New grandma Gillian Stacey now has the perfect excuse to build the dolls house she always dreamed of. In this new series she tells how she went about it

There can be few more magical moments in your life than the birth of your first grandchild and that’s how it was for me the day that Ruby was born – magical!

I was so caught up with the emotion during the first few weeks that it took me some time to realise that there might be some other benefits – like the chance to indulge myself in some lifelong passions that I could now justify on the basis that it would ultimately be something that I could share with Ruby.

Near the top of the list has always been a dolls house; not a toy one, but something a bit special that I could furnish with style and that would become a family heirloom. Now, with Ruby, I have the justification. Yes, I know it will be several years before she can appreciate it, but how satisfying will it be when she nags to go and visit Grandma again so we can rearrange the rooms in the dolls house.

Now, I’ve done a bit of decorating in my time, but I’ve never worked for George Wimpey, so if I’m going to put together a dolls house, it needs to be pretty straight forward.

The Dolls House Emporium’s Quick Style range seemed to fit the bill. The building slots together and only needs gluing. The outside is fully painted and the front hinges back with the roof lifting off to give access to the inside. Internally the kit is supplied all in white, leaving the new owner to decorate in their own style. This is more my department than the exterior construction. White is a good starting point, but I’m not a magnolia throughout kind of person, so wallpaper seems a more likely choice for me. The kit that I’ve opted for is Mimosa Cottage, a traditional building with six rooms on three floors with the opportunity to extend at a later date with the optional basement kit.

When I got my hands on the kit, the temptation was to get the glue out and whack it together as soon as possible – and then I remembered I want this to be a family heirloom. The Dolls House Emporium recommend slotting it together without glue and planning the decoration, lighting and carpeting before fully fixing it together. There are some decorating tasks that will be easier while it’s still in bits. This is where I am at the moment – I’ll give you an update when I’ve picked the wallpaper and started pasting it up on the walls. I’m trying to be patient, but I really want to get this dolls house lived in!