Auction Registration is Open: World's Smallest Pink Ribbon Pin

Registration is now open for the auction of the world’s smallest Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon Pin commissioned by D. Thomas Fine Miniatures and created by miniaturist Bill Studebaker.

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures has partnered with Bidsquare, the online auctioneer, to conduct the sale starting October 18 and ending October 25. Click here to register and bid.

All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Race for the Cure sponsored by Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Darren T. Scala, Founder of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, says “Miniatures encourage the viewer to look more closely at an object in an effort to see the smallest detail. I had this tiny pin commissioned because I wanted to really force people to notice the pin in order to better understand its significance. I’m excited to be partnering with Bidsquare to conduct this auction and hoping to make a big impact in the fight against breast cancer.

The pin, the only one of its kind in the world, is made of sterling silver and measures 9/32” long x 3/32” wide ­– about one third the size of a fingernail. It was created by miniaturist Bill Studebaker using a jewelers saw and tiny files to create the intricate ribbon curves and folds. The piece is finished with a high-shine pink enamel and is presented in a box made of antique walnut with a burl wood inlay.

Mr. Studebaker, of Studebaker Miniatures, is an Artisan Member of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA.org). He has been deeply affected by breast cancer and is passionate about the cause. “Breast cancer is a thief,” he says, “because it steals our friends and family before their time. It is a liar. It takes our beautiful girls and women and robs them of their confidence while making them feel they are somehow less than they are. Breast Cancer is a bitch and we must do all we can to beat it."

When describing why Mr. Studebaker decided to participate in this initiative, he goes on to say, “I’m very happy to have the chance to spit in its eye.”

In popular culture, the ribbon serves as the universal symbol for raising awareness and support for important causes; its origin stems from the yellow ribbon used during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and evolved to the red ribbon in support of HIV/Awareness beginning in the early 1990’s.

The signature breast cancer awareness pink ribbon was first worn by breast cancer survivors running in the 1991 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure. It has since evolved into the well-recognized international symbol for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and in the US accounts for over 230,000 cases each year and is responsible for over 40,000 deaths annually. Globally, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide.

Buyers may find out more about the auction, including details on how to register and bid by clicking here.

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ABOUT D. THOMAS FINE MINIATURES

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is a retail and gallery destination featuring top quality collectibles including 1/12th scale structure, furniture and accessories. The concept, designed to appeal to collectors, crafters and enthusiasts was created, in part, to raise awareness of miniatures as a decorative art form and to introduce the discipline not only to a new generation but to those who may just be discovering it! The gallery space showcases work in miniature by well-known artists from all over the world.

ABOUT BIDSQUARE

Bidsquare is the destination for individuals and collectors of fine art, design and antiques seeking exceptional, one-of-a-kind pieces, with unique property added every day from over 100 auction houses and dealers. Bidsquare was founded by six leading auction houses: Brunk Auctions, Cowan's Auctions, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Pook & Pook, Rago and Skinner. Visit bidsquare.com to view sales.

Beth Freeman-Kane Celebrates the Rich and Diverse Wildlife of the Hudson River Valley in the Palm of

Each day Beth Freeman-Kane rejoices in the many rich splendors of nature in her family’s log cabin in semi-rural Assagay near Durban in KwaZu\u-Natal, South Africa. Her unique expression of personal joy comes from appreciating the lush green valley, abundant with bird life she looks out onto from her studio window and by recreating fine scale miniature renditions of fauna and flora indigenous to her native South African backyard and from species found across the globe. These natural wonders most of us can only envision from flipping through travel guides, nature books and photos are the everyday inspiration and the fuel for her passion for the celebration of all living things.

Beth embarked on her creative journey in the creation of miniatures at an early age. During her formal education and training her instructors urged her to embrace the idea that art must be large to be of substance and to have validity. Her innate tenacity and very spirited determination enabled her to remain steadfast in her quest to “creating in little.” She has been quoted "I am a great believer in the significance of small things, and have been impressed by the power in miniature art to compel one to stop, cross the floor and take a closer look. Miniatures require an up close and personal relationship with the viewer.”

Already entrenched in her art career, it was in her late 20s she discovered the resurgence of the miniature art form and she eagerly joined several prestigious organizations that celebrate miniatures including the Miniature Art Society of South Africa, the Miniature Art Society of Florida and the Hilliard Society of the United Kingdom. Freeman-Kane was elected as a signature member of the Miniature Artists of America and was awarded Fellowship status in the International Guild of Miniature Artisans. As an IGMA Fellow, she teaches annually at The Guild School each year in Castine, Maine and offers instruction at many other venues. Beth’s creations are included in the collections of several museums and is the first and only artist working in miniature to have a solo exhibition in South Africa.

Mrs. Freeman-Kane’s drive to celebrate the wonders of nature through the creation of miniature birds, other creatures and small vignettes serve to remind us of the critical need for environmental conservancy. She states “…we need to stop and take a closer look to appreciate the birds and smaller creatures around us. I hope that we will continue to recognize their significance and look after what we have before it is too late." Her signature miniature settings compel us to appreciate, admire and study the grandeur of nature that surround us.

Beth has been commissioned by D. Thomas Fine Miniatures of Hastings-on-Hudson in the heart of the lower Hudson River Valley of New York to create “October-on-Hudson,” a vignette in 1/12th scale, depicting a typical Fall morning in the life cycle of the mighty Hudson River. The vignette typifies life on the river, both what we can see from one of the many promenades that trail the riverbanks and provides a glimpse from under the waterline. Her piece replicates the intricate ecosystem that is the Hudson River and includes a variety of Aves specific to the Hudson including the belted kingfisher and pectoral sandpiper, insecta including Halloween pennant wing dragonfly and eastern pondhawk dragonfly, Amphibia including the pickerel frog and a variety of freshwater fish including the common minnow and blue crab.

Master Class Project: Blue Jay

“October-on-Hudson” will be the featured work in the special exhibit Hudson Valley Wildlife in the Gallery of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures from October 15, 2016 through January 15, 2017. “I asked Beth to create this special work to help Hudson River Valley enthusiasts celebrate the 407th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s chance journey aboard the Half Moon into the majestic river that feeds our souls and defines our community” says Darren T. Scala, proprietor and curator. “I am honored Beth agreed to create ‘October-on-Hudson’ and to journey to North America for this exhibit, open house and master class.” Freeman-Kane will also bring other supporting works to the exhibit including her miniature versions of the great blue heron, marsh wren, barred owl, American robin, mallard ducklings, winter wren and the Carolina parakeet, now extinct in the Hudson River Valley.

Mrs. Freeman-Kane will teach a special full day, master class in wildlife miniature on Saturday, October 14 where participants will be instructed in the creation of a blue jay. Scala will host a special open house/meet the artist event on Sunday, October 15 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in The Gallery at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures.

ABOUT D. THOMAS FINE MINIATURES

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is a retail and gallery destination featuring top quality collectibles including 1/12th scale structure, furniture and accessories. The concept, designed to appeal to collectors, crafters and enthusiasts was created, in part, to raise awareness of miniatures as a decorative art form and to introduce the discipline not only to a new generation but to those who may just be discovering it! The gallery space showcases work in miniature by well-known artists from all over the world.

Eames Chairs, Open Floor Plans and Sub-Zero Refrigerators—For Your Dollhouse

The Wall Street Journal, Monday, October 3, 2016 – Michele Volonino bought a little fixer-upper this spring for a song, figuring she could improve the Victorian with a wee bit of gut renovation.She grabbed a saw and removed a load-bearing wall to open the kitchen to the dining room. She reinforced the room with wood beams, which she stained to match the dark-wood floors she installed. The result evoked the “shabby chic” style she favors, although it was tricky getting her fingers far enough into some rooms to achieve it.

“Most dollhouses are stuck in that Victorian age,” says Ms. Volonino, a yoga teacher in Gallatin, Tenn., of her renovation project to the secondhand structure she bought for $45. “The only way to get the house I want is to bash one.”Bashing is what dollhouse hobbyists call structural renovation, and it’s happening a lot these days as people tire of the traditional old-fashioned aesthetic of the diminutive dwellings. Their remodels usually follow contemporary trends such as open floor plans, eat-in kitchens, vaulted ceilings, spa-like bathrooms and living rooms big enough to hold a tiny sectional couch and media center.“For some people bashing is scary, and they get really nervous about tearing down a wall,” says Ms. Volonino. “I love it because I can create exactly what I want.”

Miniature homes with detailed furnishings date to tombs of Egyptian and Chinese rulers. In 16th-century Europe, the wealthy kept “baby houses” filled with miniatures. Mass production in the mid-19th century helped democratize the structures.While today’s children’s dollhouses, often plastic, reflect a range of architectural styles, generations of grown-up enthusiasts stayed loyal to traditional features such as turrets, Queen Anne chairs and frilly tea sets.Now, dollhouse lovers who prefer contemporary homes are buying rundown properties and brand-new buildings. Then they bash them. Jess Newell of Newcastle, Australia, recently renovated a used dollhouse by adding a marble breakfast bar, a lighted fish tank and a master bath with rainfall shower.To avoid disturbing her neighbors, the stay-at-home mother does most cutting and sawing during the day.“I’m creating a modern version of what I want my actual house to look like,” says Ms. Newell, who sells her remodels. Ms. Newell, as many dollhouse renovators, doesn’t let her children play with her masterpieces, using a gate to protect them from her one-year-old twin daughters.

Do-it-yourself renovations can create miniature mishaps such as sagging floors and additions gone awry. “People don’t know how to pull down old dollhouse wallpaper,” says Darren T. Scala, owner of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, a store and gallery in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Sometimes it is better to paper over old wallpaper, he says, because improper stripping can look as lumpy as in a human home. Mr. Scala often helps clients strip walls, sand floors and upgrade to LED lighting. He is currently assessing an aging 3-foot-wide Cape Cod with structural issues including a warped roof and separating walls. “The floorboards are coming up and the wallpaper is disastrous,” says Mr. Scala, who must advise a family reluctant to part with it. “Part of me wants to trash it, but it has so much character.”

When Susie Vallon, owner of Whimsies Dollhouse Shop in Greenwich, Conn., removed a staircase to enlarge a second-floor bathroom, her client needed reassuring.“They said, ‘but how does the doll get to the third floor?’ ” she recalled. “I said ‘with their imagination.’ ”Ms. Vallon uses a little hammer with a handle that can be shortened to 3 inches to fit tight corners. She sometimes outsources blueprints for especially precise work. Clients often bring in half-done renovations.

Remodeling demands modern fixtures, so last year Ms. Vallon’s shop started carrying a $65 stainless-steel kitchen-appliance set and other furnishings. Customers “don’t want winged-back chairs anymore,” she says. “Now I finally offer patios with hot tubs, and they sell right away.”

Industrial designer Michael Yurkovic strolled a miniature trade show in Chicago two years ago and couldn’t find any of his beloved midcentury-modern designs or other trappings common in today’s luxury homes. “There was a complete void,” he says. “It was mind-boggling.” So he produced $650 Wolf stoves—4 inches wide—and $250 Eames Eiffel chairs in detailed miniature scale. Realizing most dolls’ homes aren’t suited to his new modern furnishings, he is developing a new line of houses so hobbyists don’t have to bash a home to get what they want.“There are these preconceptions that a dollhouse has to be Victorian,” he says, “and can’t reflect the forward thinking of today’s architecture.”

One maker of modern homes is Streets Ahead Dollshouse. Sales of its Malibu Beach House kits, an art deco four-story, are up 50% so far this year over last, says Oliver Appleby, the Plymouth, England, company’s director. He has been carrying more modern accessories such as white kitchen cabinets and laptops. He expects to have a functioning TV someday. “Even in a Victorian house, people want modern lighting,” he says. “A lot of this reflects the real world.”