Thank You!

A Tale Of A Miniature Book Maker

In the world of miniatures, is there anything 

more satisfying than achieving realism?

 

Pat Carlson's handmade miniature books are the real thing...made without the use of a press, printed in her studio on acid-free fine papers using high quality archival inks...

each page is individually cut by hand...all binding is hand-sewn...each book is treated with a special art fixative to ensure it will retain color and vibrancy beyond a life-time.  They are printed on both sides of the page. Most are hard-cover bound using traditional stitched bookbinding techniques, and most are readable; several include illustrations. 

 

Many of Pat's books are adapted reproductions of full-sized volumes that are very old, and a few are creations from her own imagination with original covers and hand-colored illustrations.  The majority are 1:12 scale (other sizes are also available), and are designed to be displayed  either open or closed.

In her own words, " I have been making miniature books since the early 1990's.  It all started when my husband bought me a dollhouse kit.  What a happy day! One of the rooms was a library and, well...I needed books!  I haven't been able to stop making them after all these years...it's a passion and I'm constantly in search of new books to create.  I am proud and humbled to say that my work has been published in American Miniaturist and Dollshouse World magazines."

 Pat's miniature books are available on her website:  http://patcarlsonminiatures.com  They are also available via her shops on Etsy, eBay, and CDHM.  

Topics include (but are not limited to) Art, Alphabet, Animals and Nature, Children's stories, Cookbooks, Fairy Tales, books in other languages, History, Journals and Diaries, One of A Kind, Poetry, Sports, Victorian and Witch/Wizard books.

(P.S.  I met Pat many  years ago through CDHM.  She is a very special lady who has a very special place in my heart.)

The Fantasy Art of Aleah Klay

Many years ago, I met Aleah through the CDHM forum. Not only is she a friend, she has a great sense of humor...

she is also a very talented miniaturist.

Aleah hand-sculpts her fantastic animals and Art Dolls from Polymer clay. She then applies faux fur and/or paint over her clay creation. Next comes costuming and accessories. Some of her animals have wings; some are riding in toy vehicles; some are dragging a wee teddy bear behind them; all are posed which adds to each animal's character.

 

In her words, "I guess I have a wild imagination. A love of childhood things, story book illustrations, and fantasy are at the heart of my works. Each miniature takes on its own personality and has a unique story to tell. Each one is innocent. The stories are unwritten, leaving interpretation in the minds of the viewer. My hope is to bring a small bit of joy and happiness to those who view them."

Some of Aleah's Art Dolls border on the dark side.

My all-time favorite (and, will always be) of her dolls is "The Last Painting". It speaks volumes.

To view more of Aleah's art, go to her blog: http://aleahklay.blogspot.com/ and her CDHM studio: http://www.cdhm.org/user/aleahklay_animals

Coming Up - Featured Artisans

Soon to be released posts on this blog, once per week or every other week, will feature a fellow Miniaturist, or an Art Doll Artist, or a Model Horse Customizer/Prop Maker.  Stay tuned!

Dollhouses For Kids Battling Cancer

Ann started Dollhouses For Kids Battling Cancer in late 2006. Her daughter was interning at a hospital in New Jersey on the pediatric cancer ward, and she suggested that the kids might like playing with a dollhouse while having their chemo.  Ann and her daughter  donated the first house and the kids loved it so Ann decided to keep going.  She built dollhouses and her daughter gave them to the doctors to give as gifts from them to the kids as they started or finished their chemo. 

Since then, Ann has been donating 90% of the houses to kids with cancer and the rest to fund raisers benefiting children with serious health issues.  Many  other organizations have asked for help so Ann has built a few dollhouses that have special meaning, such as for Juvenile Diabetes (her daughter has been a type 1 diabetic for 10 years so it is a cause dear to her), and Autism (her granddaughter is severely autistic).   She may have donated outside of the kids with cancer but all her dollhouses are still for kids with serious health problems.

Ann gets some very generous help from many people and places.  Penelope, who owns The Magical Dollhouse Company,  has a page on her website for people to donate dollhouses at a discounted price.   Greenleaf Dollhouses pays for the shipping of those houses to Ann so the customer does not get charged for that.  HBS/Miniatures.com has recently set up to help Ann by allowing people to buy gift certificates on their website.  HBS holds them until Ann needs something, then she orders and it is paid by those gift certificates.   If there are no donations, Ann personally buys the houses, furniture etc.   Her  mom died in 2008 and she loved DFKBC,  so the little bit of money her mom was able to leave to Ann is mainly for the kids and their houses.

In Ann's words, "I love doing this and hope I never have to stop.  I just finished the 207th dollhouse and am starting on the next.  All the houses are donated to children through Pediatric Oncology Wards, Ronald McDonald House, Bereavement Centers, fund raisers and at Christmas to the "Suffern PBA/DARE Annual Holiday Toy Drive"

WOW! 207 dollhouses, all built by Ann and given by her to a good cause.

Please consider donating to Ann's project.  You can contact her via email at Dollhouse4kids@aol.com  or visit her Facebook page and leave her a message through there.  Or, via The Magical Dollhouse Company, Greenleaf Dollhouses, and HBS.  Do you have some unwanted/stored/handmade miniatures you can send to Ann?  Contact her first by email or via her Facebook page, and make sure those items are suitable for young children.  She can use everything...furniture, carpeting, flooring, wallpaper, paint, animals, dolls, plants, accessories, etc.

These are so cool!

In The Works

Stay tuned for a post about a very special lady and what she does for children who have cancer.  I think of her as the "Dollhouse Angel".

Happy Mom's Day!

Revamping This Blog

I am one of the World's worst bloggers. I either forget I have a blog, or I have a real bad case of writer's block. Actually it's a combination of both.

My writing is either funky or technical. It's the in between style of writing which eludes me and takes forever to write.  That's when I encounter writer's block at every turn. Like now.  So, I decided to revamp this blog by giving it a fresher look which I hope you will enjoy looking at (and reading when I eventually write something).

That said, I leave my readers in suspense wondering at the fate of my pen...errrrrrrrrrrrrr...my keyboard.