For February, we asked you to share all about the Good Times -- the time periods you most like to recreate in miniatures, the special times of your life that you memorialized in miniature, or some wonderful time that has special meaning for you. The challenge this month is to send in a photo of a miniature that represents that special time and a short description of why it’s special.
Here are the beautiful submissions.
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From Judy Jazdzyk:
This past October I traveled to Egypt, a country on my bucket list. I had a wonderful time. I did find several miniature items on my trip. I am creating a scene in a cabinet with a chair purchased from the Midwest Miniatures Museum. The sarcophagus opens to a small mummy!
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From Linda Vallejos:
For the 2005 Hobby Builders Supply Creatin' Contest, I replicated the news studio from the TV station where I worked. It was a fun way to introduce fellow employees to the miniature hobby and I have a lasting reminder of a great place to work.
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From Jackie Browder:
My favorite time period is 1870s thru 1930s in the deep south. During that era, houses were built big, sturdy, and Victorian, with a heavy working farmhouse influence, and many rooms for large families. I remember seeing many of these old houses during my childhood, but they are vanishing fast. The photo below is the Victorian Farmhouse that I am working on for the year long project. It is a family house, now gone, which was built in 1870s and occupied until the 1950s.
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From Jane Holbrook:
This is a wine tasting. I have often gone with my brother and sister-in-law to local wineries near their home for music and tastings. A very special time for us!
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From Jennifer Grau:
This is the kitchen from my childhood home. With twelve kids, the kitchen was the messiest and the cupboards doors were always open! I even replicated the bowl we had popcorn in every Sunday.
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From Jean (Rusty) Smith:
Here are a couple of photos of a model I made of our first flat when Peter and I married 60 years ago. Very happy memories of then and 14 months later when our daughter was born in the adjacent bedroom.
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From Eileen Herrstrom:
I was inspired by the mint tin challenge in 2022 to make this miniature that recreates a special memory for my husband and me. We stayed at this campsite in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (northeast Minnesota) in 2015. A highlight was seeing a mother moose and her calf in the lake just off shore. We named this spot “Swimming Moose Campsite”.
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From Elizabeth Lubera:
The miniature in my photo is a tea pot/tea room, adapted from a class that I did with Pam Junk at the NAME Convention in Kansas City in 1997. The theme became particularly relevant for me in the early 2000s, when I started visiting a real tea room, the Sweet Afton Tea Room in Plymouth, MI, with my daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. I added the easel to the room with a scaled-down photo taken of us all during one of our visits. All of the grandchildren pictured are now adults but still remember the little triangle-shaped tea sandwiches and chocolate and custard tarts that we ate there - and they love viewing the miniature when they visit my home.
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From Pat Blumlein:
This is a replica of the playhouse build by my father-in-law in the early 1940s for my husband and his sister. When that property was sold, we moved the playhouse to our backyard where it was also loved by our children and grandchildren. Every time I look at this miniature I am filled with love for the happy memories created there.
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From Dorothy Adams (aka Grandma Kro):
This scene is a typical University of Michigan Football game day. We are big fans and my husband, two grandsons, and two of their friends are depicted. This event happens once a week throughout the football season. GO BLUE!
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From Margaret Hultman:
For our 50th wedding anniversary I did not want to buy just a card, so I made a special card of my own. This vignette depicts 50 years of happiness with my husband. Now, seven years later it reminds me of the good times as I visit him in the memory care facility where he lives at the end of our journey together.
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From Gloria Cormick:
I'm submitting my Sherlock Holmes roombook. I have great memories of watching the original series on TV with my dad, who passed in 2011. Dad and I were/are SH nerds. I got to stay up late and watch it and I thought it was such a big deal. Lol. There are many items unique to Holmes that only us nerds would know; two of these are that he kept all his correspondence on his mantle with a jack knife through them to hold them down. His tobacco is also on the mantle in a Turkish slipper, which I made. Look around and you'll see lots of treasures, including a real wasp nest.
The Sherlock Holmes doll my Mum bought me at the NAME Convention in Charleston, SC in 2018, from the extremely talented Fern Vasi. I hope everyone enjoys seeing it, as much as I loved making it.
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From Marty Anderson:
I made this half scale scene for my daughter when I found out I would be a grandmother for the first time. Since my daughter did not live close to me, this project helped me to pass the time waiting for the birth. There is a lamp attached to the top of the pie shaped room box to make it a nursery light. The two dogs resting beside the crib are replicas of the dogs in her family at the time. The entire extended family was excited to welcome Amber into the family, 28 years ago. How time flies!
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From Mae Karoli:
I was born in the 50s and love diners and 50s music. The Rock & Roll Diner was a class taught by Linda Ferris at the 2011 houseparty “With a Song in my Heart” held in Cleveland, OH. The container for the diner is a popcorn popper that Linda gutted so we had just the exterior of the popper, the tabletop jukebox, to house the scene. The scene has just about everything you would find in a real diner including tables and booths, jukebox, soda fountain, Elvis pictures, menus on the tables, catsup and mustard bottles, Coke bottles, Coke cash register, cups, plates, ice cream dishes, vinyl records, and more. Linda supplied the stick on letters so we could personalize our diner with our first name.
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From Jo Roseberry:
I made this Gazebo after I graduated from DeSales University, here in PA, with a 3.7 GPA, won the ACCESS Award, and was inducted into Alpha Sigma Lambda (a scholastic fraternity) at the ripe old age of 53! An exceptionally “good time” in my life!
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From Diane Fisher:
My special memory is of a wonderful African camera safari that I was fortunate to travel on. Each day was so amazing.
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From Patricia Moneyhun:
My fondest memories of childhood are of scouting. Through the Girl Scouts I developed a love for nature and exploration but most importantly my addiction to crafting! Cookie selling season was always a highlight of the year, we had to sample them all, of course. I am working on a series of miniature scenes with little bears. This is one of them. Here is a picture of my mom, my daughter, and myself. Three generations of scouts! As a side note to anyone planning to attend the NAME 2023 convention in Hyannis MA, stop by and visit me in the hospitality room!
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From Sandy O'Grady:
This room box is a night light for a nursery. It represents one of the greatest days in my life, the birth of my second child. The little girl is my daughter, sneaking into the room to take a peek at the baby.
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From Jackie Williams:
A behind the scenes secret table project by 10 tablemates during a Quarter Connection big weekend convention type event. During the online convention we 10 people sat at a virtual table and swapped minis. We took a Michaels craft pirate boat and turned it into a miniature staged cruise ship complete with craft workshop onboard. Our Table hostess was Jo Ann Jacot. Fun and pleasure was had by all. This was not a workshop of the convention but one we 10 decided to do during the convention to add to the fun.
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From Julie Stuckmeyer:
My late mother-in-law used to make lamb cakes every year for Easter. When I made my bakery, I had to make one and it has a place of honor front and center. Every time I look at this miniature, I remember my wonderful mother-in-law.
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From Maria Florencia Alecci:
I created this scene years ago for a college class. Its purpose was to illustrate how miniatures can be used as an educational tool. This kitchen was part of a full house that represented the traditional Argentine houses from the XIX century and early XX century. As an Argentinean myself, looking at it it reminds me of my childhood at my grandma's kitchen; and also of the summers visiting my mom's childhood town. Kitchens were the soul of the house and where most of the daily activities took place.
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From Kathy Koons:
My favorite time to miniaturize is Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. No room in the house is spared from my decorating. So, of course, I love creating miniatures that reflect Christmas, no matter if they are in 1", 1/4" or micro scale. I even group them as part of the decorations in my own home. I find it hard to resist a project that is Christmas related!
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From Carol J Shea:
This was made and given to my daughter when she was a PA for the Veterans office here in Hutchinson, KS. She is still a PA with them but now she's 'out' there taking care of a very large area of the county. The exam table was made for me by Mary Banner. The rest was from my 'stash' and kits. The walker is made from a paper clip. The 'people' are all railroad ones.
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From Kimberly Fitzsimmons:
This antique shop reminds me of when my husband and I first began to date. My husband and I began dating our final year of college. We both had heavy course loads and jobs that left little time for one another. We did find time on Sunday nights to watch a low budget television show called Friday the 13th -The Series that aired 1987-1990. The premise was that the owner of Lewis Vendridi Antiques made a pact with the devil to sell cursed objects. He reneged and was killed. His shop was inherited by his niece and nephew and they, along with a friend, had to retrieve each sold item. This room box represents the antique shop when Lewis owned it. There are 31 of the over 60 cursed objects in this shop, along with other typical antique shop goods. I continue to add more of the show’s items either through collection or creation. The billiard cue in the back was made from a chop stick. The gramophone, featured in the opening credits of each show, is a Bodo Henning. The buddha to the right was thrifted for $1. The creation and continued additions to Lewis’ antique shop brings back such warm memories to my husband and I of a time when we were just beginning our lives together.
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From Paula Francis:
My special time revolves around the 1950’s when I was just a teenager. I can vividly remember sipping on a cherry coke and talking about our favorite singer and TV program …. Frankie Avalon and American Bandstand. Dancing with a girlfriend to “Venus”and copying the fashion of the day … cardigans on backwards, skirts stuffed to the brim with petticoats and the prettiest of flats. Pizza and hamburgers reigned supreme. Homework could always wait a little while. Such a nostalgic time and the happiest of memories.
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From Enzie Shahmiri:
As a child my parents moved us from Austria to Tehran, Iran and we stayed in my stepfather's house for a while. As kids coming from an apartment in a large city and now living in a house with a pool and garden was like being transported to heaven. I remember many hours of playtime in that backyard and looking at the facade of the old house we used to live in. My room box shows that facade.
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From Vicki Scidmore:
Our club “the Magic Inchkins” had six members and for many years we took trips to shows together. We all fit in Judy’s van and still had room for lots of mini’s we bought. We went to San Jose show every year and stopped overnight on the way, usually Morro Bay which had a mini shop, and sometimes a wonderful storybook town called Carmel (CA). This is a restaurant in Carmel called the Tuck Box and us inside (Thu took the picture, she is on the left of the outside picture). BJ Minis made a kit of the Tuck Box and three of us made it. It actually is that exact size (the kitchen is in another building). We displayed them in San Jose one year. We are now down to two due to some moving and one passing away. We still go to San Jose show but I sure miss our wonderful group and all the fun we had on trips!
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From Cindy McDaniel:
This is a special reminder of a mini friend who passed away many years ago. Her items were auctioned off by her husband and I was lucky enough to buy this unfinished roombox with the items. I finished it and it has been a source of joy looking at it.
This is the first mini I ever made. The club I joined that first year in 1988 was doing a western town and if it had been anything else I would probably not be in miniatures today. I am not a perfectionist and this just worked for my first delve into minis.
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From Judie Dresser:
My family goes to Hawaii every year in December. This includes me, my daughter, and my two granddaughters. We all stay in the same room and have a wonderful time. Here is a setting I created that represents my daughter enjoying herself on the beach:
Here’s a photo of all of us in person in Hawaii seven years ago.
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From Gail Stuart:
Years back, when I saw Lucy's project, I had to do it. My dad was a mechanic, and he had this black Cadillac, on which he put airplane landing lights and an airhorn. We were in Morocco at the time. It was his dream car! When he transferred to Turkey, it was said that the Cadillac fell in the water, while taking it off the boat. We wonder!!
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From Jennifer Grau:
I made this simple mini in honor of my dad who was the emcee and a tuba player in the city band. They would have concerts in the park every week in the summer. I remember always sitting in the bench up front and getting to get a special treat of popcorn once in a while!
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From Ann Clark:
This box is important to me because the portrait over the fireplace is of my father when he was very young and my grandson's picture is on the table next to the couch.
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From Suzie Aguilar:
My submission for a special time to remember is also my most recently completely project. My husband retired in early 2022, so we plan to travel as the opportunity arises. Our first trip came in early December with the Texas Exes Flying Longhorns to Christmas Markets in Quebec Canada. It has been my dream to be able to visit an old world Christmas market! The trip was fabulous: snow, waterfalls, train ride, and Christmas! All my favorites. Quebec City felt like being back in time in a European city.
Before this trip I had been making a mini vignette for our special travels as a way of combining a trip souvenir with my miniature obsession. I have made one for a trip to Scotland and New England Leaf Peeping also. For this trip, I knew a market stall would be perfect! I already had a kit waiting at home. (I’m fascinated by mini market stalls too!) I began working on the kit as soon as we got back home. (Being retired means I don’t have to wait for time to fit in mini projects!) I was able to find ornaments, tiny patches cards, a silver deer, and even a nutcracker scene in a walnut while in Quebec City that would be included in the stall. (They had nutcrackers displayed all along the streets as well as fresh-cut Christmas trees in cinderblock stands.) I completed the vignette with items I already had in my stash (which included a gift from a previous Create Challenge submission).
This was a win, win, win! We had a fabulous trip, I have a miniature vignette souvenir, and I was able to complete a kit from my ‘wish list.”
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