Artist Creates Graceland in Miniature and We Are (All) Shook (Up)!

Heidi Athay hails from Toronto, Canada and is a lifelong and passionate Elvis Presley fan, so much so, that she got married at Graceland in 2008, the mansion this rock and roll music icon lived in Memphis, Tennessee before his passing in August of 1977.

While Ms. Athay has a creative arts background in tv, film and animation, she has never worked in miniature. When the pandemic lockdown hit, she decided to start an ambitious project of crafting a 1/24 scale model of Presley's mansion and scratch-building every element right down to his iconic white and gold baby grand piano!

A classic mid-century modern sunburst clock framed in a brushed gold design adorns a wall of antiqued mirror tiles. The marble fireplace is complete with a coordinating firescreen with fireplace accessories surrounded by plush white carpet.

The miniature version of the Knabe baby grand piano in white, considered to be one of the most significant pieces of Elvis Presley music memorabilia , was crafted using balsa wood, cardboard, polymer clay, beads and craft paints.

Heidi replicated the stained glass doors decorated with peacocks located between the living room and music room. Elvis was a religious man and the doors made using peacocks, ancient Christian symbols of eternal life and resurrection.

Some of the key features of this tiny build includes the luxurious heavy blue drapes trimmed with sweeping gold fringe, framed reprints of oil-painted portraits of the King himself, a miniscule push button telephone and a retractable samurai sword nestled in a drawer of the breakfront.

Heidi expects it will take another year to complete the project. In the meantime, we're planning a special Instagram Live event on Thursday, June 17 at 7pm ET (@dthomasminiatures) so we can chat about Tiny Graceland, take a look at the latest developments on the tiny mansion and hear more about her trials and tribulations getting all of the parts just right!

Follow the latest developments with Tiny Graceland on Heidi's Instagram account here: @tinygraceland .

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Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife

6 Miniature Surprises Discovered This Week....

As I scour the internet each week I am continuously surprised, delighted and awestruck by the amazing miniatures I find online. This is just 6 of those I discovered this week!

This awesome vintage inspired oil lamp by TS Trinh from @miniaturesintheory (now who didn't have one of these in their homes growing up in the 1970s?) . Extra credit for the faux greenery popping out of the base!

This working pull-out kitchen spray faucet nozzle by the mother/daughter team over at My Miniature Life @MyMiniatureLife_YT. The kitchen gadgets we live to obsess over are now available in miniature!

This 18K gold painted wine glass by Thai Miniature House @Thai_Miniature_House . Run, (don't walk!) over this Instagram account for images of the complete set and take a look at the video showing how theses glasses are blown by hand!

More mini glass! Take a look at this Chihuly-inspired chandelier by Beth Carl Picard from @bethacarlpicard who is currently building a dollhouse from scratch with details on her website: www.minimansionsbybeth.com

Excited to see real working miniaturists creating work for commercial media projects! These tiny treats were by created Erika Anne Pitera from @PetiteProvisionCo and were featured on very last contest during S1E2 of Small Fortune, NBS's new competitive game show featuring contests using miniatures!

This little BIG Wheel by Nashville art director and prop fabricator Devin Drake from @devinsdrake.

I hope to make this regular feature so if you like what you see, let me know! In the meantime, sign up here so you never miss an update.

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Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife

The Frasier Project: Set in Miniature

Like many of us, Preston Poling, a miniaturist from Louisville KY, grew up watching television sitcoms and reruns. He particularly enjoyed shows that not only made him laugh, but also made him think; smart, engaging, often controversial programming which challenged social norms like All in the Family,Dharma & Greg and Frasier.

Frasier was the critically acclaimed sitcom that ran in the United States from 1993 to 2004 and earned multiple Emmy Awards including wins for Best Comedy Series 5 seasons in a row. The show is a spinoff of the wildly popular comedy, Cheers, that centers around Frasier Crane, (played by Kelsey Grammer), a psychiatrist and radio personality. He lives in an upscale Seattle apartment with his father, a disabled and retired police officer, Martin Crane (portrayed by John Mahoney). The plotlines hit themes like social class, wealth disparity and mental health. Preston, an avid fan of this ensemble sitcom, streams reruns of the series online; the show continues to entertain and inspire him.

Despite not having any formal art training and just some experience building models from kits as a teen, Poling set out in 2017 to recreate a 1/12 scale version of the contemporary stone fireplace from the Frasier apartment set. After several iterations, using floral foam and plaster of Paris, he was finally happy with the piece but remained unsatisfied. With the creation of the iconic fireplace under wraps, and his desire to work in small scale, Poling set his sights on recreating the entire Frasier set in miniature. He is scratch-building virtually everything including the framed paintings, statuary and eclectic furniture with a priority on accuracy and attention to detail.

One of the most challenging parts of the project is replicating the aged and worn reclining chair belonging to Martin Crane (an eyesore in Frasier’s opinion!). Poling wanted to ensure the scaling of the pattern and the texture of the unique fabric was as close to the studio prop as possible, and after an extensive search, he found the perfect material from a shop in Paris.

Last year, Preston formed The Frasier Project, a Facebook group dedicated to this project and to document his creative process. The group has since grown to become a place where members not only chat about the show but offer tips, helping with research and contributing to project developments. One enthusiastic group member gifted a replica of Eddie Crane, Martin’s beloved companion, a Jack Russel Terrier also adored by show fans. The Frasier Project group now boasts over 2,000 followers.

Frasier’s apartment is nearing completion and Poling has already started working on Café Nervosa, and the KACL-radio studio sets featured in the show. This keeps fans and followers engaged and keeps Poling busy working on miniatures! It has been reported that a reboot of the show is underway for 2022 and undoubtedly would include an update to the classic set décor from the original show’s run. Now this makes miniacs and Frasier fans alike wonder if there will be a mini reboot of a miniature version of the set by Poland Preston to follow.

Stay tuned!

Follow Prestin Poling on Instagram here or join the Frasier Project Facebook Group here.

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Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife