American Miniaturist - Issue 229 - July 2022

102 Pages·2022·38 MB·English

American
miniaturist
(cid:43)
ISSUE 229, 2022 $9.95 USD
INSPIRING MINIATURE ENTHUSIASTS TO CREATE www.americanminiaturist.com
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PROJECTS: (cid:44) RUSTIC DINING TABLE (cid:44) RETRO TELEVISION
NEGLIGEE (cid:44) CHILD’S BED (cid:44) REALISTIC BRICKWORK (cid:44) FRIES
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C O N T E N T S
SMALL DETAILS (cid:43) (cid:43) (cid:43) (cid:43) (cid:43)
American Miniaturist Issue 229
American Miniaturist is
published by Ashdown, Inc.
PROJECTS
For subscription or billing
inquires please email:
[email protected] 6 Loaded fries
To reach us: [phone] Make some indulgent fries in
Toll Free: 1-866-606-6587 miniature with Sadie Brown
Or write to: PO Box 219 10 Mini cake plate
Kasson, MN 55944
Display your mini cakes on an easy
Email:
to make stand by April Nugent
[email protected]
Website: 12 Building tips
www.americanminiaturist.com Learn how to build from scratch with
Editor: precision with Sherrill Necessary
Auralea Krieger 16 Realistic brickwork
Email: [email protected]
Follow along with Melissa Bulifant
Advertisement Sales:
and make a realistic brick exterior
Maria Fitzgerald
Email: [email protected] 30 Rustic dining table
Design: Auralea Krieger Turn an unfinished table into some-
Ad Design: Wendy Crosthwaite thing original with Auralea Krieger
On the cover: Cristina Lissiotto 49 Cupboard hardware
Subscription rates: Create French country pulls and
1 Year (12 issues) $104.99 USA knobs along with Kendra Sechovec
Canada $160.99 CAD, UK £103.99
Europe €125.99, ROW $144.99 61 Little black negligee
(US Funds) Add a flirty gown to your mini
bedroom along with Moi Ali
American Miniaturist (USPS# 021-053 ISSN #
15457974842. S03u)b issc priupbtiloisnh perdi caet PisO $ B10o4x. 9291.9 P, Keraisosdoicna, lMs N 62 A retro television
postage paid at Kasson, MN, and additional mailing
offices. Postmaster: Send address corrections to Join in and make a mini retro
American Miniaturist, PO Box 219, Kasson, MN 55944 television with Kris Compas
All material submitted to the magazine is accepted on the basis
tlihcaetn tshee t aou dtihsotrri bguraten tasn tdh see Pllu tbhleis ahretric ale n ionn p-erixnctl uasnidv/eo wr odriglditwali dfoer m. 70 Laundry basket
Copyright remains with the author.
Make a simple miniature laundry
basket with Sandra Harding
84 Child’s bed
This fun little bed will brighten up
the kid’s bedroom by Jeff Wilkerson
90
Laser cutting/engraving
Jeff Winkel educates us about Laser
cutting/engraving
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C O N T E N T S
WELCOME

(cid:43) (cid:43) (cid:43) (cid:43)
FEATURES
34 Wine tasting
Cathy Lincoln turned a thoughtful
gift into a miniature wine shop
O
nce a miniaturist, always a
22 A touch of elegance
miniaturist. Time and again,
Cristina Lissiotto shows us her
while reading through articles,
gloriously inventive designs
the miniaturist who walked away from
42 A love of miniatures
this art form always comes back to it with
The fascinating and innovative
a passion. Even I stepped away for a 5
miniature art from Barbara Kalty
year break, and it was a phone call from
52 Chocolate and miniatures Ashdown that pulled me back when I
Mikako Nishi welcomes you to the was offered the editor position for AM.
beautiful Chocolatier Le Anje What is the magnetic draw? For
72 A place with good vibes me it’s a creative outlet that uses many
Sharon Harvey, from South Wales, skill sets. Most importantly it’s a form of
shares her mini music shop and cafe meditation. It’s a safe place to express
myself while I make my own little world
full of nothing but love.
My favorite stories to read are
those where the miniaturist finds their
path back to miniatures by way of
their original dollhouse that had been
neglected for many years. I also love the
rescue stories where by chance a beat
up old dollhouse was sitting on a table
at a yard sale and then was turned into a
masterpiece!
In closing, I would love to hear
from our readers; what draws you to
miniatures? Send me an email and let
me know! Until then, enjoy all the magic
on the pages of this issue and I hope you
REGULARS get a big dose of miniature inspiration!
8 Mini Mail 78 Mini Scoop
Auralea Krieger, Editor
95 Snippets
[email protected]
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OCTOBER (cid:44) AM
PROJECT
Loaded fries
Make some indulgent fries in miniature
BY SADIE BROWN
W
ho doesn’t like Scale = 1:12
some loaded Materials:
fries as an ap-
n Polymer clay: White, yellow,
petizer or a snack? Let’s
Terracotta, Spring Green
make some for your minia- n Pastels: Golden Ochre, dark
ture scene! Cadmium Orange, brown
n Small paintbrush
1 Mix white polymer clay n Cutting knife
n Old butter knife
with yellow to make
n Needle tool or sewing pin
a pale cream, similar in
n Sculpey Bake & Bond
shade to that of an un- n 1:12 scale ceramic plate
MEET THE MAKER:
cooked potato. Cut into n Gloss varnish
Sadie Brown
individual fries of varying n Dried parsley flakes
“Passionate about bringing lengths, each roughly 1mm
the world of small scale to as in width. piece of the cream clay,
brush lightly over the fries.
wide an audience as possible,
I created my first miniature 2 Mix grated Golden Use Sculpey Bake & Bond,
from clay more than 25 years Ochre pastel with dark or similar, to adhere the
ago. Living on the Isle of Skye Cadmium Orange and fries to a 1:12 scale ce-
brown, creating a rich ramic plate.
in Scotland, home provides a
golden color. After test-
constant source of creativity
ing the mixture of a spare 3U sing an old butter
and inspiration!”
knife, mix Sculpey Bake
& Bond with a very tiny
amount of yellow clay, along
with some grated Golden
Ochre pastel, creating a
smooth mixture resem-
bling melted cheese. Use a
needle tool or sewing pin to
cover a portion of the fries
with the mixture.
4R oll out some Terracotta
polymer clay as wafer
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PROJECT
Mini tutorials needed
We hope you have been
enjoying all of the wonderful
tutorials featured in American
Miniaturist. Thee are so
1 2 many impressive creative ideas
and new techniques in the
miniature community. We try
our best to find pojects we
think our readers will enjoy,
but we know there are more
that we can find out thee.
If you would like to be a
part of this fun publication,
3 4 please consider being one of
our valued contributors.
We have great opportunities
for miniaturists who submit
tutorials such as credit towards
subscriptions and individual
issues. And, if you are in
business, your tutorials might
actually help promote what
you are selling. We’ll furnish
5 6
you with these details after
your submission has been
thin as you can manage. & Bond, resembling sour
approved.
Brush the clay with the cream, and drizzle over
Imagine how much joy your
Golden Ochre/dark Cad- the top of the fries using
mini project could give others
mium Orange/brown pastel the needle tool or sewing
who share your passion for
mixture before cutting into pin. Bake and allow to cool
this art form!
very tiny pieces of bacon. thoroughly.
Send your step-by-step
Next, roll a tube of spring instructions and photos to
green clay out to half a mil- 6 Coat the sour cream Tutorial Submission, American
limeter in diameter, before and melted cheese Miniaturist, PO Box 219,
cutting into equally tiny with gloss varnish. While Kasson, MN 55944. You may
pieces of spring onion. the varnish is still wet and also send your entries via
able to act as an adhesive, email to auralea@ashdown.
5 Sprinkle the spring on- sprinkle with tiny, crum- co.uk. Please be sure to
ion and bacon liberally bled flakes of dried parsley include your name, address,
across the fries and melted to complete the look. phone number, and email
address. We can’t wait to see
cheese. Mix some white
your projects!
clay with Sculpey Bake You are all finished!
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n AM is your magazine, and we

want to hear from you. Write to:
MiniMail, American Miniaturist,
PO Box 219, Kasson, MN 55944. Or
email: [email protected].
Letters may be edited if necessary.
(cid:43)
Star letter
I had been wanting a
dollhouse for decades, and
when a friend gifted me the
circa 1965 dollhouse that had
been her daughter’s, I was
thrilled. Not long thereafter
on my morning walk, I came
across a garage sale where
there was a whole collection
of miniature furniture. I
asked the woman selling it if
she would sell the whole lot,
which she was willing to do.
The pieces had been crafted by her grandfather who had directions, I don’t even know
switched to making miniature what a lot of the materials are.
furniture after his cancer did The artistry featured in the
Be our Star letter
not afford him the strength to magazines is amazing.
winner next issue
build full-size pieces. I’m happy to report that
You could win this 1:12
The next day, the woman I have decided to drop the
breakfast board just by
texted me to say she had a few feelings of intimidation and
sending in a letter with
whatever is on your mind other miscellaneous pieces that start with a small project—
about miniatures or an I could view and purchase. the raisin whirls featured in
issue of AM! When I went, she handed me AM227. I’ve got my polymer
Dolly’s Gallery a shoebox and said that she clay and pastels, and I’m ready
Gail & Bryan Arrington was just giving them to me, to go. The quick area rug and
Web: www.DollysGallery.com
because she wanted them to go parchment scrolls look easy,
Etsy: DollysGallery.etsy.com
to someone who would give too. I plan on starting small
Karen’s Dollhouse Shop
Kare n & Andrew Aird them a good home. and building my confidence
Web: www.KarensDollhouse.com I immediately took out to tackle more complicated
a digital subscription to projects.
American Miniaturist. I was Thank you for offering
intrigued looking through such a quality publication,
the issues, and if I’m honest, with projects and inspiration
more than a bit intimidated! for all skill levels.
Looking at some of the project Joanne from Charlton, NY
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the world publish articles
that feature their techniques.
Most of them I follow on
Instagram. Maybe someday I
will be able to write a tutorial
of value to someone else
taking from my experience.
I am sharing photos of
my current projects for
Mini Mail. Thank you for
all your hard work. I know
it’s not easy, but it is greatly
appreciated and worth
every penny!
Donna from Hyde Park, NY
Inspirational each month. I know you
hear this often, but it is no
Issue AM227 was jam-packed
understatement that AM
with so many interesting
is the only magazine I read
articles, but when I turned to
cover-to-cover. The digital
the last article, “A Gypsy’s Life
version is just as gorgeous as
in Miniature”, I gasped. This
print. I find every article and
is the very next build I want
tutorial inspiring as I work
to tackle and Jacki Mitchell’s
through my own project,
wagon has inspired me on to
which is a nightmare of a
greater heights!
dollhouse. I picked it up at
The exterior paint job with
a second hand shop. It has
the delicate flowers and scrolls
such good bones. I couldn’t
was nothing short of amazing.
abandon it. My Halloween
I also admired her use of
House is going under an
lace for trim, curtains and
amazing transformation.
blankets. I have a stash of old
I have many years ahead
lace which I am going to take
of me, but I couldn’t do it
a closer look at now. I hope
American Miniaturist will without American Miniaturist.
Every single issue for the past
feature more gypsy wagons
year is marked with sticky
as I can never see enough
notes for quick reference and
of them!
the publication just keeps
Eleanor from Hingham, MA
getting better. Miniaturists
Highlights are a small, tight bunch
and it excites me when I see
I anxiously await my delivery
of American Miniaturist miniaturists from all over
9
PROJECT
Mini cake plate
Display your mini cakes on an easy to make stand
BY APRIL NUGENT
W
ho doesn’t love Scale = 1:12
to display their Materials:
handmade
n Plastic piece from the
cakes and pastries on a
opening of a milk or
pretty cake plate? I know
creamer carton
I do. So I came up with n Scissors
this super easy cake plate n Tacky Glue
made out of recycled ‘this n Scrapbook paper
n Mod Podge (gloss)
and thats’. You may find
n Paintbrush
making them is so fun that
n 5/8” diameter washer
MEET THE MAKER: you will end up opening a n 1/2” diameter wood bead
April Nugent Miniature Bakery. n Super Glue
n Acrylic paint - color of your
“I started making my first 1 I started saving the choosing
dollhouse during the pandemic pull tabs that are on my
and since then I have made/ creamer bottles. I use Cof- cartons do as well. I cut off
restored 3 more and am now feeMate brand, but I’m sure the pull ring part to leave
on my 4th and 5th. You could the other creamer brands a perfectly round ‘dish’ to
say I’m now officially hooked on have a similar pull tab milk start the process.
miniatures. I live in Murrells
Inlet, SC with my husband,
Mark, and two Ragdoll cats,
Phoebe and Oakley.”
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