For September, we asked you to send in a picture or two (no more, please!) of your favorite travel themed miniature. Suitcases, international themed miniatures, favorite destinations immortalized in miniature ... whatever you've got that brings to mind traveling!
The Challenge Example this month came from Carolyn Eiche:
Carolyn made all eight of Debbie Young's Around the World shops offered during the "Around the World in 8 Days" Online Houseparty in 2019. Every month a different shop was mailed out automatically after you signed up at the Houseparty. We went to a London Pub, a Parisian Cafe, a Japanese Tea Room, an Indian Spice Market, an African Travel Agency, a Chinese Restaurant, a Dutch Flower Shop, and a bakery in San Francisco. Carolyn used some furniture kits bought from Debbie and other artisans along with stuff from her stash to accessorize and finish the insides.
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Here are the other beautiful submissions.
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From Brandi Bacon:
Real life has inspired most of my miniature creativity. I got started by making a tooth fairy village when my kids were little and my son had to have dental surgery. Then I went to miniature shows and got kits and expanded.
But- I work for an airline and travel a lot with the kiddos.I wanted to make minis that they would love and want to pass onto their kids. Also- we don’t have a lot of space the kids don’t get many souvenirs from their travels and my miniatures? They are mini- 1:48 is the largest and tiny- tiny is the tiniest, lol. What was born from that are miniatures that represent my kids life’s and adventures.
I did a tiny tin from our trip to see Santa Clause from a tin from the North Pole (it was featured in a miniature magazine). Our trips to Disney? They are my year long challenge. I made my sister a tiny pocket watch with a figure of our dad on a horse with his favorite dog riding the range with her. It’s her favorite possession.
In this picture are 2 of our recent trips. The North Pole was a recent trip where the kids were blessed to see the Northern lights. The other is from our trip to Las Vegas where we drove all the way to see Area 51. With 2 teenage boys that was actually the highlight- even though it was just a several hours drive through the desert and a quick hop out of the car to take pictures by the infamous signs (trying to avoid military police, lol). I am also doing a Leavenworth scene in a pocket watch.
Each of these scenes have something special- the tins or watches are bought onsite (a legit souvenir), the dirt on the Area 51 scene? Actual dirt from the restricted site (purchased not stolen). The background on the gift I made for my sister was a photo from our actual land in Arizona taken decades ago. There are now pocket watches, necklaces, and teacups all with scenes from our adventures and all unique for their intended recipients. The kids are older now and these seem more relevant to them. And the pendants? They are a wearable reminder of their journeys. Some are very simple- some are crazily tiny but incredibly detailed. All are made with love.
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From Katy MacLean:
My project is a travel shop for aristocratic young Englishwomen embarking on a Grand Tour of Europe and distant lands. Chaperoned, of course! (The TRAVEL sign looks off-center, but that's due to the photo angle.)
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From Susan Skinner:
This is my shelf of little houses I started collecting from various trips to Europe years ago. They include buildings and accessories from Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Belgium and also Canada and the USA.
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From Catherine Hawkins:
Per Sesh — House of the Scribe
Diorama of an Ancient Egyptian room
After a 2-week trip to Egypt in 2009, I created this Egyptian room in 1:12 scale. I called it “Per Sesh” which in the ancient Egyptian language means “House of the Scribe.” I created by hand from scratch (there are no Egyptian kits that I know of!) all of the furniture from basswood, or in a few cases, walnut or mahogany, then painted or stained it to resemble real furniture found in Egyptian tombs or painted on the walls of tombs.
The accessories encompass a variety of materials, including cloth, paper, cardboard, ceramic, plastic, polymer clay, resin, metal, wood, quartz, or organic materials found in nature (acorns, grass seed, grape stems, dried greenery).
The bed and gold chair on the left are miniaturized versions of a bed and chair found in the tomb of Hetepheres, mother of the king who built the Great Pyramid, Khufu. I saw these two (full-sized) pieces in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in April of 2009. Notice there is no headboard, just a footboard. As the beds were slanted downward, maybe this was to keep you from sliding off!
There are four boxes which are my replications of four that were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The one in the foreground, with a peaked top, is embellished with real hieroglyphs which I painted around the edges.
In the middle of the back wall are a black chair and stand with Senet board. The design for these was a wall painting in the tomb of Nefertari, Great Royal Wife of Ramesses II. Senet was a board game that was played in ancient Egypt for over two thousand years. It came to symbolize the journey or passage from this world to the next, and many Egyptians were depicted on the walls of their tombs playing the game. The feet on the chair are lion paws.
The table holds tools that a scribe of this era would have used --- writing reeds, a palette with ink, papyrus --- and tools that this scribe needed for his job as overseer of all construction works of the king of Egypt (Kemet) in the New Kingdom --- a cubit rod, a plumb, square, chisel, and other tools which were copied from those found in tombs actually used during this period of Egypt’s history.
There are two cats in the scene — a black one on pedestal, representing a statuette of the goddess Bast. Under the table, there is a "real" cat, a gray tabby, catching a mouse. Cats were important to the Ancient Egyptians for keeping rodents from their grain supplies and for killing snakes.
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From Mary Myers:
This a miniature Maison Jacquet circa 1677. It is one of oldest structures in Quebec City; it is currently in use as a cafe. I took this class from Andrew and Suzanne Tamboro on a cruise from NYC to Quebec
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From Connie Sauve:
“Roughing It”
This was a Tucson Miniature Society club project in 2019. The project was “Campers”, so I thought it was the perfect time to put together a 1/4” scale camper kit I had in my mini stash by Robin Betterley. I made the camper and the furniture inside, which were all included in the kit. I added all the landscaping and lake on my own. The metal die cast car is from Franklin Mint. The figures are “O” scale, by Woodland Scenics from the model RR hobby.
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From Margaret Gordus:
Annebelle goes to Paris via Zoom Class given by Ginger Landonsiegel
1/12“ scale
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From Kirsten Smolensky:
A gladiator’s armor purchased this summer at the colosseum gift shop in Rome. And a sterling silver broom found in Florence, Italy. In Italy, a broom is a good luck charm that sweeps away any old bad luck and brings only good things. It is particularly relevant in my new witchcraft shop in the “broom” corner I am working on.
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From Paula Sklodowski:
Here’s my travel related mini picture for the September Create challenge.
The dome on the left is a souvenir from the Painted Desert. My grandmother brought it back from a trip in the 1960s and I got it after she passed away. The one on the right is a tiny collection I gathered when I lived in Phoenix in the 1980s. That’s also when I got into miniatures for the first time. The pot is initialed by the artist.
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From Carin Shapiro:
A few years ago I made it to the Puppenhausmuseum in Basel, Switzerland. They have a fantastic display of antique miniatures and dolls. Here are some of my favorite photos:
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From Lena Tovey:
Camping
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From Gabriele Layne:
This is a small framed roombox I made several years ago in memory of my trip to Frankfurt, Germany where I lived until 1997 before coming to the USA. In a souvenier shop I found four magnets with facades of the houses around theRoemerplatz. The justice of the peace was in the main building and that was where I was married. So I decided to show a wedding going on. Actually after their church weddings, a lot of couples would come to the Roemerplatz to take pictures.
This is a 1:144 scale and placed in a box with a picture frame and glass in front.
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From Ann Silverman:
Here is my travel souvenir box. It was created over several years as we traveled and I bought miniatures in different cities.
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From Diane Fisher:
This Karen Cary kit is one of my all time favorites. It brings back memories of our wonderful trip to Japan.
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From Lesia Lennex:
Here's one of my favorites! A tropical bar complete with food and drinks!
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From Jean Smith (Rusty):
Mermaids roam the oceans of the world, and even take a short trip from England to France. This little mermaid and her hermit crab companion are made from polymer clay. The seaweed is masking tape on florist wire, trimmed to shape and painted, and the base is expanded polystyrene packaging stained with alcohol pens. The whole is designed to fit one of my favourite Ferrero Roche boxes.
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From Cindy Bottasso:
At my first NAME Houseparty in Seattle I made this Boulangerie at one of the classes
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From Marcia Kehler:
I made this Portuguese Restaurant after my April 2023 trip to Portugal. I have been a member of the Lakeland Miniature Guild for 30 years. Lakeland, Florida
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From Julia Gibson:
I have included 2 pictures … one was small tin I made for my future mother in law and the other was a camper I made for my best friend.
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From Marie Weeks:
Hello, I saw in the NAME online newsletter that NAME is looking for travel related miniatures done by members. Here is a scene from Paris that I did 5 years ago. It is an outdoor cafe with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Although the cafe is not an real restaurant, it is more of a memory of how Paris would seem to me if could actually visit someday. It’s more of my “armchair travels” than actual travel.
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From Bev Fleming:
Here's my travel pic., to Nashville H/P & the trip to the Grand Ol' Oprey
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From Paula Francis:
My travel themed submission is fashioned after a trip to Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1980’s. It was there that I first tasted ShooFly pie and won a handcrafted quilt at a local auction. I named my vignettes “The Simple Life”.
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From Mae Karoli:
This vignette of a hotel’s front desk and a luggage cart was the Thursday Night Project offered by Quarter Connection as part of their “Around the World in 8 Days” online event held in 2019.
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From Terri Correll:
I designed this little 1:24 trunk from an original 1" kit by Jo Cohrs. Jo made all of the accessories for me. Then Karen Crawford with MiniEtchers cut the kits. The floral is from DAL Morrigan.
This my my Dreaming of Paris Alcove. This was also designed by me and laser cut by MiniEtchers.
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From Julie Stuckmeyer:
I made this little Tuscan Villa in a Shawn Crawford class. It always makes me think of traveling to Italy and touring the countryside ... which is something on my bucket list!
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From Jackie Browder:
This little scene is tucked inside a hollow book from my stash. It is a winter scene inspired by its wintery book cover. The scene is an "English Bookstore in France", which is mostly made from laser poo and project leftovers. Peek thru the store front window, and you can see a wall of individual quarter scale books on bookcases.
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From Vicki Scidmore:
These two shops are full of travel memories. The southwestern shop (Victoria’s) has items collected on many trips throughout the western half of the U.S. The Japanese shop is called Hakata which is the old name for Fukuoka. We lived in Camp Hakata when I was a child ... courtesy of the Air Force!
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From Ruth Goodger:
I traveled to another state across mountain ranges, desert, and followed a mighty river to make this little slice of Japanese culture. Over 250 miles of varied terrain to an Utah state day. Miss them.
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From Carol Shea:
Nothing like waking up to these early morning visitors.
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From Sue Scutti:
My boyfriend and I traveled to Niagara Falls in August. I brought my Dawn dolls along so that I could post pictures on Instagram.
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From Grace Mlynowski:
I have been lucky to have traveled to Hawaii, Alaska and the rest of the U.S. states with the exception of Vermont. I traveled also to Israel twice, Spain, Italy, Australia, China, and most recently Ireland. I've always wanted to go to Paris or anywhere in France. Thanks to Ginger Landon-Siegel this is the closest I have ever gotten, but I'm still dreaming.
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From Patricia Roberson:
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From Jene Bondi:
"Girl Scout Cookies for Sale": Even aliens like Girl Scout cookies. One alien couldn't wait and is eating the cookies on the roof. The cow was saved by the Girl Scout cookie stand & they are even sharing a cookie with the cow. See the boxes floating up to the space ship? Will there be enough boxes left for the pregnant lady?
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From Christine Lecoutre:
These are Dutch houses inspired by the KLM cottages. They are all made of ceramic, individually carved and painted by myself and are available on my website.
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From Mary Paris:
Each year a group of college girlfriends gets together for a reunion. I make souvenir miniature gifts for everyone out of Altoid mint tins. The exterior of the tin is a suitcase and the inside is a mini scene of the location.
These are the ones I did for our reunions in Alaska and Maine.
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From Suzie Aguilar:
This little memory of my recent trip to Cape Cod for the NAME National convention is in honor of having my first ever lobster roll. Pat of Twin Heart made a limited number of lobster rolls (and salads). She even provided the plastic ware. I was excited to discover them on Friday. The lighthouse charm was a little gift I gave my table mates and the sea glass under it was purchased on a trip to Nantucket. The small sticker purchased from a souvenir shop made the perfect backdrop, I think.
Many years ago, my husband and I traveled to Scotland with our church to serve with a sister church’s outreach. I thought it would be great to use miniatures to create a memory box of our trip. I even found a booth that sold miniatures at a craft mall near the church. The items I choose were some of the Scottish items that impressed me most: Nessie, bagpiper in a kilt, Cadbury chocolate, IRN BRU, sticky toffee pudding (handmade by a friend), huge tea kettles, and toast-always served in a rack. Sitting on top is a miniature replica of Edinburgh Castle. I have continued to create miniature scenes as trip souvenirs. It is a lot of fun!
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From Bette Accola:
This is a travel room box I made:
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From Marlene Prickett:
The ladies are getting a ride to the airport to accompany me to Denver for the September Miniatures and Dollhouse Show!
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From Deb Gribben:
This is a New York City bookstore that I made for an author friend of mine who lives there.
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From Kathy Koons:
In 2019, Miniature World of Central Florida had a Fun Day with a 1:12 scale wedding shop and florals shop designed by Ron Mummert of Ron's Miniatures. I'd been wanting to do a project to salute my travels. So I changed the dress shop to a shop with items representing some of my travel locations. The floral part was changed to a café/ foreign foods grocery. My older daughter helped me with names for the shops and signs outside of them (I wish you could see Ron's great exterior design) and the first shop was named "Roam with Me" and the café/ grocery was "Cake Canaveral" (there are a lot of pastries in it, to be fair). It was so fun to fill these shops with items from places I'd traveled.
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From Jackie Williams:
This was a gift for my grandson who traveled to Japan and visited for several months a few years ago.
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From Suzanne Mooney:
This is my world globe & 2 passports.
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From Lori Badagliacca / Rodriguez:
This is my diorama of a Venice mask / souvenir shop. I am a NAME member and our local group is called TTLG (Through the Looking Glass), located in San Jose California.
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From Pat Yorkovich:
I made this shop in a Whitledge-Burgess class many years ago. The doll was made in a Cat Wingler class many more years ago! I made about half of the luggage, purchased some and the set in the window is by Sylvia Roundtree. The red portfolio under the window and the small black leather trunk on the shelf to the left of the shop keeper were completed in IGMA Study Programs.
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