National Trust of Australia to Livestream Dollhouse Exhibition Tour

Historic Como House, located in Melbourne Australia, is alive at the moment with all things miniature with the opening of Doll House: Miniature Worlds of Wonder, a new exhibition of miniatures by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) which opened last month. A virtual tour of this exciting show will be livestreamed on Sunday, July 11 at 7pm ET on a very special Meet the Miniaturist: Museum Edition hosted by Darren Scala of D. Thomas Miniatures. The show features over 40 doll houses, furniture and accessories that are drawn from private collections, showcasing unseen doll houses from the 1880s to present day.

Viewers who attend the event can expect to be transported via Zoom and taken on a virtual tour by Dr. Annette Shiell, National Trust Executive Manager, Collections and Cultural Projects and miniaturist Tinky (Liz Sonntag) who will share some of the work she created for the show.

Dr. Shiell said, "the exhibition unlocks the minds of makers, collectors, activists and players, revealing the stories hidden in their miniature worlds. Doll House: Miniature Worlds of Wonder has allowed us to connect with some incredible creators across Victoria, from home-made houses to elaborate cabinets of wonder, virtual worlds and their emergence as characters in crime and horror genres, doll houses are displayed as both an object of fantasy and a snapshot in time."

In developing the exhibition, the National Trust turned to well-known miniature artists, including Melbourne based lawyer Emily Boutard from the popular Instagram account Little Architecture. Turning life-sized things into tiny is not new to Emily, as she has devoted many years to her craft. “Working on the Doll House exhibition was an opportunity to share my passion and spread the wonder of tiny things. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t smile when they see a tiny chair. In these difficult times I’m so glad all the visitors who come to see the exhibition will get the chance to feel that pure and simple joy,” Emily shared.

I look forward to seeing everyone at what will be an awesome event!

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Thank you for your interest, this event is free however if you would like to make a financial contribution to the ongoing development of my programming, please consider contributing to my efforts. You contribution grants entry to the D. Thomas Patrons Club featuring exclusive content, events and activities to members.

Be sure to sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com if you have not already so you never miss an update and oh, follow on social media here:

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Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife

Selling Your Adored Miniatures Collection

Perhaps you are downsizing your collection of miniatures or looking to make room for more miniatures (who knew little things take up so much space?!); Perhaps you have concerns that your collection will be ushered into the right hands after you’ve moved on to a bigger and better mini world beyond. Let's connect and chat about your options for finding happy homes for your tiny treasures and the services I provide which will ease your mind and ease your heart at the same time while transition your collection to happy new homes.

I'm a passionate miniaturist with a deep love for this hobby, this craft, this art form. I've been involved in this discipline for as long as I can remember...my dad built me my first dollhouse when I was just 8 years old. This was not something a young boy growing up in Brooklyn asked his staunchly conservative father back in the 1970s to do...but I just had to have one (you know the feeling) and I have the same energy and passion for "the tiny" I had back then.

While I collect and craft miniatures as a hobby, I mostly promote and sell tiny treasures through D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, the company I founded in 2014. Over the years I've developed a keen ability to connect collectors with buyers who share the same understanding of the love, dedication and hard work it takes to curate a personal collection of miniatures. I also have an extensive background in marketing, having served for over two decades as a brand executive for the Revlon corp., and use that experience to raise awareness of miniatures as the art form it deserves. I'd be happy to talk about your options when making the important decision to sell or transition your collection to a new place.

In addition to mu marketing and selling services, the greatest value I provide if you decide to work with me is that I am able to best able to join sellers with enthusiasts who share a common appreciation for the joy, respect and care that miniatures deserve. I’m often called a “Miniatures Empath” or a "Dollhouse Whisperer” as was talked about in my feature in the March 2021 issue of Dolls House and Miniature Scene magazine.

Recently I hosted a free webinar to inform and educate collectors about their options for selling a collection or donating to a worthy organization. Participants learned how to best protect their assortments so they are as cherished in their new homes . I also answered questions about ways of handling adored miniatures.

This seminar may be repeated so sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com so you never miss an update with upcoming events featuring this and other topics.

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Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife

Top 10 Miniature Finds Curated by Festim Toshi

Festim Toshi is an architect designer and founder of the popular Instagram account @arcfly_fly He is a self-proclaimed "incurable dreamer" and "addicted" to full scale architecture, for which he has a keen eye. He is also able to spot really terrific miniatures which he shares with his followers. Here is an assortment of some of his carefully curated finds featuring quality miniatures from artists around the world using various mediums to craft tiny treasures.

1. Lyaisan Musina

Architecture design student Liaison Musina from Kazan Russia with standing in front of her university with an architectural model.

2. Kris Alberti

New to the miniatures world, interior design architect Kris Alberti from @LittleAndBigHouse has only been making furniture in small scale since 2109. She now crafts contemporary styled pieces for a growing list of collectors around the world which can be found on her website www.littleandbighouse.nl

3. Stanton Williams

Awesome architectural model of the Clermont-Ferrand Metropolitan Area Library (Clermont, France) in 1:20 by the award- winning London based team at Stanton Williams. (Photo by Stale Eriksen)

4. Mark Poulier

Artist Mark Poulier's pen and ink drawings of tiny structures and historical landmarks are delightful but his sketching on toilet paper takes the joy to a whole new level! More at www.markpoulier.com.au.

5. Queen Craftland

The folks over at www.QueenCraftland.com create super scale models and dioramas and show you how to make it yourself on their YouTube channel here. Follow their creative journey on Instagram here.

6. Rosa de Jong

Amsterdam based graphic designer and miniaturist Rosa de Jong creates miniature worlds inside glasses tubing which ask the viewer to contemplate "the delicate nature of our habitat and the shelters we construct within it."

More work by Rosa can be seen at www.micro-matter.com

7. Maketchik

Russia-based designer and miniaturist from the popular Instagram account maketchik crafts scaled down versions of famous furniture designs using only paper. Featured here is the Aviator Tomcat Chair by Timothy Oulton.

8. Misaki Miniature

Misaki_Miniatures, based in Japan, is mostly known for exquisitely delightful and expertly crafted food miniatures. But it's this tiny hobbit structure, made by this artisan, which totally wet our appetite for the tiny!

9. Adulrahman Eid

Artist Abdul Rahman creates super realistic miniature scenes inspired by the world where he lives in Syria while capturing its enchanting past with unbelievable detail.

10. Maxwell Tilse

Sydney based Freelance illustrator Maxwell Tilse creates small whimsical drawings of architectural landmarks inspired by the places where he travels and captures each piece with a photograph in front of each location.

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Thanks for checking in and making it down to the end - - be sure to sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com if you have not already so you never miss an update and oh, follow on social media here:

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Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife