Miniatures – Diverse and Unusual Pieces
Although my miniatures collection is primarily comprised of dollhouses and dollhouse furniture, I have several other interesting pieces in my collection that I consider worthy of mention. In this category, I will periodically post pictures and descriptive narrative about some of my favorites.
As is obvious, I love anything to do with miniature houses. In the photo below, you will see a shelf unit filled with a collection of some of my smallest houses . . . some are tiny dollhouses, some are Swiss Chalet style jewelry boxes, and some are just ornamental pieces. I actually have plans to use some of these pieces in a future project that is currently still in my sketchbook.
The next piece is a darling little Western stagecoach by the Playmobil company . . . it is just too cute! I absolutely love anything by this company, and they also offer an impressive selection of dollhouses (none of which I can afford). But, being an avid collector, I will certainly be watching for their items at garage sales and thrift stores. I have high hopes of getting one of the Playmobil Victorian Mansion dollhouses one day . . . that is one truly wonderful dollhouse! Anyway, until then . . . I’ll just enjoy my stagecoach!
Always on the look-out for great additions for my miniature stash, I learned a long time ago that the Christmas season is replete with lucky finds in the ornament aisles. Unfortunately, this is also the season when I have the very least “fun money” to spend on such things. The two ornaments shown below are both pieces that I snagged. The Lenox Christmas cart was a Goodwill find (for less than 1/4 the retail price) and the Hallmark kitchen cart was a fortuitous find on the after-Christmas clearance aisle. I love both of them!
The two tiny pieces below are also both Hallmark ornaments, but they work perfectly with my quarter (1:48) scale houses. I love Hallmark ornaments anyway, and find that many of them work well with dollhouses . . . unfortunately, I don’t find them often, or if I do, they aren’t at prices I can justify. I just enjoyed a visit with a new friend who has an incredible collection of dolls, dollhouses, and miniatures and she had several Hallmark pieces that I had never seen before (and, of course, now want in the worst sort of way!).
The unusual little stone crypt shown below is an artisan piece that I acquired a few years ago. It also works well with my quarter scale houses.
One of my fortuitous finds from the local Goodwill Store is the charming little carousel shown below. It is also a music box, and I just love it. They actually had two of them, but since the only difference between them was the color, I just bought this one. Although this one is cute, my mother actually owns the most beautiful miniature carousel I’ve ever seen – my father bought it for her years ago, and he also bought her an extraordinary Ferris wheel that is equally impressive. Perhaps the next time I visit, she will allow me to take a picture of each of them to show you.
Be sure to check back in this section frequently. I’ve got all sorts of totally neat stuff I will be adding. It is just amazing how many unique miniature items are out there for those of us who search for them.
Last modified on: January 21st 2013.