For April, we asked you to send in a picture or two of how you used repurposed items in your miniatures.
Here are the beautiful submissions:
This month's challenge sample comes from Preble McDaniel.
Miniatures made in unusual containers is one of Preble McDaniel’s favorite things. The clear empty bunny-shaped candy box was given to her by her mom and finally found its purpose, a four level dwelling for Lillian, the rabbit in the blue dress. Lillian’s Gold Bunny Box was inspired by a project on Quarter Connection. This box became a great way to give homes to many swaps Preble has received over many years. The candy box, a shipping box, a file folder, and tablet backing were all repurposed.
To read more about the assembly, you can view on Preble’s website http://mini-smallpackages.com/lillians-gold-bunny-box/.
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From Carla McKinney:
Bakery in an antique Nabisco counter box.
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From Kim Hood:
I built this in an Altoids Mini tin. It is just under 2 & 1/4" wide. The birds are nail art, that I shaped with a stylus and bulked up with glue. I built up the land with cardstock and the water is painted between layers of Maker's Magic.
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From Ruth Goodger:
This is what I came up with after Create's "Create Shares" on laser "poop". The planter is half scale but the rest are quarter scale. Good inspiration.
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From Doreen Lindsay:
This is a Log Cabin syrup tin used for a cabin. This was a workshop I did with Bruce and Judy Steinke.
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From Peggy Mastropaolo:
Mr Kerr's Violin Shop: Clarence Kerr was a German violin maker who lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was known for his excellent bows and is portrayed here planing a piece of wood to begin creating a new one. My daughter, a professional musician, inherited and uses a Kerr bow originally made for her great uncle.
Container - I used I used a violin with an irreparable crack in the top; Chisel Handles - the ends of fancy wooden toothpicks; Metal violin patterns on the back wall - leftover aluminum plate from a printmaking class; Shank of bow hair (bottom right of opening - hair from a deer's tail used in tying fishing flies; Reduced label photos - used to make cigar boxes and label on can; Reduced photo of Mr. Kerr at age 90 circa 1960; Cane - dried grapevine; Mr. Kerr's hair, mustache and eyebrows - courtesy of my dog
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From Linda LaBelle:
I did not actually create this, but rescued it from 'destruction' many years ago! I repaired, refurbished and renamed it "House for Sale - Owner Outgrew". The interior is wallpapered and the little window in the toe, opens up! I have never been able to find out who the original artist was, but it's now one of my favorite miniatures. I've shown it at numerous places, including libraries, retirement communities and other special events. I love hearing the comments people make like "Did you see the boot? Wasn't that amazing?!" It always tickles me that those who see it think it's special. I certainly do!!
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From Debby Albert:
Maple syrup from New York or Vermont. The moose and elk aren’t much help.
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From Jennifer Turgeon:
I just wanted to submit this gumball machine I made of recycled materials for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle before the month is over! I used a skincare sample jar for the glass gumball container and filled it with some fake floral bits that look like gumballs. I put an unused tampon applicator as the pole and an old miniature plastic lampshade for the base. For the coin mechanism & handle I used an old lip balm cap, a paper fastener and a tiny jewelry bit. The top of the container is made of just a couple of wooden bits I had lying around and a bead. I then painted it gold and added some distressing!
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From Stephanie Cooley:
I rescued this old clock case when a friend was throwing it out. The bottom area shows Santa's sleigh ready to deliver toys. The reindeer and trees are cake toppers, and the snow is stuffing from an old pillow. The sleigh (originally purchased from the Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis) is full of toys made from jewelry findings. The living room above has carpeting and a tree skirt from wide ribbon remnants. The picture of Santa above the fireplace was cut from a catalog and pasted on a gold papery doily. The two Santa statues on the mantel are from old earrings. The tree ornaments are from a broken necklace, and the star at the treetop came from a Christmas card decoration. At the very top, the little Santa with reindeer pulling his sled was also a cake decoration.
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From Peggy Zorn:
The 2024 Oregon State Day in Medford, OR was Swiss Family Robinson type treehouse. While walking I found a semi-truck lug nut. This is how my glamping hot tub turned out.
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From Fern Rouleau:
Both of these rubber duckies were repurposed to be scenes. The smaller one was a kayaking scene and the big one was a picnic scene.
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From Jennifer Hershberger:
This is a little kitchen scene using a candy box as a base and back. The wood stove is made from cardboard I had lying around, the stock pot is a piece of tube from an empty tin foil box with a button for the lid. The kettle is also a piece of the tube and 2 buttons: one for the kettle top and one for the lid.
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From Sherri MacRaild:
This is something I made using laser poop. Jane McNatt took the picture at the Tom Bishop show.
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From Gwen Cargill:
Nestle’ Toll House cocoa container with a 1/4” scale chocolate cafe inside! 😋
Miss Morton’s Cottage in a salt box.
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From Vicki Scidmore:
My Flamingo House is a bird house (by HB, they have very large removeable backs). It was pink and had a flamingo on the door and cut-outs over the porch. I added more on the rail and the top hole. The inside is a work in progress. The needlework pictures on the wall were earrings and on the table is a Hallmark ornament.
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From Teri Hanson:
Here’s a look at a small suitcase I turned into a hunting cabin.
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From Deb Bennett:
I made this popcorn from styrofoam. The containers are either creamer containers, thimbles, or tops off of hair care products. The color of the popcorn comes from diluted yellow paint. I’m pretty proud of it.
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From Ruth Goodger:
I have many books, tea house lights, and bunny boxes that have been repurposed into many scenes. This snowman tin is my latest. It is quarter scale. The book is last year's mini camp in a Lake living book.
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From Marie Greenwood:
A friend of mine recently gave me some of these little plastic pizza savers (they keep the pizza box lid from making contact with the pizza), and challenged me to do something with them. So I decided to make a tiny gazebo. The basic gazebo is made using repurposed things around the house, and then I added finishing touches.
First, I used 2 of these plastic pizza saver forms, laying one on top of the other and rotating one a bit, to make the 6 vertical sections into posts, and glued them together. This 6-leg gazebo post unit was glued to the top of a wood circle. I used a notched circle of thick cardstock paper to make the roof, and a jewelry setting as the roof’s topper piece. I painted the roof and drew ‘shingles’ with a fine-point pen. The gazebo trim and railings are made from plastic needlepoint grid, cut with household scissors.
Finishing touches: I then added sprinkles of crumbly landscaping material to adorn the railings with flowers, and also added a tiny sleeping cat. This gazebo measures 2 3/8” tall, and translates to about HO scale, or somewhere between 1:48 and 1:144. Note: if a 1:144 gazebo is desired, the bottom of the legs can be snipped off to make the gazebo shorter.
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From Linda Simmons:
I am a member of WNY Miniature Enthusiasts. This was a club project years ago. We used a wooden CD box and went from there. Everyone had a different idea.
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From Carrie Stroup:
I made an Easter scene in a paper mache box I had for many years. Paint and scrap paper, a scene from a herbal tea box and misc. items collected over years. Made a 2nd floor in and covered edge with ribbon. Made flowers in basket and mailbox.
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From Jackie Williams:
Nestle chocolate box made into a Halloween scene Chocolate shop using Jan Stockwell dolls leaving the shop after trying to get free chocolate from the owner on Halloween. This was made a few years ago.
Repurposed Valentine candy box to show a street scene in England during the Queen’s 70th year the Jubilee. Paddington bear made by Pat Hamilton, Doll made by Rusty Smith in UK.
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From Julie Stuckmeyer:
The entire inspiration for "Julie's Jewels" came when a friend gave me a bunch of costume jewelry from her grandma. Most of it became the various clocks, mirrors, and perfume bottles in my jewelry store. And I absolutely LOVED my earring display case that I made in an old AMAC box.
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From Kathy Koons:
In 2021, I bought Mini Cousins' hot cocoa bar kits. I had this hot chocolate can that I knew was perfect for a display. My husband kindly cut the back for me and I covered the edges with washi tape and made a floor and used cardstock for the wall. It's a great decoration at Christmas.
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From Lena Tovey:
Basket are made from little containers, fabric, and twine.
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From Lesia Lennex:
This is my bunny box from 2023. This was a wonderful challenge for me as I'd had a bunny box for several years and wanted to create a scene. I learned to make my own wallpaper and created such a marvelous bunny house!
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From Barb Antol:
I really love repurposing interesting tins for miniature displays. This photo collage shows some of my favorites: tea book tins with various mini displays, a winter snowman scene in a cocoa tin, and some Italian kitchen and garden scenes in a set of pasta tins I salvaged from my Mom’s kitchen.
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From Jennifer Lockhart:
Here are two pics of a 1:48 gate house I made from a Pringles chip can. The outside stone was made with DAS clay. I washed and papered the inside to get the oily residue off. Yes, I ate the chips. I never said it was a waist-wise or heart smart project, but I still get a kick out of it every spring when I get it out to display.
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From Lori Jackman:
This is a room box I made out of mostly has repurposed items. The floor lamp is a door stop, the top of it is the plastic lid holders from a pizza box, and the rest are beads that I had on hand. The couch is covered with fabric that a friend of mine gave me which were leftover scraps from upholstery she had done. The legs on the couch are electrical connectors I found in my husband's workshop, and the arms on the couch are yellow earrings I had. My husband sold women's shoes wholesale, and some of the trim and tables are from his collection of buckles and trim. The table in front of the couch is a piece that I got out of the back of a radio I had and thought it would make a cute table.
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From Kim Fitzsimmons:
Miniature collecting can get very pricey and I try to thrift as much as I can find. It’s great to find a bargain piece, but there is such joy in finding something in everyday that works. The ceramic elephants (shaker set) in front of my antique shop and the Chinese fisherman in the window behind the elephants were thrifted for $1. The clock is actually a pencil sharpener found in an antique store for just $4. I love to repurpose everyday objects!
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From Julie Johnson:
I am sending you a picture of how I repurposed my mom’s embroidery hoop. A work in progress.
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From Suzanne Mooney:
I made the pair of candlestick holders from earring backs. For each holder, I glued 2 earring backs together with a straight pin & then painted with gold craft paint. A birthday cake candle was cut in half for each holder.
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From Kim Kehoe:
I recycled this ghost box. It came with a bunch of fake paper candy and sequins. I recycled what I could and then made the box into 4 Halloween scenes and using it as a roombox.
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From Ann Gee:
My minis are in sewing machine drawers, using porcelain doll heads and their extremities. The doll was my first one, the second one a bear I found at Goodwill. The postcards from San Diego Zoo and the miniature mohair bear I made as a remembrance of my visit. They are both working clocks.
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From Jackie Browder:
Another Bunny box photo with a recycled candy box!
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From Marlene Prickett:
This building was constructed with 9 cardboard boxes and extra cardboard between the floors! The shelves and little tables in these 2 rooms are made with the little triangle plastic pizza supports … my grandson saves them for me! I constantly reuse “trash and recycle materials” in items that I make for my little neighborhood!
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From Angelika Oeckl:
Everything is made from found odds and ends. The case is made from an old leather skirt. The bottles are Christmas lights, the stethoscope is made from a piece of headphone cable and a plastic price tag loop. The instruments are bra hooks, earring backings, and ball pen tubing. There are odd beads, rubber bands, band-aid strips, and cotton. The blood pressure cuff is also made from leather and more headphone cables.
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From Ynez Fritsch:
This was an "Itty Bitty" group project in 2019. A discarded Tide box enclosing an old-fashioned laundry/storage area in the basement.
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From Suzie Aguilar:
‘Celebrations’ Candy bottles: My (non-miniaturist) sister and I made scenes in the larger bottles. (This is mine.) Then she found a smaller bottle and challenged me to make one in it also. I loved spending time with my sis making memories and miniatures! (Food is by Cute in Miniature on Etsy.)
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