

 Surprisingly, they also had a copy of Scandinavian Design in the Doll's House (and more surprisingly, no reac miniature chairs) At $95, it wasn't within the budget I'd set for the trip so I left it where it was, after leafing through it several times.

 These miniature houses were for sale at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art shop , which is kind of sort of part of the Queensland Art Gallery (where the California Design exhibition was on), but not really. My brain got quite confused but happily followed my body two doors down the cultural precinct when I it realised there were five gift shops to mine for minis within 150 metres.

(I'd actually discovered the Little Building Co when doing some research for the trip, and was keen to see some of the kits in person, even though they weren't 1/12th scale).

Back at the Queensland Museum I decided I had to check out the Collectormania exhibition, if only because I'd bought the souvenir black and white tea towel from the gift shop.

And one of the collector's pieces on display was a model hobbit home by Peter Kenny. Not really my thing, but miniature, so I took some photos as best I could with the perspex in the way:

At the same exhibition, there were some dioramas to showcase a collection of toy soldiers:

 (Did I photograph the display details? No.

Can I remember them? Also no.) 

Other miniature-related displays in this exhibition included miniature pianos (Susan Johannessen),

 And miniature (but not doll's-house-sized) baths and toilets, salesmen's samples from the local antique centre.

(As a random aside, at lunch there was a lonely lizard. The first table he tried to join for lunch weren't quite so keen on the idea.

 I last saw him waiting forlornly for table service: obviously no one had told him that the QAG cafe only does counter service...)

(*And finished my Daily Dolls House December challenge!)