Talented People

Have you noticed that makers of miniatures are some of the most talented people. It takes talent to illustrate a book. It takes twice that talent to create a teeny tiny book illustration. What about the artist who works to make a figurine worthy of Royal Doulton...the woodworker who makes furniture, the craftsman making pottery dishes or wooden bowls. How much more skilled does that person have to be to make those same items in miniature. I hope that all of you reading this posting are giving yourselves a pat on the back each and every time you personally make something for your dollhouse.

Take a look at what I received from Maia:

About a month ago on her blog, Maia had a contest....that I won!!....to guess the next two book issues to add to her Nature Lovers hutch. Thank you so much Maia, for allowing me to pick one of your little nature books! I had a really hard time choosing only one.
If you'd like to see some of the other lovely things that Maia makes, take a look at her website. She has even nicer things there.
As she mentions on her home page:"The imagination is limitless in the world of Dollhouse Miniatures....It is also a world of childhood memories..." Maia, I couldn't have said it better.

Now on a similar note, a member on one of the lists that I belong to, had a sale of all her dh collectibles due to health reasons. I'm sure we all have a stash of beautiful miniatures that we plan to someday use. Even though I enjoy making my own, I still look at eBay on a daily basis...and quite often buy! I could fill several tables with the things I've collected.
Altho the lady lives a three hour drive away, we went to see all the wonderful things that she was selling. There was a mountain of things to look thru.

I went with a budget in mind....and I exceeded it by a third. And even afterwards I thought that I should...and could...have bought more.

a tiny baby's outfit complete with tiny bunny slippers, a veggie keeper with tiny mesh in the front of each shelf...just waiting for me to make tiny potatoes, onions & carrots, beautiful leather purse with matching gloves, a tiny working bread box, a recycling box, jewelry, pop & wine bottles, orchids, a tray with dishes in a tomato theme, another with a Halloween theme, a butter churn made from a bead, tiny glass Canada geese as a figurine, and, and, and...

I bought this entire hanging shelf filled with the most incredible things: a mini Pinocchio with bendable legs, Royal Doulton figurines (I have the Balloon Lady in miniature among others), Toby jugs, a Raggedy Ann teapot, a Mr Pickwick figurine, one of Henry VIII's wives, a tiny shoe pincushion, a half doll pincushion, beautifully done tiny houses, a bowl made on a lathe by an autistic boy just learning, sewing basket, basket of toiletries. I have an Anne of Green Gables doll for my dolls to play with......I could go on for several postings & still not list everything that I bought! What you're seeing is just a portion of what I got! And most of those things are signed and some are numbered!!!
You know how it is when talking to someone who has serious health issues. It makes you shy of asking too many questions but as I looked around the room I couldn't help but notice some of her prize winning items:


Sherrall told me that she took first prize for that lovely Chritmas dinner roombox and for the harvest crops shown inside the bell. She thought that the rug shown beneath the dinner table won it for her and off handedly mentioned it was worth more than $400 but that she'd got it in a trade for some plastic furniture. She made all the harvest vegetables and casually threw in that she'd sold at the Billy Bishop shows in Chicago. Sherrall, I can't thank you enough.
As the leather furniture commercial says...it's worth the drive. We even had time to stop at one or two antique shops where I picked up several items to re-sell at the shop.