American

miniaturist
June 2018 $9.95 USD

INSPIRING MINIATURE ENTHUSIASTS TO CREATE www.americanminiaturist.com

ISSUE 182

PROJECTS: I REALISTIC GRASS I BELL PULL I ARTIST’S EASEL

I TOOLS I SUMMER POOL I ITALIAN BREAD I AND MUCH MORE
 Ap
The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys

38th Annual
Dollhouse Miniatures Show & Sale
September 8-9, 2018
Public Days (Admission Charged):
Sat. - Sun., Sept. 8, 9
Sat. 10am - 5pm/ Sun. 11am - 4pm

Pre-Registered Workshops:
Wed. - Fri., September 5, 6, 7

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Denver Tech

Sales and Exhibit Rooms open
7801Saturday,
E. OrchardSeptember 8, 2018 Village, CO
Road, Greenwood
from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, 800.327.2242
September 9, 2018 from 11am to 4pm.
•
Pre-Registered Workshops: Wednesday through Friday,
Co-Chairs
SeptemberJudi
5, 6,Hamilton
and 7, 2018.
l judimuseumfallshow@gmail.com
•
Deanna Thomas l deannalt@comcast.net
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Denver Tech
For more
7801 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood information:
Village, CO • 800.327.2242
www.dmmdt.org l 720.879.1820
Featuring these fine artists
A Little Something for Everyone Dollhouse Wishes Mary Dallas Designs PekaPetites
Acquisto Silver Co. Dragonfly International Merle Ralston Pure Fantasy Castles
BJ Miniatures D-Tales Miniatures Mimi’s Mini Things Red Bow
Bridget McCarty Miniature Pets Fern Vasi Dolls Miniature Visions Ron Stetkewicz Miniatures
Brooke Tucker Originals Genuine Imitations ® Miniatures by Sally Ann Sandra Rubin
Carla Gaustad It’s a Dillie mini-gems Shaker Works West
Carol Sherry Miniatures Jenny Fortin Monumental Miniatures Stained Glass by Barbara Sabia
Debbie Botts Poster Jill Hopkins Mostly Art Stan Gregg
Designing Ways Jim Pounder Sculptures Noonie and Pea Artistic Creations Standing People Designs
DMMDT Capital Campaign Kate ‘n Mary Odds & Ends by Audrey The Dolls’ Cobbler
DMMDT Gift Shop Layne Halliday Fine Miniatures Omniarts of Colorado Twin Heart
DMMDT Kid’s Table Mamisminis P.J.’s Miniatures Wee Ones by Sherry
Dollhouse Land Marge & Peggy’s Collectibles Pat Boldt Dolls Wez ‘Z Nuts

Co-Chairs: Judi Hamilton, judimuseumfallshow@gmail.com | Deanna Thomas, deannalt@comcast.net

For more information, visit www.dmmdt.org or call 720.879.1820
 Dollhouse Land
Artistry in Miniature by Laura Crain

Artisan Painted Furniture

Garden & Floral
Artist Creations
See you at:

Dallas Miniature Show

f
Denver Museum Miniature Show
f
The Good Sam Show

27134A Paseo Espada • Suite 304 • San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

(949) 496-9841 • LauraCrain2@aol.com

2018 STURBRIDGE DOLLHOUSE MINIATURES FESTIVAL

Featuring Legends & Terrific Newcomers!

June 1st - 3rd, 2018

HOST HOTEL on CEDAR LAKE • 366 Main Street • Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Friday, June 1st

Classes: 9am-4pm Full Day, Half Day offerings from 9am-12pm & 1-4pm
Workshops with Fern Vasi, Debbie Young, Ruth Stewart, and Connie Reagan.

Saturday, June 2nd

PRE-REGISTERED PREVIEW 4-8pm $18 • Followed by Post Preview Pizza Party! Early Sales, Weekend Admission

Mail PREVIEW check to: Molly Cromwell, 44421 Adare Manor Square, Ashburn, VA 20147
Special Cash Drawing for Sales Room Shopping

Sunday, June 3rd

Show continues all day 10am-4pm • $7 Adults $3 Children 12-under • After 2pm children are free!

Reserve your room now at the Host Hotel at special show rate: 508-347-7393
Sturbridge is a wonderful town to explore - Olde Stubridge Village is across Main St/Rte 20, Antique Shops,
Leather/Indian Jewelry Shop, Hand Maiden/Great faux flowers & more. Bird Lovers will find a shop full of
fabulous bird houses, Nurseries with Fairy Garden fillers...and much more!
Call: (703) 200-5341 • email: mollycromwell@aol.com
www.mollycromwell.com

JUNE I AM 3
 SMALL DETAILS
June 2018 I Issue 182
American Miniaturist is
published 12 times per year
by Ashdown, Inc.
CONTE
PROJECTS
6
To reach us: (507) 634-3143
Toll Free: 1-866-606-6587 Realistic grass
Make realistic grass from faux fur
Or write to: PO Box 219
with Patty Schantz
Kasson, MN 55944
Email:
info@americanminiaturist.com
Website:
16 Summer pool fun
Make a refreshing 1:12 scale in-
ground pool with Michele Volonino
www.americanminiaturist.com
Editor: Auralea Krieger
auralea@ashdown.co.uk 27 Scenic water tips
Explore amazing products by
Deluxe Materials
Publisher: Kelly Johnson
kelly@ashdown.co.uk
Advertising & Marketing:
Sara Vix
37 Summer mini bags
Linda Day shows how to use free
swatches to make a mini bag
sara@ashdown.co.uk

38
Design: Auralea Krieger
Ad Design: Lauren Nielsen Decorative bowls
Let’s make some bowls for your
On the cover: Michele Volonino
dollhouse with Danielle Muller
Subscription rates:
1 Year (12 issues) $86.99 USA
Canada $134.99 CAD, UK £87.99
Europe €118.99, ROW $141.99
44 A crewelwork bell pull
Stitch a beautiful miniature bell pull
with Tanya Harvey
(US Funds)

53
2 Year (24 issues) $163.99 USA
Canada $256.99 CAD, UK £161.99 Primitive tools
Europe €228.99, ROW $279.99 Auralea Krieger shares how to make
(US Funds) miniature building tools
3 Year (36 issues) $235.99 USA
Canada $368.99 CAD, UK £212.99
Europe €326.99, ROW $399.99
(US Funds)
62 A frame for father
This little frame by Sadie Brown is
perfect for mini vintage photos

69
American Miniaturist (USPS# 021-053 ISSN #
14778203) is published monthly at PO Box 219,
Kasson, MN 55944. Subscription price is $86.99.
An Edwardian lady
Periodicals postage paid at Kasson, MN, and Dress this lovely Edwardian lady with
additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address
corrections to American Miniaturist, the help of Dana Burton
PO Box 219, Kasson, MN 55944

All material submitted to the magazine is accepted on the basis that

copyright will be vested in the Publisher who assumes all rights
worldwide, in all forms and media. This means American Miniaturist
owns the rights to the instructions and photographs that we publish.
82 Tick-tock mini clock
Make your own custom wall clock in
The work may be published in the magazine, our i-Mag, ebooks,
CDs and bookzines as well as on Dollshouse.TV. You continue to your style with Danielle Muller
own the copyright for the design and are free to teach and sell your
work. All that we ask is that you wait a minimum of 6 months after

90 Italian style bread

the publication of the issue before teaching the design or selling
your own instructions. We don’t allow you to re-publish the design
featured in other books or magazines without prior consent.
Bake up some miniature bread
with Gail Taylor Gismondi

4 AM I MAY
ENTS WELCOME

92 An artist’s easel
Make a 1:12 scale easel

94
95
Knit a tiny dress
Desna Tysoe makes a pink outfit

Mini canvas board

Auralea Krieger shares her technique
W hile renovating my studio for
over a month I was not really
able to create because my tools
and materials had to be packed away. Not to
mention being exhausted from ripping out
FEATURES carpeting, adding continuous coats of paint,
and installing new vinyl floating flooring–all
10 A backyard oasis
Michele Volonino creates a fab space
on my own I might add!
I kept thinking about how if it were a mini

20
room I would be finished in a week with much
Life in a houseboat
Anita Waters kit bashes a cabin fewer muscle aches. Not being able to work
on my structures was difficult but it allowed me

24 A magical candy cart

Deri Terry brings a story to life
a little extra time to focus on sculpting.
My studio remodel has always been on
my mind. It was the only room in my home
30 A Hawaiian Tiki bar
A Tiki bar made by Bettina Kienitz
that had not been updated. Thanks to the
inspiring Creative Space feature we have in

32 An enchanted dollhouse
Tour Auralea Krieger’s dollhouse
AM, I was motivated to start the process!
After a month of not being able to create
full force I was reminded how important it is for

42 Creative Space
Visit the workshop of Danielle Muller
me to be creative. The thing I missed the most
was making a little scene come to life. Even if

50
it was just staging a small area for a photo to
Artist showcase post on Instagram or Facebook.
Celebrate Father’s Day
In all honesty, this magazine inspires me

56 Paul’s Tailor Shop

Deb Hayes makes a tribute in mini
every single day. And based on the wonder-
ful letters we get here at AM, we are so very
happy that it is doing the same for you. The
64 Dolls from the heart
Tanya Harvey travels through time
connections we make as miniaturists are much
needed to keep us creating. So if you are not

76 Vacation memories
Claire Syrett fell in love with a gift shop
already, be sure to follow us on Facebook and
Instagram to see amazing miniature art and of
course, all the latest AM news!
REGULARS
6 Mini Mail 80 Mini Scoop Auralea Krieger, Editor
88 Show Dates 85 Snippets auralea@ashdown.co.uk
OCTOBER I AM 5
 PROJECT

Realistic grass
Make realistic grass from faux fur
BY PATTY SCHANTZ

H ere’s an easy way

to create realistic
grass for your
miniature scenes. It can be
as wild or as cultivated as
paint as necessary to get
good coverage. Saturating
the base with color will en-
sure there are no unstained
‘roots.’ Don’t worry that the
the appropriate color of
acrylic paint.

3 Allow the paint and

you choose. This tutorial
will show you how to make
meadow grass, but by using
shorter pile faux fur, you’ll
also be able to create lawns
for your miniature gardens.
The technique is the same.
fur looks like a matted mess
at this stage.
2 All grass is not the same
color, so alternate using
various greens and tan or
brown where the grass may
be dead or dying. To make
fabric backing to dry
completely. You can speed
the process along by using
a hair dryer.
4 With a fine-toothed
metal comb (I used my
dog’s flea comb), rake the
entire piece to break up

1 Lay the faux fur on a

waterproof work sur-
face. Use a latex glove if
the tips lighter or darker
or to highlight some of the
grass, simply rub the ends
any clumps and to remove
any loose fibers. Don’t be
afraid to really dig the comb
you don’t want to end up of the fibers between your through to the base. The
with a green hand. Dip thumb and fingertips with fibers are firmly seated in
your fingers directly into
the paint and vigorously
rub the paint into the fur, all
the way down to the base.
Moisten your fingers with
water to thin and spread the

Materials:
Light colored acrylic faux
fur with 1” pile
Acrylic paints: shade of
green, tan, and brown
Water
A fine-toothed metal comb
Small scissors with sharp
blades
Latex gloves, optional

6 AM I JUNE

4 5
the knit backing, so you
won’t create a tear or hole.
The goal is to thoroughly
separate all the fibers since
each filament is a blade of
grass. If any bare spots are
revealed, add more paint,
let it dry and comb again.
5 Trim the grass by us-
ing small scissors with
sharp blades. The trick is
to hold the scissors at a
steep angle (no less than 45
degrees) and clip. Imagine
you’re a hair stylist snipping
off the ends of a client’s hair.
Keep your hand moving
at random as you trim; this
will create varying heights
among the grass.
6 Trim the piece to fit
your setting and glue in
place with craft glue. When
PROJECT
1 2
dry, fluff, bend or even blow
on the grass to create the
desired finish. If neces-
sary, disguise any exposed
fabric base edge with mini
gravel (railroad ballast),
dirt, pebbles, etc.
A pale blonde faux fur was
used for this tutorial, but
light browns and tans also
work well. Caution: don’t
use a fur with a very thick
pile; the paint acts like glue,
and it’s extremely difficult to
comb out.
A 1/4” or 3/8” pile makes
a very lush looking lawn. If
you can’t find 1/4” or 3/8”
fur, simply trim down a lon-
ger pile by holding the scis-
sors horizontally and cutting
off the length at a 90 degree
angle. Then add paint and
trim – but a little more care-
fully so that the finished turf
doesn’t look too patchy. Your
dollhouse family will thank
you for a lovely lawn they
will never have to water,
weed, fertilize or mow!
we all
NmoEreEmD
inis
X
JUNE I AM 7
MINI MAIL AM is your magazine, and we
want to hear from you. Write to:
MiniMail, American Miniaturist,
PO Box 219, Kasson, MN 55944. Or
email: auralea@ashdown.co.uk.
Letters may be edited if necessary.

Star letter
Our star letter this issue is Loved her issue of AM
Catherine from Spokane I just got the May issue and I love, love, love it! The cover
Valley, WA. See her letter and is perfect, the article about Denise Morales she shed is
project on the next page! Great! It is so amazing, all the perfect details. I want to sit
there and have a cuppa and read my magazine! American
Highlights winner Miniaturist magazine of course!
I just love holiday issues the Dori from Mansfield Center, CT
most. Usually I don’t have any
room to do anything but since
my family was over and I had
an extra table pulled out, I
took advantage of that space
after everyone left and made
a couple of Easter cakes from

the tutorial by Sadie Brown of by Izabela Kononowicz,

the April issue. I had modified and Kathleen Holmes’
them a bit. I was inspired by garden “Welcoming spring
the picket fence around the in miniature.” But my very,
cake. Attached are a couple of very favorite was Kristen
pictures. I have a gazebo that Castenschiold’s “Miniatures
I decorate for the holidays
and seasons and I make candy
tables/bars. Thanks for the
continual inspirations!
Chris from Chicago, IL

April’s AM
There were so many great
articles this month, it was
hard to choose. I really loved
“A cottage with a garden”
8 AM I JUNE

used as movie scenes.” Her
ending suggests to “view
Hachi’s entire story on DVD.
Better keep some tissues
handy.” I had to use tissues just
reading Kristen’s mini story
about Hachi!
Joyce from Kettering, OH
Happy winner
Good morning! I just wanted
to thank you for pulling my
name for the sewing basket
kit! It came on a day when I
was a bit ‘down’. Colder than
normal weather has taken its
toll. The kit is quite apropos as
I am a sewer and several of the
extended family members have
decided to take up the ‘sport’
also! Your magazine is always a
spot of sunshine in my life and
allows me to drift away from
the worries of real sized life!
Hope you all have a great day!
Joan from Georgetown, DE
Show & tell
I decided to make my grand-
daughter Kylene Danielle a
gift of memories.
When you open the Bridal
Shop you will find beauti-
ful hats made by Debbie
Barnett. On the top shelves
of the corner display you
will see our wedding framed
photo (1962). The bridal
photo album on the bottom
shelf has Kylene’s father and
stepmother’s wedding photo.
The bride doll that looks
like Kylene’s stepmother is
wearing her wedding dress.
Kylene was only 8 years old
at that wedding and was the
flower girl. The doll and all
the bridal dresses, veils and
under slips were made by
Daphe Ove.
On the little desk table, I
made a wedding collage.
The doily was crocheted by
Kylene’s aunt. The photo is
of Kylene’s great grandpar-
ents (1913). The sign was
specially done by Kylene’s
cousin. It contains Kylene’s
grandmother’s name.
Kylene loves purple so I de-
cided that would be a good
color for a wedding shop.
This will be a grandmother’s
wedding gift for her only,
very special, granddaughter.
It was made with many
hours of love.
Catherine from Spokane Valley, WA
JUNE I AM 9

A sun-drenched
backyard oasis
M iniatu rist M ic hele V olonino has c reated a
fab spac e that invites u s to tak e a dip
M
ichele will be the first to
admit that everything
she creates revolves
around scenes where she can
pose and photograph her 1:12
scale ball jointed dolls. In her
current storyline, an upscale
home in Brentwood, TN be-
comes a summer hangout for
two thirty-something-year-old
single girls while their parents
are traveling abroad.
“My inspiration for this
scene is what I really envi-
sioned for my own backyard,”
Michele confesses. “My
last home in New York had
10 AM I JUNE
MINI MAGIC
BY DEB WEISSLER
an in-ground pool. When
we moved to Tennessee, I
thought for sure we would
have a pool because the
swimming season is much
longer here. When we priced
a pool out, it was much too
expensive and everyone we
spoke to had either contrac-
tor or installation problems.
So this scene grew from my
desire to have a pool again. If
I couldn’t have one, my dolls
certainly could.”
As a trained artist who
studied architectural engineer-
ing and surveying in college,
Michele has become quite
creative finding full size items
that she can turn into minia-
ture perfection. Who else can
take a cat litter pan and create
the perfect swimming pool?
Michele had seen a few
images of mini pools online
but they were all too shallow.
She wanted enough depth to
go over her dolls’ heads like
a real pool. She searched like
Below left: Miniaturist Michele
Volonino. Below: A very lucky
doll enjoying the summer! Right:
Decorating the patio and garden
was the most fun for Michele.
MINI MAGIC

JUNE I AM 11
 MINI MAGIC

Above: The swing area lights up

at night with battery lights.

crazy, looking at various dish

pans, until quite by accident
she stumbled upon a cat litter
pan. It was the perfect color
too! Surrounded by mat board
coping stones, a paver terrace,
and hand painted mosaic tiles,
the pool provides the perfect
focal point for the rest of this
fabulous mini backyard.
In a shady corner, Michele
created a delightful pergola
and swing chair decked out
in red, white, and blue. It was
one of her most fun projects.
“Some miniaturists are
so good with their perfect
wood cuts,” Michele shrugs.
“That’s not me. I try the best
12 AM I JUNE

I can but more often than
not, imperfections must be
hidden in the scenes. The
swing was a must have in the
pool scene and the design just
kind of jumped out at me. I
started with a piece of trian-
gular paper pattern that fit in
the corner. From there I went
back and forth between my
wood, scroll saw, and the pool
surround until I was satisfied
with the fit. It just evolved
from there.”
Lighting for the per-
gola was also a must for those
midsummer night dips and
lounging. Determined to
create Edison bulbs, Michele
struggled to find just the right
bulbs. Her first try was using
empty vitamin pill capsules,
MINI MAGIC
‘In a shady corner,
Michele created a
delightful pergola and
swing chair decked
out in red, white, and
blue. It was one of her
most fun projects. ’ her favorite part of this scene
but they proved too large for
1:12 scale. So she heated some
acetate plastic and molded a
“glass” casing for each bulb.
She then applied power by
way of a battery operated fairy
light circuit, set inside some
thin, clear tuning through
which she fed each individual
bulb wire.
It was a tedious process
but the results are stunning.
Above: This mini pool helps fill
the void of not having the pool
Michele grew up with in real life.
“I really didn’t enjoy making
them, but I just had to have
them in my scene,” Michele
laughs. While the lighting was
a necessity, when asked what
is, Michele was quick to an-
swer, “The lounge chairs and
umbrella!” Some floats, tubes,
noodles, and landscaping add
the finishing touches to this
backyard retreat.
Admittedly a perfection-
ist, she loves making what she
sees in life, and that means
creating a convincing and
realistic look to her vignettes.
As a child who traveled to
miniature shows with her
JUNE I AM 13
 MINI MAGIC

Right: Taking the perfect sunny

photo of the finished piece
outside adds to the realism.

parents, who owned a retail/

wholesale miniature business,
Michele learned early on how
important realism can be in
creating a believable storyline.
Michele creates her scenes
in layers, selecting a basic
shape and size, and then sit-
ting back for hours waiting
for inspirational images to
coalesce. This technique has
served her well since she rarely
makes changes from her over-
all vision. “I think the whole
scene is fab,” she says, “but
as usual, I always want more
space to be creative.”
Michele would love to
create another outdoor space
one day. She loves sharing
her techniques with others
on her Instagram, where she
posts photos, tips, shortcuts,
and ideas for some of her
favorite projects.
“I love that every time I’m
making something, whether
dressing a doll or creating a
scene, I have a big smile on
my face. I love making and
playing with my miniatures! I
want to finish my second loft,
but admit I have trouble stay-
ing on task, especially when
some aspect of it is taking too
long. That’s why I tend to
work on several projects at the
same time.”
14 AM I JUNE
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2 American Miniaturist
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The Design Genius of Frank Lloyd Wright

•
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www.museumofminiatures.org 10 Quarry Street
Barre, Vermont 05641B
JUNE I AM 15
802-477-6464

Summer pool fun
Make a refreshing 1:12 scale in-ground pool
F or the longest time, I
had an image in my
mind for a miniature
backyard scene with a pool.
I searched for images of
pools on the internet. There
were a few, not many. The
miniature pool scenes I
found were nice but the
pools were shallow and
not functional. I wanted to
create a 1:12 scale pool that
was filled with real water.
In this tutorial I will
teach you how to create
a base structure of a pool
and surround hardscape.
Once you complete these
steps you can let your
imagination go wild. Your
only limits will be how big
you want your project’s
footprint to be. So let’s get
started and begin downsiz-
ing our backyard oasis.
1 Take one foam mat
board. Place it on a
sturdy table or floor. Take
your cat pan, turn it with the
opening faced down and
place it on the mat board.
Position it where you want
the pool to be on the board.
Think about a stone patio
16 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
BY MICHELE VOLONINO
surround/gardening when
positioning the cat pan.
Trace the outline of the
pool opening with a pencil.
Now turn the opening of
the cat pan up. Measure the
rim on the opening. Let’s
say the top rim is a 1/4”.
From the outline you have
drawn on the mat board,
measure 1/4” from inside.
Use your pencil to connect
an inside line that measure
1/4” all around.
Please protect your sur-
face underneath your mat
board. Use your craft knife
and slowly cut out the inside
shape. This will be the hole
for your pool. It should fit
the opening of your cat pan.
2 Now take another pice
of mat board. Measure
the height of the cat pan.
Use your ruler and mea-
sure that height straight
across the long length of
the mat board. This will be
the back support for your
pool surround. You can
make two of this size if you
desire to close the front too.
Now take your third piece
of mat board and measure
Materials:
3 poster size foam boards
(color doesn’t matter)
3 thin craft foam sheets in
3 different neutral colors
Pencil
Scissors
Craft knife
Rulers
Hot glue gun
Acrylic Paint or alcohol ink
pads in neutral colors
2 silver plastic hanger
Styrofoam piece
Fairy or faux grass
One small or medium sized
blue cat litter plastic pan
the cat pan height (x2) and
the width of your board. This
will be the two side supports
for your pool surround.
You can use your glue
gun if you are good work-
ing fast. I prefer a sturdy
fast acting white craft glue
just in case I need to move
pieces slightly while they
are setting. My go-to glue
for a project like this is
Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky
Glue (The photo shows af-
ter I glued the foam around
the edge.).
Lay your pool surround

1 2
3 4
mat board on a sturdy (pro-
tected) surface. Two pieces
at a time (one side and a
back/front) glue pieces to
rim of underside of pool
surround. If you need to
walk away, support in place.
Let it set for 10 minutes or
so and glue the other two
pieces in place, attached
to first two pieces. Support
and let dry fully.
3 While your structure is
drying, grab those silver
plastic hangers. You can
find these at most stores. If
you can’t find silver you can
paint whatever color you do
have. You just have to make
sure you use a sealer before
and after painting plastic.
You will cut the hanger
right at the point it bends .
Cut both tops off the hang-
PROJECT
ers. Grab your little piece of
Styrofoam and push in one
top of the hanger piece.
Take one of the hang-
ers and the straight bottom
piece, cut off the whole
straight length. On that
straight piece, measure two
1 1/2” pieces (these will be
the steps of the pool ladder).
Plug in your hot glue gun.
Take your curled cut pieces
of the hanger and press into
the Styrofoam about the dis-
tance of the steps (straight
1.5” pieces). Eye the
position of the steps before
attaching. Now grab your
glue gun, squeeze a small
amount onto one side of a
straight piece. Press where
you want the first step to be.
Now add some hot glue to
other side of straight first
step and grab other curled
hanger piece and press into
place on first step. Repeat
with second step. You now
have a pool ladder.
4 Grab your craft foam
sheets. Decide which
color you desire for the
edge/coping of the pool.
This is the stone/slate/
brick the goes around the
edge of the pool rim. I did
a basic bullnose style for
this tutorial, but you can try
many styles.
I measured out with a
ruler and pencil 1” x 1.25”
rectangle. Measure a lot of
these pieces. Once they
are drawn out, take your
scissors and cut them out.
Plug and heat your glue
gun. Start in the middle of
a straight rim line. Add a
little hot glue on the board
JUNE I AM 17

4 5
7 9
rim and press one piece
on leaving enough to wrap
around and under rim. But
first you are just gluing to
the top. Now dab some glue
on the inner side rim, press
around the inside rim. Let
set. Now add a dab of hot
glue to little flap and press
under. This should give
you a nice rounded faux
bullnose look. Repeat all
around. When you come to
the corners, which will be
slightly rounded, you will
have to trim and fit before
gluing. Don’t rush through
this step. Take your time
with fitting each piece.
You are more than halfway
through this project.
5 Before we do the paver
patio, visualize how you
want your patio. Do you
18 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
want a garden? Do you just
want full pavers?
Once you decide what
you want, use your pencil
to draw on the mat board
where everything will go.
6 What is so wonderful
about working with craft
foam is that it’s super easy
to cut and manipulate, and
the range of colors you can
purchase is varied.
I created a freestyle pat-
tern with all different sized
squares and rectangles.
That is what I will teach you
to do without the stress of
worrying if you’ll get it right.
There is no right or wrong.
Any mistakes you might
see will be unrecogniz-
able when this is complete.
Of course you too can go
freestyle in concept.
With the remaining foam
sheets, use your pencil and
ruler to either measure out
squares or just eye it as
you draw the lines to create
stones for your patio. Cut
out your stones. Use your
white craft glue (preferably
one that grabs and dries
fast) to glue them down.
Start your first stone. I
would start where your
stone will meet the pool
rim/coping. You can trim
pieces slightly for a more
snug fit before gluing in
place. This is a rather te-
dious process but it brings
it all together so take your
time. Don’t fret over little
space between stones. After
most of the stones are glued
in place you can fill in little
spaces with craft foam cut
to fit. Once you have filled
in the complete patio layout,
let dry completely, maybe
even leave overnight.
7 It’s time to add shading
and dimension to the
patio pavers. I used acid ink
pads and a paint brush but
you could use chalk dust,

watered down acrylic paint,
whatever you decide to use
to achieve your desired look
is fine. Once completed, no
matter the medium used,
you will need to seal since
this will be exposed to water.
Experiment on your
excess foam with shading
prior so you don’t make a
mistake on your patio.
8 Make sure the patio is
dry. Spray a clear coat
sealer on the whole surface
of the patio. Let dry.
9 Now is the fun part. If
you purchased faux/
fairy grass and planned out
your layout, start measuring
and cutting your grass. Do
one at a time, piecing them
PROJECT
together as best as pos-
sible. If you are going to add
any greenery or flowers,
maybe even a tree, I use
used coffee grounds as dirt.
Use a heavy hand with white
glue on a brush and paint
the area of grass. Sprinkle
the coffee grounds onto the
wet glue and gently pat the
grounds in and let dry.
If you are doing a raised
flower bed, use green flo-
rists foam. Cut and shave
into the shape you want.
Paint with acrylic brown
paint. Let dry. Paint with
craft white glue (that dries
clear) and sprinkle with
coffee grounds. Pat down
and let set before turning
upside down to let excess
fall off.
Using the foam technique
allows easy installation of
flowers and shrubbery to
be pushed in and glued.
At this point, you have
a completed patio and
pool. Now it’s up to you
to decorate. You can
add fencing, a photo
background, create an
outdoor fireplace with
seating, lounge chairs–
whatever you want.
I would love to see how
you decorate your back-
yard oasis. I hope you
have as much fun with this
project as I did.
JUNE I AM 19

Escape to life in
a houseboat
A nita Waters m ade a m iniatu re retreat u sing
a c ab in and nam ed it M u ddy Waters
I
n addition to always being
interested in dollhouses and
miniatures, Anita Waters
inherited the love of small
things from her dad, who was
a mechanical engineer and
an avid train lover. “He had a
Lionel train set,” she recalled,
“and I remember always tak-
ing a special interest in the
various buildings that were
part of his train layout. Then
my oldest brother became
a fan of trains, and I would
look at his HO train layout
for hours, admiring all the dif-
ferent buildings. Growing up
20 AM I JUNE
MINI MAGIC
BY PAM NORTH
in Northern Virginia, I loved
trips to the Smithsonian Mu-
seum of American History,
since they had a 23-room
dollhouse on display. I could
spend hours looking at it! I
started building my first one
around 1988.”
Professionally, Anita was
in the graphics/marketing
industry for over 35 years,
but is currently retired, mak-
ing it easy now to combine
home life and miniature life.
Inspiration comes from her
artistic background, which she
credits as being a major factor
in the houses she builds and
furnishes. “My fine arts degree
was a combination of paint-
ing, drawing, and sculpting,
all helpful. I always am using
the design elements and color-
ation, learned in art classes, in
the dollhouses. A friend once
said that each of my dollhous-
es is a work of art.”
Anita’s projects are for her
own enjoyment, as she hasn’t
Below left: Miniaturist Anita
Waters. Below: A peak inside
the boathouse. Right: Anita
creatively turned a basic cabin
kit into a floating retreat.

parted with any of them yet.
“I don’t sell them because I
am fearful that something
may come unglued, fall
apart, or break. I have made
two for charity events, but
since I knew that from the
MINI MAGIC
start, I did not get attached
to them.”She shared what she
loves most about miniatures.
“I love the detail that can be
created in a dollhouse. I view
my dollhouses as being very
neat and uncluttered, which
I think was my escape when
raising two boys. For those
who have children, espe-
cially boys, they know what I
mean!” She has 16 dollhouses
- 14 that she has built, and 2
needing renovation that were
JUNE I AM 21

A wonderful place to bask in the sun.
given to her. They are on
display throughout our house.
“Fortunately, we have a lot of
corners and open walls!” she
remarked.
Her latest creation is called
Muddy Waters, which was
one of the winners in the First
Time Entrant category in
the Hobby Builders Supply/
miniatures.com 24th An-
nual Creatin’ Contest in
2017, featuring the #92017
Craftsman Cabin kit as a
basis. “Every time I saw the
Craftsman Cabin contest kit,
I envisioned a houseboat.
Maybe that can be attributed
to our semi-annual trips to
Hilton Head SC over the past
nine years.
22 AM I JUNE
MINI MAGIC
While I haven’t found a
houseboat or yacht that looks
like mine, I am sure I drew a
lot of inspiration from those I
have seen. Plus, my son’s nick-
name from his college days is
‘Muddy’, so I thought what a
perfect name for a house boat!
I did a lot of online research
of houseboats, and also kept
mental notes from what I
would see in the Harbour
Town Yacht Basin.
I raised the roof on the
kit to add more natural light
into the living space, so the
‘dollhouse people’ would have
a better view of sunrises and
sunsets. The houseboat itself
and the rails were handmade.
The furnishings were pur-
chased or borrowed from
one of my other houses. In
furnishing it, I looked at a lot
of online images of houseboat
interiors to know that items
had to be easy to maintain
while on the water (tile floors
and wood panel walls) and
also compact or multi-usable
because of limited space.
The houseboat materials
are from the kit, and I added
Plexiglas windows (frames
with basswood). The lower
railing is made from metal
rods, and the upper deck rail-
ing is made from basswood
posts with plastic rails. The
top of the wheelhouse is foam
core board. For all the railings
(the hardest part), I made

paper templates to follow so
the spacing would be even.
The metal rods are hollow and
very fragile. There is very little
surface to glue, and finding
the right glue was hard. I had
to rebuild the rails at least
three times. I bumped into it,
my husband bumped into it,
and my brother bumped into
it. I think even the dog may
have run into it once!
Other favorite parts besides
the railings are the use of the
sliding glass doors, the decks,
the wheelhouse, and the upper
level Plexiglas windows. The
upper deck with the wheel-
house was fun to create. One
of my three brothers is retired
from the Coast Guard with a
degree in marine engineering,
MINI MAGIC
and he wanted me to be cer-
tain to include a wheelhouse,
binnacle, radar, exterior lights
(the illusion at least), and
an American flag. This was
my first time for entering
the contest. The final piece
turned out just as I had origi-
nally planned.”
Anita plans to display
Muddy Waters and sev-
eral other pieces at the Lewis
Ginter Botanical Gardens
GardenFest (Richmond, VA)
in November, December
2018 and early January 2019.
Asked what’s next for her,
she replied, “I have an arts
and crafts bungalow kit to
build. Plus, what started me
on this journey is the home
I live in now. It will be 100
years old in 2021. When we
moved in 33 years ago, my
goal was to make a doll-
house of this house. I started
experimenting with different
types of kits and different
styles of dollhouses, which has
created the collection I have
today. I could create a village
with all the houses I currently
have–general store, diner, gas
station/garage, lighthouse,
and cottage, beach house,
several modern houses, log
cabin, colonial, Victorian,
and a greenhouse. The village
will need to be on the water
due to the lighthouse, beach
cottage, and new house boat!
Plus, I have two huge houses
so I can have a ‘gated’ com-
munity too! Ha!”
JUNE I AM 23

This candy cart
is a novel Idea
D eri u sed m iniatu res to b ring a story to life when
she m ade this m agic al c andy c art
A
favorite childhood book
can spur a lifetime love
affair with reading. Bring-
ing a story to life in miniature
is another way to enhance
the experience or preserve a
special passage.
This project was inspired
by one of my daughter’s
most treasured childhood
books, Harry Potter And The
Sorcerer’s Stone. The color-
ful, candy trolley from the
Hogwart’s Express train
made the ideal subject. Most
readers, regardless of age, find
themselves fantasizing about
the cart containing delectable
snacks. Thus, Filling the cart
with miniature versions of
unique goodies such as ‘Bertie
Bott’s’ and ‘Chocolate Frogs’
required research and imagi-
nation, which proved to be
great fun!
My initial idea was to use
a lantern, similar to those
found on the train. Although,
after setting the scene inside
what appeared to be the cor-
24 AM I JUNE
MINI MAGIC
BY DERI TERRY
rect vessel, the result lacked a
magical quality. Therefore, the
candy cart was banished to
the craft table for over a year.
That was until just re-
cently when I purchased a book
display box from The Dolls
House Emporium in England.
It proved to be the perfect solu-
tion to house the candy cart.
‘Most readers,
regardless of age,
find themselves
fantasizing about
the cart containing
’
delectable snacks.
Everything meshed
together, perfectly, breathing
life into the scene. The
combination of the written
word, along with the miniature
interpretation, evokes a feeling
the cart has actually leapt right
off the page, and transformed
into a tangible, mouth-
watering re-creation!
The storybook page
describing the trolley and its
delectable treats was printed
onto card stock, creating wall-
paper which was pasted onto
the box. The backdrop clearly
establishes the setting as the
actual interior of a book.
The cart is arranged
with all of the most popular
sweets described within the
story. A display prop holding
lollipops and ‘No Melt’ ice
cream, is formed from a wall
anchor and wires, which were
painted white.
On the front side of the
cart there is a clip-strip hold-
ing bagged candy, which was
fashioned using metallic
twisty ties. Packaging for the
bags is cut from thin card-
board, upon which printed
labels are pasted. Small pieces
of the twisty tie are attached
to each bag, which are
glued onto the main tie and
mounted to the cart.
Pumpkin Juice is created
by attaching tiny pumpkins
 MINI MAGIC

sealed in plastic wrap, a bottle

of tiny blue pills are reborn
with a new label as ‘Drooble’s
Best Blowing gum balls,’ a jar
of micro beads sold as nail art
are transformed into ‘Fizzing
Whizbees,’ and multi-colored
candy fills a glass jar. There
are small, folded white bags
to contain loose items, and a
spoon for filling them.
Petite candy boxes are
created from printed card
stock, cut and glued into
shape. In an attempt to add
interest, one of the containers
of ‘every flavor beans,’ has
toppled over, taking with it
popular reading material. The
viewer is left wondering what
Below: The book display holds the
cart and a page from the story.

to the caps of 1:12 scaled beer

bottles; newly printed labels
cover the originals.
Miniature plastic frogs,
as well as metal mice and a
wizard, are painted brown
to resemble chocolate and
attached to a cake stand,
presented with caramel apples,
forming a scrumptious display.
‘Cauldron cakes’ sculpted
from clay are individually
JUNE I AM 25

has occurred, as they take in
the entire scene.
Eating is not the only
pastime on a long journey;
publications such as the latest
issue of ‘The Quibbler,’ are
also available for purchase.
Each item complements the
other, culminating into a
‘wizarding’ good scene!
There are so many pos-
sibilities for a book display
box! Imagine a nursery shelf
displaying several re-creations
of classic nursery rhymes.
There may be just enough
room to house Alice’s tea
26 AM I JUNE
MINI MAGIC
Left and above: Deri outdid
herself making wonderful
replicas of the magical candy cart
from Harry Potter using polymer
clay in creative ways.
party, or a scene including a
‘silly old bear.’ An adult may
be inspired to recapture a
scene including a prideful ‘Mr.
Darcy,’ or perhaps, a southern
belle surviving the Civil War.
A doctor or lawyer decorat-
ing an office, could showcase
miniature implements of their
trade or tiny diplomas. This
is an ideal project for busy
professionals or hobbyists, due
to the fact the box is compact,
and a scene can be completed
in a short period of time.
A display unit, in the
form of a book, is positively
a ‘novel’ idea! If a good book
can transport one to another
place or time, surely a book
display re-creating a magical,
literary moment has the power
to carry one further.
When viewing the en-
chanted display containing
the tantalizing, candy-covered
cart, one may find themselves
drawn into the story, thus
imagining which ‘sweets’ they
themselves will choose? As
one steps closer, the enticing
treats captivate those who peer
inside, adjusting their eyes to
focus on the minute details,
possibly squinting to read the
tiny labels.
As eyes wander from the
confections to the printed
page, the viewer immersed
in the story, may also find
themselves questioning their
hearing. Leaning in closer,
and straining to listen, one
may wonder...is that a faint
voice drifting across the page,
whispering, “Something from
the trolley, Dear?”
 PROJECT

Scenic water tips

Amazing products by Deluxe Materials
BY JENNY AND MIKE KELM

D eluxe Materials
has a great re-
meltable one-part
resin called Scenic Water
DBD43. For this project use
with Scenic Colours DBD23
and Pin Point Syringe kit
DAC08. It is best used
for simulating all sorts of
domestic fluids such as jelly
and jam inside small con-
tainers and here scientific
experiments with equip-
ment and bubbles.
Scenic Water is so easy to
use because it pours, flows
and sets as you want it.
Scenic Water melts at
around 60C so you will not
burn yourself melting it. It can
also be re-melted, and hence
used over and over again.
In this project Jenny and
Mike Kelm show you how to:
1. Melt color and apply
Scenic Water and Scenic
Colours with the
Pin Point Syringe Kit to
make some very realistic
applications.
2. How to achieve bub-
bles–so much so–you can
almost hear the water bub-
bling!
Making jams and jellies
There are many different
ways of using Scenic Water
and Scenic Colours.
Here are a few ideas from
KastleKelm Miniatures of
how to get started. This is
their method for making
jams (jelly) and experiments.
Four colors black, blue,
red, yellow, and also a white.
These can be mixed to-
gether to create many more
colors. Have everything
you need ready before you
start. Droppers and syring-
es for filling the jars and test
tubes. Also a small beaker
with hot water to put them
in when not in use. This
stops the Scenic Water from
setting inside.

Materials:
Scenic Water DBD43
Scenic Colours DBD23
Pin Point Syringe kit
DAC08
Miniature test tubes
Bowl for hot water
Spare container
Miniature jars
Toothpick
Miniature labels
Fabric and thread for
jar lids

JUNE I AM 27

2 3
5 6
1 Place the tub of Scenic
Water into a bowl of
hot water until it melts. You
may need to top up with
more hot water as it cools.
Then having poured some
into a spare container,
draw up the liquid Scenic
TOPTIP:
You can keep the Scenic
Water molten by floating
it on hot water 60C (just
hot enough not to burn
yourself).
28 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
Water into a Pin Point sy-
ringe/yellow needle.
2 Gently, and with a
good aim, squeeze
one drop of the Scenic
Colour into your jar. Using
either a syringe or drop-
per, carefully fill the jar
with liquid Scenic Water.
Squeeze out the excess
back into the tub of Scenic
Water or container and
float the syringe or drop-
per into the hot water so it
doesn’t set.
4
7
3 Mix well and at this
stage you can add your
fruit if you want for the jam.
4 Leave until set in an
upright position approx
(10-20 minutes). Add your
chosen label as well as a
lid. Congradulations you
have your finished jam!
Making lemon curd
5
Add a couple of drops
of the Scenic White
pigment to a drop of yellow
Scenic Water.

8 9
11
6 Add the Scenic Water
and mix well with a tooth-
pick to get your opaque
effect for lemon curd.
7 Finish your lemon curd
by adding your label
and lid.
Test tubes experiment
8 First squeeze one drop
of Scenic Colour into
your test tube or similar
container.
9 Add the liquid Scenic
Water as before with the
Pin Point Syringe Kit.
TOPTIP:
If you want it to look as if it
is spilling, set at an angle
while it cures.
PROJECT
10 Mix thoroughly with a
toothpick. If you want
bubbles, add a single drop
of washing up liquid and
mix. Again, thoroughly mix
with a toothpick.
11 Stand in an upright
position until set (you
can use Deluxe Materials
Tacky Wax BAD29 for this).
You can create many dif-
ferent effects using Scenic
Water and Scenic Colours.
It is specially suited to cre-
ate a ‘traffic light effect’ by
layering one color on top
10
of another but you have
to wait until each color is
set before putting another
color on top.
The tub of Scenic Water
can be re-melted over and
over again so there’s never
any waste. Have fun and
experiment!
If your project comes
into contact with metal then
make sure it is varnished.
How to buy Deluxe Materials
It’s easy to purchase Scenic
Water, Scenic Colours and
the Pin Point Syringe Kit.
Deluxe Materials products,
featured in this tutorial, are
available in USA miniature
stores and distributed by
Aztec Imports www.aztec-
import.com. Or, they can
be purchased directly from
Deluxe Materials, www.
deluxematerialsus.com.
As always, have fun
creating and be sure to
show us here at American
Miniaturst what you have
made. We love to see
finished projects from our
contributora tutorials!
JUNE I AM 29

A miniature
Hawaiian Tiki bar
B ettina K ienitz has m ade the nex t b est thing to a
H awaiian vac ation in m iniatu re
A
resident of Germany,
Bettina Kienitz has
written children’s books
and crafting books, and in
that process she discovered
that she loved to make min-
iature things. “I made some
little characters like fairies
and bears,” she explained,
“and they were so cute that
I thought they also needed
a home and something with
which to play. Soon I found
that although I can buy a lot
of things for them in 1:12
inch scale, I also had my own
ideas about how my little
ones should live and what
they should have, so I started
to create all kinds of stuff for
them. That’s how I found
my way into the world of
miniatures.”
Bettina now focuses on
trying hard to continue to
improve and expand the
scope of her work, and to at-
tract more customers. “Since
I started making miniatures
about 10 years ago, I can-
30 AM I JUNE
MINI MAGIC
BY PAM NORTH
not imagine a life without
miniatures. I spend most of
my time making miniatures,
because it makes me happy.”
She’s lucky to have a fam-
ily who love her ideas and
creativity, and fully support
her interests and passion.
“Whenever they have a celebra-
tion, or need a helping hand
with decorations or special gifts,
they call me,” she said.
This issue’s highlighted
piece is her colorful Hawaiian
Tiki Bar. The lavishly deco-
rated bar is made of wood,
bamboo, and raffia, and filled
with many clever extras. Fixed
to the upper cross-piece is a
holder for six wine glasses.
A string of pearls imitates a
string of lights. Decorative
tendrils with leaves and blos-
soms, bamboo bowls filled
with flowers, Hawaiian leis,
and plants lend the bar tropi-
cal charm.
A flower chain with tiny
letters welcomes everyone with
a colorful “Aloha”. Various
tropical cocktails invite the
visitors to stay and take a seat
at one of the two bar stools.
Bettina shared her source
of inspiration for her piece.
“I have visited many places
around the world, but I have
never been to Hawaii. It’s
a wish I hope still to fulfill.
I am excited about tropical
stuff, so it was just a question
of time before I built the first
Tiki bar. Now Tiki bars have
become one of my best sell-
ing items.”
Nearly everything of the
Tiki bar was made by Bet-
tina, with the exception of
the glasses and the little fish
on the counter. She used
wood, bamboo, and raffia
to build the Tiki bar, and
for the decorations she used
other diverse materials. “My
techniques were simple,” she
elaborated, “sawing, sticking,
and bonding. First I built the
frame of the Tiki bar, then
I filled it with flowers, and
after that I decorated it with
MINI MAGIC

Left: All of the accessories are

free to be moved around. These
Tiki bars are one of Betina’s
favorite things to make.

flowers, leis, and vegetation,

and typical bar accessories.
Making the roof of the
Tiki bar was the hardest
part. I’m always trying new
methods to find an easier
way. Every Tiki bar I have
made has turned out the
way I expected it, and each
one looks uniquely different.
Sometimes I build them with
light effects, too.
I make Tiki bars because
they bring tropical atmosphere
to each miniature scene. My
favorite part about this piece
is the fully packed counter.
The biggest fun is to turn the
Tiki bar into a charming green
ocean-side oasis.
Asked what might be
coming next for her and her
creations, she responded,
“At the moment I am creat-
ing a collection of beach-
oriented scenes with all the
appropriate stuff, because of
the summer feeling that is
around. I also have started
with illuminated pavilions
and garden things. I have so
many miniature ideas that
I would like to bring to life
that I will not get bored un-
til I retire one far-off day!”
Then she’ll have even
more time to indulge her
creativity and whimsy.
JUNE I AM 31

An enchanted
dollhouse
L et’ s pay a visit to O phelia’ s dollhou se with a
c ontinu ing tou r of this heartfelt piec e
A
s we walk up the steps we
are greeted by an intricate
Victorian wallpaper
design and charming old
wood floors. These floors were
made from pieces of my old
window blinds. The little rug
was printed on cotton from
the computer. There are a few
loose strands that I don’t dare
touch! I could snip them, as I
would in any other dollhouse,
but I don’t want things to be
too perfect here.
As I mentioned previously
in the tour, this dollhouse is
based on my story “Ophelia
32 AM I JUNE
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
BY AURALEA KRIEGER
Under the Day Moon”. I wrote
and created the illustrations for
this story starting in 2007.
I still need to tie various
mini hair ribbons from the
banisters. Ophelia has a
curious habit of tying her hair
ribbons to the rails to remind
her of her fabulous dreams.
Sometimes when she wakes
her dreams seem so real that
they can alter her mood all day.
The small shelf in the
corner holds tiny treasures
and photos.
The first door we come to
is very important to Ophelia’s
story. This is the dreaded attic
door. The thought of what
may be lurking up there sends
shivers down her spine. You
see she has been hearing a
strange tapping sound coming
from above her bedroom all
summer and she is certain it’s
coming from the attic.
I made the door by
building a false wall and then
Below left: Auralea’s mixed
media art depicting Ophelia. The
art is hand-cut paper layered
like a puzzle and then accented
with various mediums. Right:
The attic stairs were built in as a
false wall insert.

building a winding wood
staircase that goes up to
the attic. The next door is a
false door that I have had in
my stash since my very first
dollhouse at 16 years old!
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
Finally it was put to use as
the parents’ bedroom door.
It is glued to the wall but still
looks as if it would open. The
exterior window for this fake
room has a print of a bedroom
inside it with real curtains.
The lovely bench was
a wonderful find from a
miniature show vendor who
sold affordable vintage items.
The next door is the
JUNE I AM 33

bathroom door. I made
that wall so that it can be
removed for decorating and
photographing the bathroom.
The other door is the door to
Ophelia’s bedroom, which we
shall enter for this issue.
34 AM I JUNE
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
She is a young girl but
not yet a woman. Perhaps
by exploring her room you
will get to know her without
reading her stories. This is
where I may share more of
my “Ophelia Under the Day
Moon” story with you so you
will understand some of the
pieces in this space.
As you may have noticed,
purple is Ophelia’s favorite
color. I used scrapbook paper
on the walls and the curtains
are fabric, mailed to me by
my mother. The lace along
the window was white lace
that I painted purple. The rug
was another computer mouse
pad like the one in the living
room. I built the floor around
it because it was 1/8” thick.
The bed was dressed
with lace and cotton. Her
Below: An overview of the bedroom.

infamous red leather journal
lays next to the just as
important rabbit mask. The
mask is representative of the
wonderful paper mâché rabbit
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
mask that Nevel made for her
upon their first encounter.
I found this mask the
same day I found little Bat
(her dog), and the fairy bowl
Above: The small fairy bowl given
to Ophelia by her friend.
on her bedside table at a
miniature show before I had
even started to write Ophelia’s
story. In fact, I had no idea I
would make the first art piece
that would spin off into the
stories at that moment. All I
knew is that they were three
wonderfully strange pieces
that I had to have.
I wrote them into the story,
then four years later built this
dollhouse. What a pleasure
to put them in their places
knowing the new meaning
behind them.
The bedside table is one
of my most favorite scenes in
the house. The fairy bowl was
given to her by her best friend
Penance who claims she can
JUNE I AM 35

see fairies. She gave Ophelia
very detailed instructions on
how to care for them. You see
the fairies told Penance that
they were having a horrible
time with the neighborhood
cat and were in fear for their
lives. Penance took a few
into her own care and gave
the rest to Ophelia. Ophelia,
not having seen any fairies,
trusted her good friend and
did as she asked.
The wonderful art above
the table was found online
and printed very small. It is a
painting by Ilya Zomb.
The black cat fortune
telling game on the floor was
made by LeClosDesLavandes.
I fell in love with it the
moment I saw it!
The chair holds a
handmade pillow and a
bear. The shoes were my
first attempt at making tiny
36 AM I JUNE
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
Above: The small rabbit mask that
inspired part of Ophelia’s story.
leather shoes. They fit a Heidi
Ott doll but are not very
feminine. I decided to display
them anyway because they
took a lot of patience.
I had ordered the vintage
fireplace online and didn’t
know it would be so small.
But after I cleaned it up I was
very happy with it. The grill is
metal and I think it is one of
those vintage pieces that help
make this feel more like an
antique dollhouse.
The lovely vintage style
piece hanging over the mantle
is by Dominique Autin. I
purchased this during my first
trip to Chicago while at The
Miniature Show. I made all
of the books on the mantle as
well as the ones on the floor.
The paintings hanging on
the wardrobe are Ophelia’s
artwork and sketches. She has
a passion for insects and loves
to study their behaviors. Her
dream is to one day become
a famous entomologist and
be able to paint all of her
discoveries for future studies.
Beetles are positively her
favorite subject!
The wardrobe was
refurbished by printing
butterflies on cotton with
an ink jet printer and gluing
it over some padding then
framing it with rope.
Making the art table was a
pleasure. Ophelia has a giant
book on insects that she can
barely lift so it stays on her art
table and is used for reference.
The paints are a print out put
into a box and then painted
to look shiny. The little stool
was a vintage pill box I found
at an antique shop. I covered
the lid to look like a cushion
and it was perfect!
The photo on the back
wall is a bunny and fox in
Victorian clothing. Quirky art
rings my bell and is a great fit
for this little dollhouse.
In the next issue we will
finish up this dollhouse tour
with the eerie attic!
 PROJECT

Summer mini bags

Use free swatches to make a mini bag
BY LINDA DAY

U sing free fabric

swatches from the
fabric store pays
off with this little handbag.

1 Trim swatch evenly to

approx. 2” x 3”.

2 Hem the top and bottom

with hot glue approx
1/4”. Hot glue or sew the
edges right side in. After
drying, turn right side out.
It should look much like a
pillow case. 2 3

3 Cut approx. 2” to
2 1/2” of fabric for the
straps. Hot glue the straps
to the inside of the tote. 

4 Embellish as desired.

Materials:
Woven fabric swatches
Free from most fabric
stores, or your own fabric
Jump rings, tiny tassels,
jewelry findings.
Hot glue gun
Fabric glue or
needle and thread
Scissors

JUNE I AM 37
 PROJECT

Decorative bowls
Let’s make some bowls for your dollhouse
BY DANIELLE MULLER

T oday I’m going to

show you how to
make your own little
bowls for your dollhouse
projects. These can be used
in many different ways and
are fairly easy to make.
of the mold easily, now
would be a good time to
apply some of the Easy
Demolding Vaseline from
Gedeo. I purchased mine
Materials:
Chocolate packaging for
the bowl (I used the brand
TOFFIFEE) or quail egg
from Amazon. containers
Apply some with a Craft plaster
paintbrush, on both molds Water

1 Put on your disposable to where it’s going to be in Disposable plastic cup

rubber gloves. Mix your
plaster with water accord-
ing to the manufacturer’s
instructions on the package.
contact with the plaster.
Use an old tablespoon
and fill the mixture into
your molds, making sure
they’re only half full (a bit
Wooden stirrer
Plastic tea spoon
Disposable Rubber Gloves
Newspaper or paper towels
Paintbrush
Measuring cup (optional)

2 The mixture should not
be too runny, but still
easy to stir.
less than half full would be
even better).
Fine sandpaper
Acrylic paints
Dotting tool/Stylus
Acrylic glossy varnish

3 Protect your work table

with an old newspaper
or some kitchen paper
towels. If you want to make
sure your bowls come out
4 Take a second mold
and press it on top of
the first, pushing it slowly
Beads, pearls or
rhinestones for decoration
Small water decals (Nail art)
all the way down. Gédéo Vaseline for
demolding (Amazon)
Don’t worry about the
plaster coming out on the

38 AM I JUNE

1 2
4 5
7 8
sides, that’s perfectly nor-
mal. Let dry overnight.
5 Now comes the moment
of truth–demolding your
miniature bowls!
Don’t worry, some will
definitely break, that’s okay
just be gentle while do-
ing this, remember not to
push too hard, because the
plaster isn’t very thick and
is easily breakable.
It might seem like a bit of
a fiddly job the first time, so
stay calm.
PROJECT
The upper borders of
your bowls will look like
this, which is perfectly nor-
mal (this is a photo I made
when I first made these
bowls) after some practice,
it will get better and the
borders will be much more
straight when they come
out of the mold.
6 Take a piece of fine
sandpaper, place it on
your worktable and sand
off the rough edges until
your upper border looks
3
6
9
smooth and straight. Again,
don’t push too hard while
holding the small bowls
and moving them over the
fine sandpaper.
7 As you can see, once
the borders are sanded,
they look neat and straight.
8 Now comes the fun part.
Get out your colors and
start painting. As you can
see I painted mine in all
sorts of different colors,
which is fun and that way,
JUNE I AM 39

10
you can use them in many
different miniature scenes.
9 For decoration, I’m us-
ing a dotting tool to add
dots and/or fine lines, since
I find this easier than doing
it with a paintbrush, but
you may want ot try both
methods and see which
one’s the best for you.
Once the paint has dried
(I’m usually applying 2
coats) you can add more
details to your bowls using
mini pearls, rhinestones
40 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
or whatever you have in
your stash. Another way to
decorate them is with water
decals, Nail Art decals are
great because they have
the right size.
10 Once you’re done
with painting and
decorating, add a coat
of clear glossy varnish
(preferably water based)
and let it dry. Now you’re
finished! Have fun putting
your new bowls in your
dollhouse scenes.
Just for fun, I have added a
few more photos showing
the collection of bowls I
made. Maybe they will get
you in the mood to create
or simply give you some
ideas for your own bowls.
Mini tutorials needed
We hope you have been
enjoying all of the wonderful
tutorials featured in American
Miniaturist. There are so
many impressive creative ideas
and new techniques in the
miniature community. We try
our best to find projects we
think our readers will enjoy,
but we know there are more
that we can find out there.
If you would like to be a
part of this fun publication
please consider being one of
our valued contributors.
We have great opportunities
for miniaturists who submit
tutorials such as credit towards
subscriptions and individual
issues. And, if you are in
business, your tutorials might
actually help promote what
you are selling. We’ll furnish
you with these details after
your submission has been
approved.
Imagine how much joy your
mini project could give others
who share your passion for
this hobby!
Send your step-by-step
instructions and photos to
Tutorial Submission, American
Miniaturist, PO Box 219,
Kasson, MN 55944. You may
also send your entries via
email to auralea@ashdown.
co.uk. Please be sure to
include your name, address,
phone number, and email
address. We can’t wait to see
your projects!
 American
miniaturist
CLA
YOUIM
14 D R
A
FRE Y
TRI E
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JUNE I AM 41
 MY CREATIVE
SPACE
D T his m onth we visit the work shop of
anielle has been sharing
tutorials and features
with us, let’s see what her
creative space looks like!
How long have you been
making miniatures? My love
for all things mini started when
I was a child, but all I did back
then was collect all sorts of
miniature items, in different
scales. Growing
up in Luxem-
bourg, a country
where nobody
knew dollhouses
even existed, col-
lecting was all I
could do. I started
officially with this wonderful
hobby in 1995, the same year
I got married.
My dad, who sadly passed
away in November 2016
at the age of 85, did build
model airplanes, the ones that
actually fly. Later on when
he retired, he retired he gave
42
‘I always remember seeing my Dad in
AM I JUNE
A M c ontrib u tor, D anielle M u ller.
up the airplanes and started
with N scale train models. So
somehow I guess, that’s where
I got my love for miniatures.
I always remember seeing my
Dad in his workplace working
on his models.
Where do you create?
When I’m very lucky
to have a really nice
workplace in our house.
It has access to the terrace
and garden, which is
absolutely fabulous
during the summer months.
Do you always make your
minis in the same place?
Definitely, yes.
What makes your space for
mini making so special?
First of all, the fact that it does
have access to the terrace and
garden (I am an outdoor person)
and most of all, that I was able
to plan it while we were design-
ing our life size house.
Do you keep your workspace
private or do you let other
people/pets in? It is mostly
private, but my husband and
some very good friends who
always want to see what I’m
working on when they come
to visit, are allowed to enter.
I also have two beautiful
Maine Coon cats who are cra-
zy about making miniatures.
Most of the time they’re lying
right in front of me on my
desk, as long as I don’t work
with any dangerous materi-
als of course. I cover the tools
with an old kitchen towel so
that they can’t hurt themselves
 when sniffing around. What Describe your workspace in
can I do, they just wanna help! five words.
Spacious
Do you listen to music or Colorful
the radio while you work? I Full of memories
love to listen to music. Playing Nicely decorated
music in the background has a Well organized
calming effect for me. My hus-
band got me a cute little device What is the one thing that
to which I connect my iPhone your workspace can’t be
with Bluetooth and the sound missing? My Proxxon micro-
is much better. mot power tools.

his workplace working on his models. ’

JUNE I AM 43

A crewelwork bell pull
Stitch a beautiful bell pull with Tanya
MEET THE MAKER:
Tanya Harvey
“I have been making dollhouse
items for over 14 years for
myself and to sell. As a qualified
specialist in history, I have a love
for the past and enjoy bringing
history to life in small scale. I
find inspiration when visiting
historic houses and buildings
and try to make my work
historically accurate and as
realistic as possible.”
Materials:
Cream satin material
at least 8” x 3”
2 metal jewelry filigrees
of your choice - available
in your local craft store or
jewelry supplies store
(These should have ring
and be similar to the ones
in the images).
1 small matching bead
44 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
BY TANYA HARVEY
C rewelwork is a
traditional style of
freehand embroi-
dery which has been prac-
ticed for at least a thousand
years. It is often associated
with the Tudor and Jacobian
periods, but has occasion-
ally been popular several
times since then.
This project is for a
crewelwork bell pull, but the
same techniques can be
adapted to produce other
items for your dollhouse.
Threads
Crewelwork embroidery
normally uses wool, but in
this project, due to the small
scale, we will use Cotton
Threads.
Although I have given
codes for DMC threads in
the accompanying table,
2” length of chain you can use any brand of
Dressmakers or carbon embroidery thread you pre-
copy paper fer or have available (the
Dressmakers pencil manufacturer should have
Craft glue color conversions available
Sharp scissors
on their website).
Pinking shears
Embroidery ring
DMC Threads come
Fine embroidery needle in 8 metre skeins of six
Small craft clamps strands. One skein of each
 PROJECT

1 3.1 3.2

color should be more than

enough for this project. If
you prefer, you can adapt
1 Using the tracing and
carbon paper, trace the
crewelwork design for the
Thread the needle, pass
through and fold over the
first 5 or 6 centimeters of
the colors to your prefer- bell pull onto the cream the strand and tie a knot in
ence. Small color changes satin material. If you prefer the other end.
to a slightly different shade you can hand sketch this Holding the doubled
should not affect the design design or a similar one of over thread and the needle,
greatly. your own. choose the position in the
DMC 829 Brown material to make your first
DMC 3011 Green
DMC 371 Green
DMC 3777 Red
2 Mount the material
centrally in your em-
broidery frame. Next, cut a
stitch. I would recommend
starting with of one of the
flower stems.
DMC 3778 Red length of your first thread
DMC 676 Yellow
DMC 931 Blue
DMC 3750 Blue
about 18” -20” long, and
separate the cut length into
single strands.
3 Pass the needle through
from the back of the
material through to the

JUNE I AM 45

3.3
front, and back through to
the back of the material.
Each Stitch should be no
more than 2-3mm.
Working with each color
in turn and following the
pattern you marked out
earlier, embroider the
rest of the design until it is
complete. I find it best to
stitch all the stems, fol-
lowed by the leaves and
finally the flowers.
4 Allowing about ¼” all
around the embroi-
dered design, mark and
46 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
3.4
cut-out your work. The
folded width should be the
same as your top filigree.
Fold over the top first and
glue using the craft glue.
Depending on the shape
of the bottom filigree the
bottom can be folded or
cut into a point as in the
images. If you like, you can
use a warm iron to help fix
the glue.
Finally, fold over and glue
the two sides, pulling in
slightly to hide the ends of
the folded material.
Then lightly clamp the
3.5
material and leave the glue
to dry.
5 Once you are sure
that it is dry, remove
the clamps and glue the
filigrees to the ends of the
bell pull.
Thread the chain through
the ring in the top filigree,
and glue inside the bead
using the craft glue. This
will be used to mount the
bell pull to the ceiling.
Using some more pieces
of thread in a matching
color to create a tassel and
 PROJECT

tie to the ring in the bot-

tom filigree.

You can use the bell pull in

a wide range of dollhouses
and rooms. The basic
design can be amended to
better match your needs.
The techniques you have
learned in this tutorial can
be used to embellish a
variety of items such as
furniture, beds, cushions
and fire screens.
Visit www.thbespokemi-
niatures.com to see more
of Tanya’s miniatures.
JUNE I AM 47
 ROADTRIP
DIRECTORY
STAR BUSINESS  DOLLHOUSE DREAMS IOWA • USA

Featuring the only brick and mortar

showroom in Iowa, we are thrilled to
also offer our collection to you through
our expansive website. Whether you’re
building your first dream dollhouse or
it’s a hobby for you, we have everything
you need to design something amazing. Dollhouse Dreams
Here at Dollhouse Dreams, we offer a 820 Ave G
wide selection of dollhouse kits, minia- Fort Madison, IA 52627
tures, furniture and accessories so you Phone: 877-875-6500
can truly personalize your doll’s home.
While there, enjoy your favorite treat Email: brenda@dollhousedreams.com
from our “NEW” Old Fashion Ice Cream/ Hours: Tue - Sat 9am-6pm
Soda Fountain Parlor. www.dollhousedreams.com

CALIFORNIA • USA CALIFORNIA • USA CALIFORNIA • USA

Dollhouses, Trains & More

300 Entrada Dr Ms. Peggie’s Place
Novato, CA 94949 Elegant Dollhouse 5063 Cass Street,
Celebrating
Phone: 415- 883-0388 1120 Fulton Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109
39 Years
20 minutes North of San Francisco Sacramento, CA 95825 Phone: 858-483-2621
off Hwy 101 in Marin County Phone: 916-484-0411 Hours: Wed 12-7pm/Th-Fr 12-5pm
Hours: Wed-Fri 10-6, Sat-Sun 10-5 Hours: M-Sat 10-6 / Sun 12-4 Sat 10am-5pm/Sun 12-5pm
www.DollhousesTrainsandMore.com www.elegantdollhouse.com www.mspeggiesplace.com

DELAWARE • USA FLORIDA • USA ILLINOIS • USA

The Toy Box

Fingertip Fantasies
401 Main Street, PO Box 544
Clayton, DE 19938
Phone: 302-653-8800
Email: info@dollhouseminiatures.com
www.dollhouseminiatures.com
419 Brevard Ave,
Historical Cocoa Village
Phone: 321-632-2411
Email: toybox@cfl.rr.com
Hours: Tu-Sat 10-5
www.thetoyboxstore.com
Tom Thumb Hobby & Crafts
6001 W. Gross Point Rd.
Niles, IL 60714
Phone: 847-869-9575
Email: tomthumb6001@gmail.com
www.tomthumbcrafts.com

48 AM I OCTOBER
 INDIANA • USA MARYLAND • USA MINNESOTA • USA

Museum of Miniature Houses Forever Friends A m e r ic a n M in ia t u r is t

and Other Collections, Inc.
111 East Main Street
Carmel, IN 46032
Phone: (317) 575-9466
Hours: Wed-Sat 11-4, Sun 1-4
www.museumofminiatures.org
Dollhouses and Miniatures
2105 Bishops Castle Drive
Olney, MD 20832
Phone: 301-774-3037
Hours: Call first for hours.
www.foreverfriendsminis.com/shop
PO B OX 219
Kasson, M N 559 44
Phone: 8 66- 606- 658 7
Email: usoffice@ashdown.co.uk
H ours: M - F 9 - 5 C T
www.americanminiaturist.com

NEW JERSEY • USA OHIO • USA OHIO • USA

Karen Aird’s Dollhouse Shop The Miniature Cellar

Hours: Mon,Tues, Thu, Fri. 10:30 - 5pm
Sat 10 - 4pm, Wed & Sun - Closed
24 W Oak Street
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Phone: 908-766-3777
www.KarensDollhouse.com
Dolls and Minis
8068 Columbia Road
Olmsted Falls OH 44138
Phone: (440) 647-1519
Hours: Tue-Sat 10am-6pm
www.dollsandminis.com
12652 West Geauga Plaza
Chesterland, OH 44024
Phone: 440-729-6464
Email: minicellar@sbcglobal.net
Hours: Tu-Sat 10-5
www.miniaturecellar.com

VIRGINIA • USA WASHINGTON • USA

Take a step in the right
direction.
This very affordable spot
could be yours!

Happily Ever After CJN Miniatures NEW

20609 Gordon Park Square, Ste. 110
Ashburn, VA 20147
Phone: 703-777-1869
Email: lori@happily-ever-after.biz
Hours: Tues-Fri 10am-3pm, Sat 10am-4pm
www.happily-ever-after.biz
23030 Hwy 99 LOCATION!
Edmonds, WA 98026
Phone: (206) 629-4095
Email: connie@cjnminiatures.com
www.CJNMiniatures.com
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:30-5:30

Join in on the roadtrip!

For a small investment each issue, your miniature business
can be featured in our state-to-state directory!

Call 1-866-606-6587 or email sara@ashdown.co.uk

to add your business to the map today.

OCTOBER I AM 49
 ARTIST
Some of our upcoming showcases
are: Furniture, Kitchen, Food/Drink, 4th
of July, Summer, Autumn, Halloween,
and Christmas. If you would like to be
considered in these top miniature artist
showcases, email auralea@ashdown.co.uk

THIS MONTH WE CELEBRATE

ANNETTE SHAW
UNITED KINGDOM
Beautifully handmade gent’s clothing
made from cottons and silks. They
are detachable from the mannequins.

MICHELLE DAVIS
UNITED KINGDOM
Handmade 1:12 shoes. The soles are made from
leather. All footwear is boxed when finished and
comes with a matching carrier bag.

50 AM I JUNE
 SHOWCASE
FATHERS WITH SOME FABULOUS MINIATURES FROM TOP MAKERS

CHRISTÈLE
VANHESTE
BELGIUM
Various busts of famous
men from the past.
They are hand-sculpted
and then cast in a mold
using porcelain gypsum.
Each are hand-painted
and are limited editions.

GETINTOUCH:
Pasahrot
Email: pasahrot@gmail.com
Web: www.etsy.com/shop/Pasahrot

BRIAN AND
KATHY TEPPER
CALIFORNIA
An amazing
collection for the
mini explorer.

JUNE I AM 51
 MEREDITH SECAUR
ARIZONA
These 1:12 scale classic literature
dollhouse miniature books are handmade.
Pages are fully printed with readable text
from the original novels.

KEITH BOUGOURD
FRANCE
Gorgeous grandfather clocks that
were handmade with precision.

BEATRICE CORSINI
ITALY
Above is a stylish desk
to write a letter or read
a good book. The railway
model was built from
a hand-painted white
metal kit and a the
landscape was created
with clay.

52 AM I JUNE

Primitive tools
Every miniature elf needs his tiny building tools
MEET THE MAKER:
Auralea Krieger
“I live on the Chesapeake Bay
in Maryland and work remotely
for this wonderful magazine.
I have been an artist my entire
life and a miniaturist since the
age of 16. I love this art form
because the imagination has
no limits! ”
PROJECT
BY AURALEA KRIEGER
I needed some tools for
my elf tree house and
luckily they only needed
to be primitive tools so the
steps are easy to follow and
the tools are quick to make.
Primitive hammers
1 Start with a wooden
dowel. Mine is about
1/4” in circumference.
Carve the end so it’s round-
ed. Get a drill bit that is as
wide as a toothpick and
drill a hole in the center.
2 Sand it so it is semi-
smooth. Perfectly
smooth if you want some-
thing more modern.
3 Cut the end off of the
dowel. Cut a toothpick
and sand the end and glue
it into the hole.
4 For the mallet/hammer
use a similar method.
5 Stain everything in your
desired color.
Primitive axe
6 Draw your handle
shape on a piece of
Materials:
1/4” wood dowel
Craft knife
Fine sand paper
Toothpicks
Wood glue
Wood stain
Basswood
Polymer caly
Grey acrylic paint
Pencil
Silver metallic dust
Wire
Wire cutters
Thick thread
Hand drill/small drill bit
basswood. Carefully trim
around it with a craft knife.
Don’t press too hard or you
will spit the wood. Take
your time.
7 Once you get the shape
carve the edges gently
with the knife to make it
smoother, but still mainly
flat. Sand the edges a little.
8 Use some polymer clay
to shape the blade. You
could use left over clay and
paint it or use a medium
grey. Make the wood poke
out of the top of the blade.
JUNE I AM 53

1 2
3 5
I pressed it on the board in a
basic shape. Then cut away
what I didn’t want. Slide a flat
clay blade under it and flip
it over. Shape with the knife
again then carefully pick it
up and shape the blade to
have a sharper tip.
9 Once you are happy put
it back down and cut
excess clay away from the
handle for the final shape. I
kept one straight but added
a point to the other on the
neck of the wood.
54 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
7 8
10 Bake the polymer
clay according to the
manufacturer’s instructions,
let cool. You can sand the
blade to get it sharper.
Paint in a steel grey acrylic
then go in and dry brush a
lighter grey.
11 Stain the handle the
color of your choice.
12 I mixed up some sil-
ver metallic dust with
mat varnish and painted the
shiny blade edge.
6
Drill
13 Cut a toothpick and
round the edges. Drill
a tiny hole in the handle.
I had two tiny drill bits and
decided to cut one to use
but it went flying when I cut
it and got lost in my studio. If
you are going to attempt to
cut one do it in a plastic bag-
gie so it won’t fly away!
Instead, I covered wire
with glue and wrapped
thick thread around it in a
spiral fashion. Then painted
it silver.
 PROJECT

9 13

Level

14 I cut into a piece of

wood and made a clay
handle. Then painted the
clay to match the wood.

The bee’s wax candles

took a lot of trial and error
to get the color I wanted.
My browns kept turning the
clay green when baked.
I ended up using a small-
er portion of translucent,
yellow, and a tiny pinch of
the right brown. If any one
needs slime-green candles
let me know I have a large
batch for free!

Do a little research and

come up with more primi-
tive tool creations. And
if you come up with the
perfect clay mix for bee’s
wax let me know!
JUNE I AM 55

Celebrating family
history in mini
D eb H ayes m ak es a trib u te for her father in
m iniatu re with P au l’ s T ailor Shop
D
eb Hayes first became
interested in miniatures
when her father built a
dollhouse for her when she
was a child. They lived in
Indiana, close to Chicago,
Illinois, so they went to see
Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle
in Chicago’s Museum of Sci-
ence and Industry, and she
was hooked.
Career-wise, she has been
an optician, but combining
miniatures and home life has
gotten easier. “My kids are all
grown and out of the house, so
I can work on minis anytime,”
56 AM I JUNE
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
BY PAM NORTH
she explained. “My husband is
a golfer so he enjoys his hobby,
and I enjoy mine.”
Her latest project is an
ambitious one, called Paul’s
Tailor Shop. “My dad grew
up in an apartment behind
his father’s tailor shop. I never
met my grandfather, but I
loved to hear the stories of
his shop, and life during the
1920s and 1930s. My dad
said that his father made his
own alcohol in the basement
of the shop during Prohibi-
tion. Dad would tell me tales
of gangsters, stick ball in the
streets, and only the radio
for entertainment. I thought
it would be fun to create a
speakeasy, and use the tailor
shop as a front. Researching
Prohibition was both fun and
interesting. My grandfather
didn’t really have a speakeasy,
but he does now! When my
Dad found out about my
plans, he drew up a schematic
of the layout of the shop. He
was very happy to help me
Below left: Miniaturist Deb
Hayes. Below: The display case
in the shop. Right: Scenes inside
the 1:12 scale tailor shop.
DOLLHOUSE TOUR

JUNE I AM 57
 DOLLHOUSE TOUR

Right: The apartment that is

upstairs from the shop.

with my vision. In actuality

the family lived in the back of
the shop, but I put the apart-
ment upstairs. The shop was
located at 7th and Broadway
in Gary, Indiana, back in a
time when Gary was sort of a
little Chicago.”

58 AM I JUNE

Deb didn’t have a kit to
make the building, so she
basically created a big box out
of 1/8” plywood. “It’s just a
building that one would see in
any big city. I wanted it to be
big enough for the speakeasy,
complete with a ballroom. I
made it a tad too deep, and
it was hard to reach the back
wall to wallpaper it. The top of
the apartment above the shop
swings open to reveal the in-
side. The windows pull out of
the front display of the shop.
On the side of the build-
ing, I painted an advertise-
ment of “Black Cat Stove
Polish” like you would see on
buildings in this era. I used
the stencil bricks for the entire
building, first painting it
DOLLHOUSE TOUR
black, then stencil, then brick.
On the very top of the build-
ing I placed a large piece of
sandpaper from a belt sander
to make it look like a tar roof.
I looked at many pictures
from that era of buildings
to get ideas for the façade. I
love the patriotic theme that
I saw in many of the pictures,
so that’s why I put the flag
banners under the window. I
noted that many, if not most,
of the buildings had awnings,
so I included an awning across
the façade. The project was
about half handmade, half
bought or collected.”
“My display windows
are kits by Lisa Engler that I
completed,” she continued.
“Inside the shop, the cash
Above: An illegal bathtub gin and
still are in the kitchen.
register is on top of the safe,
just as my dad said it was.
In the far rear of the shop,
there is a 3-way mirror that is
very important to the piece,
and I have the actual life-size
mirror from the shop here
in my home. My sister told
me that when she was a child
she would stand in front of
that mirror and pretend she
was in the Ziegfeld Follies
because her reflection would
go on forever from all sides of
the mirrors.
I have many family photos
in the apartment. There are
pictures of the man himself,
Paul, with my grandmother,
Anna; my dad, Ray; and his
JUNE I AM 59
 DOLLHOUSE TOUR

brother, Jim. I also have a

family portrait of my great-
great grandparents from
Ireland, the Maloney family.
Bathtub gin is truly in the
bathtub in the kitchen, com-
plete with a still.
On the couch there are
crocheted afghans, which
remind me of my mom
because they look just like
the life-size afghans that she
crocheted for me. I also have
a newspaper, displayed on the
rocking chair, that reads, “US
GOES DRY”. Downstairs,
the shelf in the back of the
shop slides open to reveal the
speakeasy when the password,
“Spatter dash” is whispered.
You will see a picture of that plays the, “Entertainer”. I
myself and my husband, just painted it and added some
Scott, immortalized in our trim and photos. Upstairs, one
gangster attire next to the can look down over the ball
door on the inside of the room; there is another bar,
speakeasy. The ballroom has and a fountain complete with
a bar, and there in the back is coins. I painted the Venetian
the corner booth and table. scene on the back wall, echo-
The piano is a music box ing a Greco-Roman theme.

Downstairs there is a bath-

room, with a bathroom stall
bearing graffiti saying, “Kilroy
was here”!
“The fun of this project for
me was the research that went
into it. I love history, so when
I decide to do a project, I like
Left: Deb hand-painted the
miniature Venice painting.

60 AM I JUNE
 DOLLHOUSE TOUR

Above: The back of the building.

Right: The bar with fun lights and
a place for the band to play.

to study everything about it. I

only wish my dad could have
seen it completed. It probably
never will be officially fin-
ished, however, because I still
have plans for gaming devices
like a roulette wheel, more
slots, and maybe even a few
gangsters enjoying the place!
It has been a labor of love for
me, and I have my Dad to
thank for that!
What a Father’s Day gift
Deb’s project would have
made for her dad.
JUNE I AM 61

A frame for father
This little frame is perfect for mini vintage photos
MEET THE MAKER:
Sadie Brown
“I’m a miniaturist and writer
living on the Isle of Skye in
Scotland’s Inner Hebrides.
I created my first miniature
from clay over 25 years ago,
ensuring that, from that
moment on, I always had clay
or a pen in my hand!”
62 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
BY SADIE BROWN
S ometimes it’s the
simplest tutorial that
inspire us to finish
a project we have had on
our mini to-do list. If you
have some vintage photos
that have been waiting to
be hung why not give them
all a tea stained look and
frame them.
1
Choose a piece of wood
just over 1/16” thick
and cut two pieces, each
measuring 11/16” in length
by just under 1/8” wide
and two smaller pieces just
over 1/2” in length and 1/8”
wide. All the ends should
be slanted at 45-degree
angles so the pieces join to-
gether smoothly and easily.
2 Put the four pieces
together and match
up evenly before carefully
sticking the frame together
with Super Glue.
3 Cut an additional piece
from wood just under
1/16” thick for the stand.
Fluted and with a straight
top and bottom, it should
measure just under 1/2” in
Materials:
Wood
Clear plastic packaging
Black card
Matte white card
Acrylic paint: yellow Ochre,
Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna
Tea bag and a cold cup
of tea
Small brushes
Craft knife
Scissors
Matte varnish
Glue stick
Super glue
A selection of tiny old/
vintage photographs
length and 1/8” in width at
the widest end of the flute.
Mix some yellow Ochre
paint with a little Burnt
Umber and Burnt Sienna,
watering down a little
before adding several coats
to both. Use a small brush
with rough bristles
4 Coat both the picture
frame and the stand
with matte varnish.
5 Carefully cut out a
selection of tiny vintage
pictures or reduce some
scanned photographs

2 3
5 7
9 10
down in size on the com-
puter and print them out
on matte, white card. Make
sure that one photograph
is the perfect size for the
photo frame. The rest will
be scattered around the
frame. Make a mug/cup of
tea and allow to cool, using
the tea bag to lightly add
color to the reverse of the
photographs and give them
a realistic feel of age.
6 Cut out a piece of black
card which measures
PROJECT
just slightly less than the
wooden frame itself.
7 Stick your chosen
photograph into place
on the black card with a
glue stick, ensuring that you
position it so that it fits per-
fectly behind the “glass”.
8 Take a piece of clear
plastic packaging (Mine
came from a box of biscuits)
and cut out an elongated
rectangle fractionally smaller
than the frame and card.
4
8
TOPTIP:
When cutting smaller
pieces of wood it is ideal
to use a hardwood like
basswood verses balsa.
9 Super Glue the clear
oblong to the reverse
of the frame. Next, stick the
black card to the back of
the frame.
10 Finally, Super Glue the
stand into position.
Place your new framed
photo in your miniature
scene where you can enjoy
it everyday.
Be sure to visit the
Snippits page in this issue
for a selection of vintage
Father’s Day photos for your
new frame.
JUNE I AM 63
 FEATURE

Dolls from
the heart
U K artist T anya H arvey’ s m iniatu re work is her
personal tim e m ac hine into the past
BY DEB WEISSLER

T
anya first discovered min-
iatures fifteen years ago
while on her honeymoon
in nearby Wales. She and her
new husband were out and
about one day when they
came across a dollhouse shop
and decided to step inside.
The shop was filled with won-
derful houses and miniatures;
things Tanya hadn’t seen out-
side of her native Ukraine!
“Before then, the only
dollhouse I had ever seen was
the one in the Winter Palace
in St. Petersburg, which once
belonged to Tsar Nicolas’s
children,” Tanya recalls. “So
the idea of owning my own
dollhouse was beyond my
wildest dreams. Although we
did not buy anything that
day, it sowed the seeds for the
future. When our daughter,
Alison, was born, we decided
it would be wonderful to
build a dollhouse for her.”
After the house was built,
Tanya could find furniture
galore but it was the soft fur-
nishings that left her frustrat-
ed. So she decided to make
her own and they turned out
so well the owner of a local
miniature shop asked if she
could supply them with some.
Calling on her Ukrainian
roots, where there is a
strong craft tradition, Tanya
had always loved sewing
and embroidery. She was
Below left: 1:12 scale King
Henry. Below: Agatha Christie’s
Poirot. Right: Many characters in
mini including Cinderella.

64 AM I JUNE
FEATURE

JUNE I AM 65
 FEATURE

Above and right: Evette is based

on a 1898 painting by Artist
Louis Marie de Schryver. Title
“La Marchande Des Fleurs,
Place De La Concorde”

just six years old when her Right: Miss Marple from Agatha
grandmother started teaching Christie’s crime novels in 1:12
scale. Below: Ebenezer Scrooge
her needlework. Combined in 1:12 scale.
with her love of history,
she loves visiting the many
historic homes and halls in the
UK, examining the wonderful
interiors and decorations
that she then re-creates in
miniature. Once a teacher of
history, Tanya now devotes
full time to re-creating it.
As her miniature
offerings expanded from
soft furnishings, such as
curtains, to hand-sculpted
dolls, handmade flowers,
custom doll houses, dressed
furniture, and accessories,
Tanya’s business expanded.
It wasn’t long before her
sculpted art and character
dolls attracted the attention of
doll collectors, miniaturists,
and show organizers alike.
66 AM I JUNE

Each hand-crafted doll is
constructed using the finest
materials—specialist doll clays,
satins and silk materials, and
OOAK accessories that add a
stylish finishing touch. Tanya
searches the world in order to
find just the right fabrics in
which to dress her dolls.
“The biggest problem is
finding materials in the correct
scale,” Tanya laments. “Often
I have to improvise or adapt.
This can sometimes stop
me from making something
as planned. For instance, I
recently could not make a
Scottish character doll as I
could not find the right Tartan
material in the proper scale.
I recently made a small
girl selling primroses, based
FEATURE
‘
One of Tanya’s
greatest joys in
working in miniature
is the involvement of
her family. ’ become a family business. As
upon an oil painting by 19th
century English artist John
Morgan. She turned out so
well it was difficult parting
with her.”
One of Tanya’s greatest
joys in working in miniature
is the involvement of her
family. Her husband, An-
drew, maintains her website,
offers constructive criticism,
and occasionally helps with
some of her items. Her father
makes Tudor-style furniture,
Above: A monk, fisherman and
Jon Snow in 1:12 scale.
and her mother makes many
of the flowers Tanya uses in
her work. In her mind, it’s
a family enterprise, it’s quite
easy fitting her work around
her family, where she tends to
utilize her home’s conserva-
tory as a workshop, weather
permitting.
Tanya has made items
for several celebrities and her
work has been featured on
several television shows, but
she is unable to disclose the
details due to privacy clauses.
She’s always happy to under-
take commissions and special
orders. Her items are also
JUNE I AM 67
 FEATURE

available on her Etsy storefront,
her website, and at miniature
fairs throughout the UK. Over
the years she has also written a
number of tutorials for various
ideas for hand-sculpted dolls
and other items that should
keep me busy far into the
future. I hope that as my work
improves,
Above: Two well-dressed women
from different time periods.
Below: Katie is based on a oil
painting by John Morgan (1824–
1885) Title: “A girl with a basket
of primroses”

miniature magazines. it will be considered

alongside that of

‘Each hand-crafted many of the great

doll artists.”
doll is constructed
using the finest
materials. ’
Looking ahead to the
future, Tanya says, “Although
many miniatures are now
mass produced, I think in the
future, miniaturists will always
demand high quality hand-
crafted items that are totally
unique. I have hundreds of
68 AM I JUNE

An Edwardian lady
Dress this lovely Edwardian lady
MEET THE MAKER:
DANA Burton
“I live in Wisconsin and enjoy
creating as well as teaching.
I have been making miniature
dolls for the past 30 years and
love traveling around the world
to share my knowledge through
my workshops. I am excited
to share with the readers of
American Miniaturist!”
PROJECT
BY DANA
G reetings and
welcome to this
issue’s Edwardian
lady tutorial. April, as I have
named her, is the perfect
Materials:
Porcelain dollhouse doll
Pipe cleaners, florist tape
accompanying piece to last and cotton balls for doll
month’s maid servant tutori- assembly
Paper to print pattern
al. Together they could form
Scissors
a very nice storytelling Straight pins
scene. Add a little puppy, Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
a cup of tea and weave an Curved glue dispenser
upstairs-downstairs period Needle and thread
story. Let’s get started! Ruler
Cork or macramé board
to drape dress
1 Paint your doll’s shoes
with fingernail polish.
Paint for doll’s shoes
Clear fingernail polish
Materials, laces, silk
2 Assemble your doll and
make a simple slip. Put
the slip onto your doll.
ribbon and trims
Tweezers
Zap-A-Gap Super Glue
Batiste
Chalk
3 Cut out the dress
gores (pattern pieces)
from silk material. Lay the
No-hole bead pearls and
gold beads
Cardboard for hat circle
pieces on the table, so you Q-tip
Miniature rose
can visually see how they
Flat iron
fit together. Viscose
1/2” pleater
4 Seal the edges of the
gore pieces with clear
fingernail polish and let
Blow dryer
Corsage pin
Feathers for hat
dry completely. Couch, dog, and teacup
Artificial floral decoration
5 Lay out the front gore
pattern piece and
JUNE I AM 69

4 6
10
glue on both side gores
(keeping the right sides of
material together).
6 Next, glue on the back
gore pattern pieces.
Leave the CENTER BACK
seam open for now. Your
dress should resemble a
fan shape. See photo for
guidance.
7 Glue the lace on the
wrong side of the dress,
at the hem.
8 Glue a piece of silk
ribbon along the hem
to cover the raw edge. Let
the dress dry.
9 Join the center back
seam of the dress to the
DOT mark that are on the
pattern pieces.
70 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
8
13 14
10 Slide the finished
dress on the doll and
overlap the remaining
and spray the entire dress
with hair spray to keep its
shape. Please remember, if
center back seam and glue you drench the dress with
closed. I added a straight
pin to help hold the dress
tight to the doll while the
hair spray the seams will
come unglued! So several
mists of hair spray is the
seam is drying. best way to drape silk.
Allow each layer to dry as
11 Bend your doll at the
waist and knees, then
you spray.
place her on the couch in a
seated position. 14 To decorate her
bodice, piece cut
designs out of lace, and
12 After viewing the doll,
I decided to add an-
glue on as desired.
other round of lace/silk rib-
bon for more decoration on
her skirt. Tie a silk ribbon
15 Next, pull a thread on
one end of silk ribbon
to ruche. Glue ruched silk
tight around her waist. ribbon on bodice.
13 After you are finished
with the skirt decora-
tion, pin the dress hem into
16 Sleeves are next! Cut
out (2) 2” x 1” rect-
angles of silk. Glue lace
a pleasing array of folds around the cuff, then over-

lap and glue the sides to
form a tube. Set each sleeve
aside to dry.
17 Glue porcelain arm
onto pipe cleaner and
let dry.
18 Insert arm into torso to
check correct length.
Then slide the arm into the
tube (sleeve) and glue into
the torso. Repeat for the
other arm.
19 Now we will create
her netting bodice.
PROJECT
15
19 20
21
Lightly spread Aleene’s
Tacky Glue on the doll’s
chest. Lay a small piece of
21 Now add little silk
bows to the bodice
for contrast. I also glued
netting on the front torso on small pieces of floral
and cut out a hole for the
neck. Then wrap around the
netting to the back of the
decoration (which to me
look like colored Styrofoam
balls. I found these at a
torso and cut so the edges thrift store).
meet flush.
22 After your doll’s
20 Piece cut a strip of
lace to cover the raw
edges around her neck/
dress is decorated,
stand back and get a dif-
ferent view of the overall
chest/arms. Keep gluing on dress design. Be sure to
the little lace pieces until
you achieve a pleasing
bodice design.
check if you have any gaps
between her shoulder and
arm. If so, simply piece cut
JUNE I AM 71
 PROJECT

Pattern:

21

22

CB
Cut 2

24 Back gore

24
a lace design and glue on
to cover the gap.
25 Cut another silk
circle – JUST a bit
smaller than cardboard cir-
cle. Spray with hair spray to

23 Now let’s make her

a fancy hat! Cut a
1 1/4” circle out of card-
24 Cut a 2” circle of
batiste and gather
the edge. Insert cardboard
seal. Glue silk circle on top
of white batiste circle.

board and cut a hole in the

middle. Make it similar to a
donut shape.
donut and tie the gather
tight. Cut a small hole in
the center of the batiste.
26 Super glue hat brim
to doll’s head on a bit
of an angle.
72 AM I JUNE
 PROJECT

Pattern:

Front
Cut 1

Cut 2

B Side gore

25

26 27 Glue on little bits of

lace and/or ribbon to
fill in any gaps between hat
and porcelain head.
Wigging
29 Gently blow dry
the viscose and let
cool. Then carefully roll the
pleater so that the wavy
hair pops out. If you pull
the hair from the pleater, it

28 Let’s add some hair!

Take a small piece
will frizz.

29
of slightly damp viscose,
and press into a 1/2” Ruff
pleater.
30 Glue a hairline on
doll’s head (around
her hat). Gently push the
JUNE I AM 73

30
viscose into the glue. I con-
tinued to stack up the wavy
hair until the desired height
of hairstyle was reached.
Continue around the entire
head to complete her wig.
74 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
32
31 To balance out April’s
hair style, gather a
strip of silk material and
glue on to her hat for the
crown. Decorate with feath-
ers and flowers.
32 Glue on little pearls
for earrings and
broach and she is done!
Your little lady is now ready
to sit on the couch and
pose with her precious
puppy. To make your scene
extra special, why not
make two ladies visiting
or accepting tea from the
maid (last month’s tutorial).
Happy creating!
 UPCOMING
SHOWS
JUNE 1-3 STURBRIDGE, MA
Sturbridge Dollhouse Miniatures
Festival, featuring legends and terrific
newcomers, will be held June 1-3 at
Host Hotel on Cedar Lake, 366 Main
Street, Sturbridge, MA. Friday, June 1:
Classes 9am-4pm. Full and half day
workshops. Workshops with Fern Vasi,
Debbie Young, Ruth Stewart, and Connie
Reagan. Saturday, June 2: pre-registered
preview from 4 to 8pm followed by post-
preview pizza party. Early sales, weekend
admission, $18. Mail check to Molly
Cromwell, 44421 Adare Manor Square,
Ashburn, VA 20147. Sunday, June 3-Show
Hours from 10am to 4pm. Admission: $7
Adults, $3 Children 12 and under, after
2pm children free. Contact for rooms at
a special rate: (508) 347-7393. For class
registration and more information: www.
mollycromwell.com
JUNE 3 FAIRBORN, OH
The Midwest Miniature Showcase will
take place Sunday, June 3, 2018 from
11am to 5pm at the Holiday Inn, 2800
Presidential Dr. Fairborn, Ohio 45324 .
Free parking. Showcase admission is
$5 for adults and $2 for children (5-15),
free under 5. Hourly door prizes. A
block of hotel rooms is available until
May 2, 2018 for $115.00 + tax under
the show name Midwest Miniature
Showcase. For hotel reservations call:
937-426-7800. For additional information:
Midminishowcase@gmail.com
JUNE 8-9 KANSAS CITY, MO
The Dollhouse Show will be held Friday,
June 8 from 4pm to 8pm and Saturday,
June 9 from 10am to 4pm at Summit
Lodge No 263, 2409 SW M 291 Hwy, Lees
Summit Mo 64082.
Classes, attendance prizes, and
raffles and more. Miniatureshows.
com For more information contact
Teresa Zwiener 314-277-2601, email
tdminiatures@sbcglobal.net
JUNE 15-16 MOORESVILLE, NC
The 5th Annual Mooresville, North
For more information on listing your show, contact Sara Vix: sara@ashdown.co.uk
Carolina Dollhouse Miniature Show and
Sale will be held June 15-16, 2018 from
9am-3pm at the South Iredell Lions Club,
630 Brawly School Road, Mooresville, NC
28117. Workshops include: 1” & ½” Movie
Theater Lobby and ½” Water Fountain &
Garden and ½” Sleeping Alcove. Round
Tables. Sponsored by: Charlotte Area
N.A.M.E. Clubs, Mini Reflections, Indian
Trail, Miniature Collectors Society of
Charlotte. For more information, call
Maria at (704) 230-0569
JUNE 22-24 LAKELAND, FL
Miniatures Weekend: Presented by the
Lakeland Miniature Guild. 33rd Annual
Dollhouse and Miniatures Show and
Sale. Friday Pre-registered workshops.
Saturday Pre-registered Fun Day. Show
Preview: 5pm to 8pm. $15. Sunday,
10 am to 4pm Adults $8, Children
6-12 $1. The Hilton Garden, 3839 Don
Emerson Drive, Lakeland FL. Show
info: Pat Gazie (407) 733-7988 www.
lakelandminiatureguild.com, email:
disniedoll@aol.com Lakeland Miniature
Guild, PO Box 6134, Lakeland, FL 33807.
JUNE 30 ACAMPO & WOODBRIDGE, CA
Dollhouse Miniature Show & Sale in
Wine Country. Two shows at once. Over
75 tables of miniatures. First Show
hours: 9am-3pm, Lodi Moose Lodge,
3824 Woodbridge Rd. E, Acampo, CA
95220. Second Show hours 11am-7pm,
Elks Lodge, 19071 N. Lower Sacramento
Rd, Woodbridge, CA 95258. Adults $7,
children under 12 free. One admission for
both shows. For more information: Leslie
Flint at miniatureswaterfront@aol.com,
Debbie Heard at fjdebbie@aol.com www.
miniaturesonthewaterfront.com
JULY 15 FOGELSVILLE, PA
The 41st Annual Dollhouse and
Miniatures Show and Sale, sponsored
by the Lehigh Valley Miniatures Club
“Small on Scale”, will be held from
10am to 4pm at The Holiday Inn, 7736
Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville, PA 18031
(Exit 49A off I-78 onto Rt. 100 South.
First right on Penn Drive, then turn
right.). Admission: $5 Adults ($4.50 with
coupon), $1 children under 12. Exhibits,
free parking, food available. Free
children’s class. For more information: Jo
Roseberry– 570-213-3016 or jolen@ptd.
net or Mary Breidinger–610-762-8370 or
mbreiginger4547@gmail.com Web: www.
lehighvalleyminiatures.com
AUGUST 3-4 MINNEAPOLIS, MN
The Minneapolis Dollhouse Show will be
held Friday, August 3 from 4pm to 8pm
and Saturday, August 4 from 10am to
4pm at the Doubletree Hotel North, 2200
Freeway Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55430.
Classes, attendance prizes and raffles
and more. For more information see
miniatureshows.com or contact Teresa
Zwiener by phone: 314-277-2601, or
email: tdminiatures@sbcglobal.net
SEPTEMBER 8-9 GREENWOOD
VILLAGE, CO
The Denver Museum of Miniatures,
Dolls & Toys 2018 Fall Show and Sale
“Bon Appetit”, will be held September
5-9, 2018. Sales and Exhibit Rooms
open Saturday and Sunday, September
8 & 9, 2018. Workshops and other
special events Wednesday through
Friday, September 5, 6, and 7, 2018. For
more information: www.dmmdt.org/
fallshow/ Show Chairmen: Judi Hamilton
and Deanna Thomas (Judi: 720.879.1820;
judifallshow@gmail.com) (Deanna:
deannalt@comcast.net)
OCTOBER 6-7 CLACKAMAS, OR
Portland Miniature Show, October 6-7,
doors open both days at 10am. Monarch
Hotel, I-205 at Sunnyside Rd. and
Sunnybrook Blvd. 12566 SE 93rd Ave,
Clackamas, Oregon 97015. Free parking
or take Max Light Rail Green Line.
Holodeck, Classes, door prizes, food,
no stairs. For more information: www.
portlandminiatureshow.com
OCTOBER I AM 75

Recreating vacation
memories in mini
While on holiday Claire Syrett fell in love with all
the lovely vintage shops and gift shops she saw
C
laire fondly recalls her
childhood dollhouse,
which was a large three-
story with basement. She
began collecting for it in her
20’s, but admits she lacked
the confidence to make her
own things, short of the oc-
casional curtains or bedding.
The dollhouse eventually
left her life and for almost
a decade she didn’t collect
a thing. Then, a chance
vacation lit the spark of
creativity that brought her
love of miniatures back to
the forefront; resulting in a
76 AM I JUNE
ROOM BOX
BY DEB WEISSLER
delightful shop she fondly
named Vintage Rose.
What better way to cel-
ebrate than with a charming
room box with rose-shaped
fairy lights suspended from
the ceiling, Claire has created
a unique vintage and gift
shop inspired by the sights,
scents, and warmth of the
various shops she enjoyed,
but without the need for
pure authenticity and histori-
cal restrictions.
To stock her shop to the
brim, Claire set about creat-
ing the candles, minerals,
crystals, clocks, and lamps
for her display. Crisp white
shelving units and a display
case and table are filled with
everything a tourist would
love to take home. Her hand-
made column candles, tea
lights and incense warmers
reflect all the colors of a sum-
mer day. Clocks were crafted
from buttons with printed
clock faces she then coated
Below left: Tiny statues fill the
shop. Below: Summer bags and
signs fill the top shelf. Right: Just
like a life size gift shop there is
something new on every shelf.
ROOM BOX

JUNE I AM 77
 ROOM BOX

Right: Everywhere you look there

are more one-of-a-kind items.

with clear nail varnish. Her

oil lamps are a series of beads
and push pins glued together.
Canisters are styrene tubes
with button and bead lids,
painted with nail varnish.
Colorful pennants trim a
shelf filled with beach bags,
vintage pitchers, and bird
houses. Those omnipresent
signs with their wishes for the
best things in life and vintage
garden signs hang on the walls.
Baskets filled with rolled rugs,
gift wrapping paper, and gaily
wrapped gift boxes fill every
available space. What’s not to
love about the Vintage Rose?
“I kept thinking of other
things to add but eventu-
ally ran out of room,” Clair
laughs. “It turned out better
than I had imagined and I’m
really pleased with the results.”
78 AM I JUNE

Clair finds inspiration
in places many of us turn to
when looking for new ideas:
magazines, the Internet, and
just day-to-day living. In this
case–a favorite vacation. With
a spare bedroom for sewing
and non-messy projects, a
garage for woodworking and
painting, and a dining table
where eventually most things
wind up, Clair describes her
workspace as everywhere she
happens to be.
In addition to her Vintage
Rose, Claire has a large Tudor
and a Georgian she fits in
ROOM BOX
during her spare time. She
and a friend recently created a
1:12 scale replica of a bar in a
pub located near her parent’s
Below: The front of the gift shop
has large display windows.
Left: The lights were installed
through the top of the room box.
home. It was auctioned off
to raise money for charity,
and the person who brought
it donated it back to the pub
where it was put on display.
Claire also enjoys geneal-
ogy and upon discovering
her husband’s ancestors were
straw bonnet makers, she was
instantly inspired to create
a Victorian straw bonnet
‘I kept thinking of
other things to add
but eventually ran
out of room. ’
vignette. “I’ve been learning
through trial and error how
to make miniature straw hats.
I had lost my motivation for
a while, but after finding the
perfect shop quite by accident
in a charity shop, I’m up and
running again. The ground
floor will be the shop with
living accommodations above.”
We look forward to seeing it!
JUNE I AM 79
 THE
mini
SCOOP
AM’s news page is devoted to keep-
ing busy miniaturists up to speed. Please
submit items of mini interest to auralea@
ashdown.co.uk or to American Miniaturist -
Mini Scoop, PO Box 219, Kasson, MN 55944.

Facebook feedback
We asked what is your June Highlights contest
favorite time era to replicate We would love to know what your favor-
in miniature? This is what ite highlights were in this issue of AM.
our followers said starting You could win this quarter scale chair
with the most popular. donated by Alex Zohar. All it takes is a
Victorian small paragraph for our random draw-
Modern ing! See more of his work at
Medieval www.miniland.ca
1930s Send your entry to April Highlights contest, American
1940s Miniaturist, PO Box 219, Kasson, MN 55944. You may also
1950s send your entries via email to auralea@ashdown.co.uk.
1960s Please be sure to include your name, address, phone
1980s number, and email address. The deadline for this contest
Modern Victorian is Friday, June 15, 018.
1900s

Bunny pattern
In our April issue Debbie
Booth shared how to make
a bunny themed quilt. If
you need some extra help
drawing the bunny here is a
pattern for you.

1940’s Lightkeeper’s
house by Mary Ann
Sikkema Potter

80 AM I JUNE
 Dream board
WHERE’S ARTHUR CONTEST giveaway
Arthur was found in Kathleen Holmes’ Auralea Krieger is donating
garden on page 53 in the April issue this 1:12 scale dream board
(AM180).We have randomly selected to give away. See more of her
Valerie from Poway, CA to be our winner work here: www.facebook.
for this month’s Where’s Arthur contest. We com/auraleasminiatures
will be sending her a very special prize for
helping us find Arthur.
But as you know Arthur loves to roam through each page
and, as expected, he has once again wandered off while
we weren’t looking. Hopefully you can help us find him.

Contest entries Bench kit giveaway

To be eligible for the
listed contests/give aways
please indicate the name
of the contest/giveaway
and AM issue number
and send your entry to
American Miniaturist,
PO Box 219, Kasson, MN
55944, or email them to
auralea@ashdown.co.uk.
Please be sure to include
your name, address,
phone number, and email
address. The deadline for
this issue’s entry is Friday,
June 15, 2018. Good luck!
Be sure to like and
follow American
Miniaturist magazine
on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram!
Janny Warnaar is donating
this Bench kit to give away.
Visit Artofmini.com to see
more of her kits.
Fence giveaway
Janny Warnaar is donating
this Fence to give away. Visit
Artofmini.com to see more of
her work.
A little reminder. Please
remember to add ALL of
the required info in your
contest entries so you
can be considered for the
drawings!
Giveaway
contributions
If you would like to
advertise your miniatures
business by sending in
minis for our give aways,
please email the editor at
auralea@ashdown.co.uk
Recent winners
Chest kit giveaway
Lisa from Bluffton, SC
Tray giveaway
Janice from Oxford, PA
April Highlights
Chris from Chicago, IL
Congratulations! 

JUNE I AM 81

Tick-tock mini clock
Make our own custom wall clock in your style
MEET THE MAKER:
Danielle Muller
“I am originally from
Luxembourg. My hubby and I
have lived in Germany for 12
years. We have two lovable
Maine Coon cats. I’ve been a
miniaturist for over 25 years
now and over the years, my
biggest challenge was to make
more and more items myself.”
82 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
BY DANIELLE MULLER
T his is a fun tutorial
where you can let
your imagination go
and make a clock that fits
perfectly into your minia-
ture scene.
1 Print your clock im-
ages on matt (or glossy)
photo paper and cut out a
few for your project.
2 If you didn’t use glossy
paper to print on cover
the cut-out clock image
with clear tape.
3 Paint a wooden circle
it in the color of your
choice. You don’t need to
paint both sides since one
side will be attached to the
wall of your dollhouse.
4 For this 1st clock, cut
out one the exact same
size as the wooden circle.
Once the paint has com-
pletely dried, glue the cut-
out clock to your circle.
5 Use your dotting tool
and some acrylic paint
to add dots all around the
wooden circle. Let dry.
Materials:
Clock images
Acrylic paint
All purpose white glue
Old paintbrush for glue
Self adhesive relief stickers
Dotting tool (ball stylus)
Ribbon of your choice
Scissors
Pencil
Craft knife
Clear crystal tape
Circle Punch (Waves)
slightly larger than the cut-
out clock and the wooden
disk
Colored cardboard
Wood Stain
Distress brand ink pad
Round wooden disks
1.5” diameter (+/- 3cm)
6 Cut out another clock.
Repeat Step 2 covering
it with clear tape. This one
should be 5-6mm smaller
than the wooden circle.
Use your circle punch
and punch out 1 circle from
cardboard (any color of
your choice). If you don’t
have such a punch, a simple
circle cut out by hand will
also do the trick. Or you
can use a special pair of

1 2
4 5
7 8
scissors to cut out these
waves. Whatever option you
choose, your circle should
be slightly bigger than your
cut-out clock image.
7 Glue your clock image
to the cardboard circle.
Use a dotting tool to add
some dots all around with
acrylic paint.
8 Take another wooden
circle and glue some
ribbon all around it. It’s best
if the width of your ribbon
PROJECT
is exactly the same as the
width of your circle.
9 Use your wooden circle
and pencil to draw a
circle onto golden paper
(or any other paper of your
choice). Cut out the circle.
10 Now glue the golden
paper circle to the
wooden piece with the rib-
bon around it and glue the
clock on top. You’re done,
Clock number 2 is now
finished.
3
6
9
11 To make another
clock, repeat Steps
1-3. This time, the clock
should be 1cm smaller.
12 Take some mirrored
cardboard and punch
out another wavy circle.
Glue the clock onto the mir-
rored circle.
13 Use a self-adhesive
relief border sticker
around your painted wood-
en circle. Clock number 3
is ready!
JUNE I AM 83
 PROJECT

10 11 13

15 16 19
cover it with clear crystal a piece of cloth and rub it
tape. Put it on a piece of mat very lightly over the painted
board and measure how piece of mat board. Let dry.
big you want it to be. As for
the thickness, I used 2mm
mat board. 19 If you happen to have
some on hand, use
a small Distress brand ink
20
15 Cut out a square piece
of mat board using
your craft knife.
pad and go over the bor-
ders. Let dry.
TOPTIP:
I always use an old
paintbrush to apply glue
16 Mark all 4 corners and
round them. I always
20 Glue your clock to the
matt board.

for projects like this, it

makes it easier to apply it
evenly and it also helps to
cut off the corners first and
then, using an old nail file, I
sand them until I’m happy
21 Take a few drops
of gold or metallic
acrylic paint and use your
avoid that too much glue
with the result. dotting tool to embellish
runs out on the sides.
your clock.

14 Since we’re having so

much fun, let’s make
17 Take some acrylic
paint and paint the
piece of mat board.
You’re finished and now you
should have four brand new
another one. This one’s go- wall clocks for your minia-
ing to be square.
Cut out another one of
your clock images and
18 if you want a more
shabby/vintage look,
take some wood stain and
ture scene! Tack them up
with Museum wax or glue
them on permanently.

84 AM I JUNE
86 AM I JUNE
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JUNE I AM 89
 PROJECT

Italian style bread

Bake up some miniature bread with clay
BY GAIL TAYLOR GISMONDI

N othing is as deli-
cious as warm,
crusty homemade
bread. Delicious alone,
or as a complement to a
be modified for a smaller
or larger scale as desired.

1 Roll out a small piece of

hearty meal, it offers a com-
forting reward for a hard
day’s work.
Your miniature people
deserve a full course meal
complete with this tasty
addition. Realistic looking
miniature bread may be
created from polymer clay
with or without a mold, or
air-dry clay.
white air-dry clay, shape
with your fingers to look
like bread.
2 When your piece of clay
is approximately the
length you desire, begin
For this step, using a
sharp blade, scrape off
some yellow, light brown,
rounding the edges. and soft orange artist pas-
tels into a dish. Blend the
3 Use a photo of real
bread for reference if
needed.
pastels with a brush until
thoroughly combined.

In this tutorial I will focus

on sculpting a loaf of Italian
bread in 1:12 scale from air-
dry clay. I find that air-dry
clay simulates the real thing
quite accurately. Keep in
mind that this tutorial can
Materials:
White air-dry clay
(I used Crayola)
Soft pastels-yellow, light
brown, and soft orange
Ceramic tile
Ball tool
Craft knife or blade
Old toothbrush or piece
4 Next, make a long in-
dentation in the middle,
as you would see in a real
loaf of bread.
5 Continue to shape the
loaf until you are happy.
6 Now use a piece of
crumpled up tin foil or
an old toothbrush to make
realistic texture.
7 Once you are satisfied
with the shape of your
bread, you will begin to use
8 Once mixed, using a
light hand, begin to
brush the pastel mixture
onto your loaf. Be careful
when shading your bread.
You want to start with a light
shading first. You can always
darken the bread later,
but once it’s too dark, it is
almost impossible to lighten
it again. Remember to color
the bottom of the bread
as well. You can add some
more brown to the edges if
desired to simulate authen-
tic baked bread.

9
of tinfoil
a paint brush and pastels to When you are satisfied
Sculpey satin glaze
color your loaf. with the color, set the

90 AM I JUNE
 PROJECT

1 2 4

6 7 8

loaf aside on a tile to air dry.

Let the loaf rest 1-2 days so
that it dries thoroughly.
10 Place your authentic
loaf on your miniature
dinner table!
You can contact Gail at
etsy.com/shop/kensington
miniaturese

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2 Tell us your story
Do you love making miniatures and/or miniature scenes? Do you
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Keep us in the loop
Are you a member of a miniature group, charity, or show? Or do you
know of an upcoming event or mini-terrific news story? Keep us in
the loop by sharing it with us!
Teach us
If you have a passion for teaching miniatures, or dollhouse tips,
tricks, and techniques, then we’d love to hear from you.
How to submit
We want to hear from all miniaturists, and those who have a passion for
this wonderful art form. Do you want to be a part of our next fun, fresh,
and fabulous issue? Email your ideas, contributions, and questions
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guidelines, visit http://www.americanminiaturist.com/getinvolved.html
We look forward to you joining the American Miniaturist team!

JUNE I AM 91
 PROJECT

An artist’s easel
Make a 1:12 scale easel for your miniature artist

M ake an easel
for your artist’s
space in your
dollhouse or scene.
the base and add the extra
base side supports.

5 Glue the picture base

support section 1 3/4” 1

1 Take the 2 base cross

pieces and glue the
up from base.

middle pieces in the center

of each.
2 Next, glue on the base
side pieces and then
the easel upright in be-
6 Now glue the picture
support (base) pieces
together to form an ‘L’
2
shape.

tween the middle sections.

TOPTIP: 3
Use a toothpick to apply
the glue to small areas.

3 Glue the cross piece

5/8” down from top of
easel supports.
4

4 Then glue the sides

with the cross bar into

5
Materials:
Softwood of your choice
(pine, basswood)
Wood glue
Craft knife or small saw
Ruler 6
92 AM I JUNE
 PROJECT

Diagram for easel

10

7 Sandwich the two 1/4”

pieces in between the
1” pieces to form the top
sliding stop.

8 Fit it on the easel sup-

port to make sure it will
slide up and down.

9 Glue the ‘L’ shape

pieces across picture
base support.

10 Finally, add your

artwork and an artist’s
work perhaps from your
mini collection.
If you want your easel to
look used then add some
paint on it as if it has been
prefer to use mat board you
can paint it brown to look
like wood or keep it white.
used for many years. If you Have fun!

JUNE I AM 93

Knit a tiny dress
Baby looks pretty in pink in this outfit
T his little outfit is
a perfect fit for a
Heidi Ott baby doll.
Follow along with Desna
and knit your own in pink or
the color of our choice.
Dress front
With size 22 needles cast
on 31sts.
K 4 rows.
Next row P1 (M1, P2tog)
to end.
Pattern
1st row K14, M1, K3tog, M1,
K14
2nd and 4th row P
3rd row K13, M1, K2tog,
K1, K2tog, M1, K13
Repeat 4 pattern rows, 4
times.
Next row (K2tog) repeat 7
times, K3tog. (K2tog) to end.
15sts.
Next row Cast on 2sts, K2,
Materials:
DMC Cotton 80
Needles US 4/0 (1.0mm)
and 6/0 (.75mm)
(UK size 18 and 22)
Heidi Ott baby doll
94 AM I JUNE
PROJECT
BY DESNA TYSOE
P to end.
Next row Cast on 2sts, K4
(M1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, M1,
K1) repeat once. K3.
Next row K2, P15, K2.
Next row K5 (M1, K3tog,
M1, K3) repeat once, K2
Next row K2, P15, K2
Next row K4 (M1, K2tog,
K1, K2tog, M1, K1) repeat
once, K3
Next row K2, P15, K2
Next row K5, M1, K3tog,
M1, cast off 3, M1, K2tog,
M1, K5 Using size 22 needles, cast
Work on first set of sts. K2, on 31sts.
P to last 2, K2tog. K 4 row
Next row K and cast off. Next row P1 (M1, P2tog)
Rejoin yarn to other side to end
P2tog. Start K work 20 rows SS
P to last 2, K2. Next row K2tog, 7 times,
K one row and cast off. K3tog, K2tog, times
Next row Cast on 2, K2, P
Back to end
Next row Cast on 2, K to
end
Next row K2, P11, K2
Next row K
Repeat last 2 rows 4 times
Cast off.
Pants
Using size 22 needles cast
on 15sts.
K 3 rows

Next row K1 (M1, K2tog)
to end
SS 16 rows, starting P row.
Single rib 2 rows.
Cast off in rib.
Make another leg the
same.
To make up dress
Sew in ends. Join side
seams and one shoulder
put on doll and sew up
other shoulder.
To make up pants
Sew in ends, Sew each
leg up to 2 rows above the
hole row. Open out and join
two legs together with the
seams coming center front
and back.
Cover
Using size 18 needles, cast
on 27sts.
K 6 rows.
Pattern
1st row K7, M1, K2tog, K1,
K2tog, M1, K3, M1, K2tog,
K1, K2tog, M1, K7on 27sts.
2nd and 4th rows K5, P17,
K5
3rd row K8, M1, K3tog,
M1, K5, M1, K3tog, M1, K8
Repeat last 4 rows, 7
times K6 rows
Cast off. Sew in ends and
press.
Slip on your doll and
enjoy all your work!
PROJECT
Mini canvas
BY AURALEA KRIEGER
Make a simple canvas
board to put on your easel
or use it for an actual
miniature painting!
1 Cut a piece of mat
board to the size you
would like your canvas.
2 I had some paper in
large sheets from a
wallpaper project and
the texture is perfect for a
canvas board. It is called
Canvas Paper by Strath-
more. Cut so you have a
1/2” around your board.
3 Use wood glue to glue
them together. Smear
board around on paper to
get an even bond. Wipe
away excess glue. Let dry.
4 Use your cutting
board to mark
cut lines. Note ruler
is just above corners.
5 Score folds with
your fingernail
and fold over. Adhere
with glue.
6 Trim away any
pointy corners.
JUNE I AM 95
 s for
tte

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AM I OCTOBER
 storelistings
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adindex DOLLHOUSES TRAINS & MORE....48

2 STINKIN CUTE MINIATURES......98
AGED WITH THYME.........................99
ALESSIO MINIATURES.............15, 96
ARENE AND KATE’S........................96
BROWNSHANDMADE....................98
BY BARB..........................................96
CAROL’S MINIATURES....................99
CHAUTAUQUA MINIATURES..........96
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DOLLS & TOYS...................................2
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DOLLHOUSE LAND..........................3
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DOREEN SINNETT TINY DOLLS.....15
ELEGANT DOLLHOUSE...................48
FINE ART AND MINIATURES..........99
FINGERTIP FANTASIES...................48
FOREVER FRIENDS.........................49
GREEN GYPSIES..............................99
HANKY PANKY CRAFTS..................97
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MINIATURES BY EMY.....................99
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OCTOBER I AM 97
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Teenneetiny Red Cottage Miniatures

Handmade miniatures 1:24 scale miniature kits
etsy.com/shop/TEENNEETINY etsy.com/au/shop/RedCottageMiniatures

WhysperFairy
DIY dollhouse miniatures
etsy.com/shop/WhysperFairy

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