This Season's BIG Gift-Giving Trend is Go SMALL with Miniatures!

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is excited to report that the 2016 holiday season’s BIG gift-giving trend is actually very small: miniatures!

Recent media buzz surrounding the category includes stories about “miniacs,” (New York Times), a renewed passion for all things small (Wall Street Journal) and, most recently, Zagat’s pop-up Tiny Café in Astor Place in New York City offering tiny versions of trendy edibles.

Small is definitely the new BIG this season. Miniatures tug at your heart and give immediate delight! Miniatures make an impressive statement when giving as a holiday gift; they focus closely on individual passions, interests and tastes.

To make holiday shopping seamless, The D. Thomas 2016 Holiday Gift Giving Guide includes the perfect selection of items for everyone on buyer's shopping lists from an intricately crafted replica of a typical Spanish tapas bar (for your favorite foodie), a couture hand bag shop (for the fashionista) or a 1/12th scale replica of a vintage harpsichord (for the music lover).

Gift-giving this holiday season is all about delighting the ones we love with a tiny treasure in the form of decorative art from tiny treasures to more personalized, custom gifts including the recreation of a memorable scene, a special object or even a scale replica of your home.

2016 GIFT GIVING GUIDE

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures

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INCH-SCALED

CONTEMPORARY LOFT

by Michael Yurkovic

$6500

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Astonish the Interior Decorator

with this MCM Masterpiece.

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Present this modern loft room box, created by Michael Yurkovic of Atomic Miniature, constructed with hardwood floors and metal-like support girders, an LED lighting zone system, floor to ceiling wall of windows, brick platform/wall and a floating staircase leading to a second level. The piece arrives with all objects shown including a Charles Eames-inspired rocker, surfboard table and molded plywood screen. A Saarinen-inspired set of white tulip chairs and table and Mr. Yurkovic's signature MCM (lighted) television set (which can be customized with your own image!) completes the assortment. This is the perfect gift for the modern art enthusiast, MCM fan or stylin' individual and makes a great conversation piece to display

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BUTTERFLY FAIRY-FRAMED TRIO

by May Burnett

$350

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Bewilder the Cult Phenomenalist

with this set of framed dusted-winged butterfly fairies.

Each fairy (two boys and a girl) has been individually designed, hand-painted and decorated with transparent wings using a layered and heat-sealing cello technique for brilliant color, shine and detail. No fairy was harmed in the making of this art. Each framed shadow box is 6" x 6"

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THE FASHION BOUTIQUE

by Queenie Wu/Various Artists

$1275

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Delight the Fashionista

with this tiny boutique paradise.

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Give this high-end tiny boutique, the perfect gift for the shopping enthusiast which depicts an environment you might find on the Champs Elysees or Via Veneto. This diminutive paradise is filled with 'lil lux handbags, Louboutin-inspired half inch red bottom platforms and other must-have accessories adorned with every designer detail.

The setting measures approximately 12" x12" x 12" on a hardwood/mirrored base with a square glass and includes a vintage French miniature arm chair covered in a hand-painted silk fabric. A tropical plant and other objects complete the buyer's scene. Completely #squeeworthy.

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SPANISH TAPAS BAR

by Hernan Buljevich

$16500

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Inspire the Foodie

with this replica tapas restaurant.

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Consider this Spanish pub, Alma de Esapana (Soul of Spain, 2014), created by Hernan Buljevich, a university trained architect from Argentina and typifies the classic tapas bar you might find along the Espana Plaza Mayor. A hand-carved wood bar, wine cask/wheel-barrel working chandelier and decoupage ceiling mural adorn this exquisite room box. The liquor shelves hold over 400 individually crafted wine and spirit bottles while cured meats made from polymer clay hang from real hooks and platters of tapas await hungry patrons. The piece measures approximately 34” L x 20" H “x 18 D” and will look perfect placed on a wide shelf or built into a wall nook for viewers to marvel at.

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WILDLIFE MINIATURES

by Beth Freeman-KaneFrom

$280

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Charm the Animal Lover with critters

inspired by the natural world.

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Choose a tiny treasure inspired by the world which surrounds us. Intricately detailed scale birds, plants, trees and insects are replicated in painstaking detail by South African miniaturist Beth Freeman-Kane inspired by the rich wildlife of the Hudson Valley region of New York. Each object is created based upon the artist’s passion for creatures and their environment and sure to delight anyone who shares a love of nature, conservation and living things.

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PERIOD 3D DUTCH ARCHITECTURE

by Gerard Klein Hofmeijer

$4500

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Thrill the Art Enthusiast

with a 3D facade replica

of the house depicted in "The Little Street"

by Johannes Vermeer

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Deliver this fine art “The Little Street” painted in 1657. "Delft" was created by Dutch native Gerard Klein Hofmeijer who replicates historic buildings in miniature using brass etching while painting and sizing each brick individually for consummate accuracy and attention to detail (including winding cracks in the mortar!). The piece is custom-framed using museum glass and measures approximately 9" H x 7" W x 3" D. Gerard Klein Hofmeijer is a Dutch craftsman and classically trained scientist who has admired, loved and constructed miniatures since childhood. He works in a variety of scales between 1:50 and 1:100 to replicate historic buildings, houses, garden vignettes and 3D facades. His work offers a glimpse into the classic Dutch architectural style of the past and Dutch influence on contemporary design.

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1/12 SCALE HARPSICHORD

by Dawn Dahn

$575

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Please the Music Lover

with this vintage miniature harpsichord.

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Present this intricately hand-crafted (non-playing) vintage miniature harpsichord (c.1770) created by artisan Dawn Dahn in 1997. It includes ivory-like keys, real brass fittings/foot pedals and opens with hinged folds to reveal a detailed system of piano strings. This spectacular miniature will provide beautiful sounds of joy (from its owner!) for years to come.

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SQUINTBOX™

MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION

Subscription Box Service

$30

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Surprise the Crafter with a box filled with

hand-crafted minis every month!

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Surprise the Crafter: Set up a SquintBox monthly subscription for the hobbyist in your life! SquintBox delivers a curated assortment of up to six hand-crafted miniatures each month in popular categories like food, flowers, books and accessories. This service can be set up to deliver multiple months as well (3 or 6) for extra savings. Shipping is free! All items featured in this D. Thomas Fine Miniatures Gift Guide may be purchased online, in our Facebook Shop or in-store, except for SquintBox which can be ordered online at www.mysquintbox.com.

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Seasons Greetings from

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures!

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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.

Open House Celebration with Gerard Klein Hofmeijer Sunday November 13 3-5pm

Please join us for a very special open house celebration of work by Dutch miniaturist Gerard Klein Hofmeijer, visiting from his hometown of Utrecht, Netherlands, on Sunday November 13 from 3-5pm here in the Gallery at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures.

Mr. Klein Hofmeijer will be meeting with guests and sharing details about his work including his signature piece, “Vlamingstraat 42, Delft" created from his study of Vermeers's "The Little Street" painted in 1657. He will also bring some of his tools for an informal discussion and demonstration of his techniques.

Gerard Klein Hofmeijer is a Dutch craftsman and classically trained scientist who has admired, loved and constructed miniatures since childhood. He works in a variety of scales between 1:50 and 1:100 to replicate historic buildings, houses, garden vignettes and 3D facades. His work offers a glimpse into the classic Dutch architectural style of the past and Dutch influence on contemporary design.

“The Little Street” is significant to the study of Vermeer since it is one of only two of the artist’s paintings of views of Delft. The painting has been the topic of much research and dispute regarding the actual location, concluding the site is the present-day 40-42 Vlamingstraat based on substantial archival research of 17th Century Delft quay dues registers. Mr. Klein Hofmeijer’s miniature façade offers us the only known full view of the house, shown partially in Vermeer’s painting and provides a 21st Century insight into a period architecture and life in a Dutch Golden Age town. Gerard’s painstaking attention to detail includes individual bricks sized according to the painting, etched in messing and adorned with mat varnish and pigments to create consummate accuracy in relief and color. His details include cracks in the mortar, aging paint on wooden shutters and an intricate stone sidewalk.

“The Little House” exhibition will run from November 12, 2016 through January 17, 2017 in the Gallery at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in the historic MovieHouse Mews in Hastings-on-Hudson. This event coincides with 5 Dutch Days, hosted by the Netherland-America Foundation, which celebrates the Dutch arts and culture in New York City with a series of events and activities.

All Photos: Pien Spijkers

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.

Gerard Klein Hofmeijer Preserves Period Dutch Architecture in Fine Miniature Scale

Gerard Klein Hofmeijer, a native of Utrecht, The Netherlands, is a classically trained scientist who has admired, loved and constructed miniatures since childhood. Klein Hofmeijer works in a variety of scales between 1:50 and 1:100 to replicate historic buildings, houses, garden vignettes and 3D facades. His work offers a glimpse into the classic Dutch architectural style of the past and Dutch influence on contemporary design. A special exhibit of Mr. Klein Hofmeijer's 3D facades will be on view in the Gallery at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures starting November 12, 2016 including “Delft,” fashioned after Johannes Vermeer’s “The Little Street” painted in 1657.

“The Little Street” is significant to the study of Vermeer since it is one of only two of the artist’s paintings of views of Delft. The painting has been the topic of much research and dispute regarding the actual location, concluding the site is the present-day 40-42 Vlamingstraat based on substantial archival research of 17th Century Delft quay dues registers. Mr. Klein Hofmeijer’s miniature façade offers us the only known full view of the house, shown partially in Vermeer’s painting and provides a 21st Century insight into a period architecture and life in a Dutch Golden Age town. Gerard’s painstaking attention to detail includes individual bricks sized according to the painting, etched in messing and adorned with mat varnish and pigments to create consummate accuracy in relief and color. His details include cracks in the mortar, aging paint on wooden shutters and an intricate stone sidewalk.

“I feel privileged to show Gerard’s work in my Gallery this Fall” says Darren T. Scala, exhibit curator. “Gerard’s unique techniques, attention to detail and quest for historic accuracy is unparalleled. It offers us a look at the culture that helped to settle the five boroughs of New York City and the lower Hudson Valley and helps us recognize many of the details we see in the architecture that surrounds us today.”

“The Little House” will run from November 12, 2016 through January 17, 2017 in the Gallery at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in the historic MovieHouse Mews in Hastings-on-Hudson. Gerard and his wife Pien Spijkers, an architectural draftsman and photographer, will travel to the lower Hudson Valley and be part of a special open house reception/meet the artist on Sunday, November 13, 2016 from 3:00-5:00 PM. Gerard has graciously agreed to bring some of his tools for his informal discussion and demonstration of his techniques during his visit.

To learn more about the artistry of Gerard Klein Hofmeijer, please visit www.houseinminiature.com. For information on the exhibit and open house reception at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, call 914-231-9871 or visit dthomasfineminiatures.com.

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.