Creatin' Contest Winners to Appear on Livestream

Meet the Miniaturist: Winners Edition!

Dianne Gordon| Cheese Cellar

We’ll meet Dianne Gordon, granted a Third Place Win by wowing the judges with an awesome Cheese Cellar complete with a wine pairing set-up atop wooden barrels surrounded by truckles wheels of cheddar, parmesan and brie.

Dianne has been making miniatures since she was a child and is so passionate about making food miniatures that she opened up her own ETSY shop: TinyAppetites, where she sells hand-crafted miniature foods.

Dianne also has an active Instagram account where she posts more of awesome food miniatures here: @tinyappetite.

Montana Marshall | Demon Barber

First Time Entry Winner Montana Marshall, from Portland Oregon, created Demon Barber of Fleet Street inspired by Broadway’s celebrated, but bloody musical, Sweeney Todd.

Marshall describes herself as "equal parts silly, spooky, nerdy, and weird" and is influenced by themes which tap into horror and the supernatural. She has had several "firsts attempts" in crafting scratch-built items in Demon Barber including the cobblestone street, the wood pull cart and food miniatures completed using weathering and aging techniques to give the work a grimy, back alley look and feel.

You can find Montana and follow more of her work on her Instagram account here: @darkersideofdollhouses.

Ess Raja | Primrose Cottage

We'll also chat with Ess Raja, a mom of three from Houston, Texas and another First Time Entry Winner. Ess is a self-proclaimed "artist by day and an artist by night" with a design philosophy based on traditional Japanese aesthetics called "Wabi Sabi" which is centered on the acceptance of imperfections. (I have to practice this BIG TIME).

Ess created Primrose Cottage with a mix of hand-crafted elements as well as miniatures from her personal collection. The piece depicts "the journey we all take from shiny and new to eventual wear and dilapidation. It has seen many summers and lived through many storms. It’s not a place, it’s a feeling and we’ve all been there."

Some of the key features of Primrose includes a beamed ceiling made from 200 year old repurposed wood, hand painted terra cotta tiled flooring and a really cool crawl space underneath the structure. Ess decorated both sides of this kit for a versatile piece which maximizes the wow factor!

Ess Raja can be reached on Facebook or on Instagram: @ess.raja.designs

This event is sponsored by HBS/Miniatures.com, a family-owned company which has been supplying quality dollhouse products since 1975. For 27 years, the Creatin' Contest has excited, motivated, and inspired miniaturists from all over the world to create award-winning treasures in small scale, starting only with a simple kit and by adding skillful talents and gifted imaginations.

Details for the 28th Annual Creatin’ Contest have been posted on miniatures.com here, so start now and get in on the competitive fun – deadline is December 17, 2021.

Sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com so you never miss an update and follow on our social media channels here: