lauker

I bought the English Pub shell, which became my herb shop. Very solid wood and fun to finish! I like to visit their shop when I am in the area. Total eye candy! (Especially the Nottingham....).

http://www.ebay.com/sch/butterfly9801/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from= Get them while you can!

Many include handmade, OOAK items from my old Etsy shop, Linda's Minis. http://www.ebay.com/itm/191229816382 http://www.ebay.com/itm/191229819794 http://www.ebay.com/itm/191229822418 http://www.ebay.com/itm/191229824828 http://www.ebay.com/itm/191229833960 http://www.ebay.com/itm/191229841288 Cheers, Linda

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190930216746?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

This is incredible!

Love this house! So pretty! I also like the three sisters' idea. Even if they are sisters, the houses may not necessarily look alike and could still each tell you different things. Haha. (I am thinking of my own sister for this - lol). Congrats!

^ what Holly said!

Hmmm, it depends. AC Moore does have a smallish dollhouse section, but, in my opinion, it's overpriced. As for the rest of the store (at least the one here in Albany), it's comparable to Michael's.

Thanks, Holly!

Wedding bells will soon be ringing and so I must put my Etsy shop on vacation from Jun 4-11. To celebrate, if you use the coupon code WEDDING2013 in my shop from now until Jun 3, 2013, you will receive 30% off your order! Cheers, Linda https://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasMinis

Welcome, from a Pennsylvania native! :-D

I think part of it, at least for Earth and Tree, is visibility in mags (Tom and Kari had a column in American Miniaturist for a while). Not only that, they make their own line of dollhouses which are quite unique (and from my experience with them, well-buiit). Add that to having a store with lots of display space and regular classes, they have a pretty good model. I've also had nothing but good experiences while a customer in their shop. Kari is a very sweet lady and really knows this hobby.

Here are just some of my thoughts (apologies if I repeat any made above!): 1) Classes! - I would definitely provide well-publicized classes for the community. While classes on building dollhouses and miniature scenes would be obvious offerings, I think our hobby really needs to be put "out there" for it to spark the imaginations of the younger generation. Therefore, I would use dollhouse scenes, building styles, etc. to teach younger children (and everyone, really) about different periods in history, architecture, etc. In other words, I think one part of my shop would be set up like a museum. Furthermore, I would love to teach a class on trash-to-treasure. Dollhouse furniture doesn't need to be expensive and so I would show visitors and customers how to transfer things they'd normally throw away into miniature creations. 2) Dollhouse kits. I have been to a number of shops who only sell one specific brand of kit. (The exception being Earth and Tree, since their kits are their own design and creation). I would showcase at least Greenleaf, one RGT, and maybe a couple of others. These demos would highlight the benefits of each style (playability vs. architectural accuracy, for example). 3) Unique touches. My favorite shops have unique items. For example, Volant Miniatures in Volant, PA had sports-related miniatures specific to the Steelers that I had never seen anywhere else. Lynlott Miniatures in Aspinwall, PA had some very unique minis (e.g. an engine block being repaired on a table complete with oily rags and brick holding up one table leg) as well. These are just a few examples. 4) Clearance and second-hand items. While new stuff is awesome, my favorite shops have a rather large clearance section. For example, Chautauqua Miniatures in New York has two floors in their shop (though they also have two shops in one). Their clearance section takes up a good amount of space and includes everything from slightly damaged furniture to unique miniature items that are a bit out of date. It may also be fun to run a little mini "pawn" shop where one can sell their old minis back for store credit! 5) Space. I hate walking around mini stores where I feel like I am going to take down half the display by walking past it in a narrow aisle. I would hope I'd have lots of room with plenty of glass display cases for more expensive items. 6) Friendly staff with knowledge of online resources. Knowledge of what's available to miniaturists and what needs should be filled in the community should be on the minds of miniaturist shopkeepers. If nothing else, hire a PR-savvy staffmember who can make the store's online presence known as well! 7) Green items. I am really interested in using recycled and environmentally friendly items in my craft projects and would love to offer such alternatives in a dollhouse shop! Reclaimed/sustainable wood sources, fair trade for craftsmanship, green glues and paints, etc. would fill most of my shelves. Okay, these are just a few of my ideas. Not like I've thought about this in great detail or anything. ;)

...at Linda's Minis! I just renewed several lists of unique and colorful crystal or gazing balls that will be useful in a fantasy scene or in a miniature garden. Check it out at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasMinis

Thank you for sharing! I think that this is a really interesting presentation and really shows how our skills as miniaturists are not just for show, but also for demonstration purposes. Very cool.

LOL I have that book too...hmmmm. ;)

I just reviewed Microcrafts by Margaret McGuire et al. on my blog (here is the link: http://lindasminis.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-and-owls.html). I found it very fun, while not necessarily geared toward miniaturists, but definitely adaptable for our hobby). More details are given if you click on the link. ;)

As far as I know those that have been mentioned are the only ones around. I understand that there are a couple out on Long Island as well (which I know isn't terribly convenient if you are going to NYC for just a day). There used to be another shop in Skippack, PA - about 40 minutes or so from Philly - but it recently closed, which is disappointing as my fiancé's family lives there.

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! I'll "third" the suggestion of painter's tape. Also, have some tiny brushes handy to get into those hard to reach areas. Best of luck!

My fiancé loves this show, but apparently hadn't noticed this. I just gave him a hard time about it, so I am sure he'll be on the lookout more often. Hahaha!

This is such a fun thread! I have often thought about converting one of these mannequins to a doll (I have one somewhere...) and it's cool to see that others have thought the same. Thanks for sharing your pic, Brae! :-D

I remember getting stuck on the Glencroft for a while. It was the shingling that got me. In fact, during the time it was sitting gathering dust, I had moved from NH to NY and kept feeling guilty about it. Finally, nearly a year after I moved, I felt compelled to make minis again. It just happened, but it started very small (no pun intended - ha!). I had been inspired by someone's yard full of bird houses while out running errands and decided to try to make one of my own in miniature. That led to making the house, relandscaping my mini herb shop, and then that snowballed into working on, and thankfully finishing, the Glencroft! At least for me, having a single project I can work on to rekindle the creative spirit helps, and I keep a lot of furniture and accessory kits in my stash to work on for this purpose.

So, I went to HL yesterday and the only things my store had were the resin plants and pots in the outdoor section. Not much selection there. I am not too surprised as I needed pleated ribbon in a very specific color and bought the only 3 spools of it they had (these are your typical 4 yd ribbon spools) last week and when I went back there to get more yesterday, they were still out. The saleslady told me they only carry about 3 spools at a time and would need to "special order" more. That just seems really weird to me to carry so few of a particular item? I don't know.

Oooh, I was just in my local HL last week buying some stuff to make wedding decorations, but I didn't spend much time in the outdoors section. Ooooh, I may have to go back! I need more ribbon anyway. ;)

Thank you for sharing! This is such a great tool! Now, if I am looking for something to do on a weekend or am traveling somewhere I can see if there are any good estate sales in addition to the antique shops we like to visit. :-D