TEN Tips for Finding the BEST Miniatures in Your Pajamas. (and at a bargain)

I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. Oscar Wilde

You don't need the expense of traveling to miniature shows when the very best miniatures are no farther than your keyboard. We all came to earth with gifts and one of mine I know for sure is that I can find the best things in just about anyplace. And I know who has what gift. So when it comes to miniatures I am pretty good at ferreting out great stuff. To add to my own collection. And here are some tips to help you find treasures of your own:

1) Don't Overlook Ebay.
There are wonderful artisan miniatures available there every day often going for way below original cost. Check under 'Artist Offerings" in Dollhouse Miniatures (under Dolls and Bears). But don't neglect the larger category because many things there are not followed by most.

2) Check out the Artisan.
If you see something on a popular miniature website and are not thrilled with the prices, go directly to the artisan (Google) You may well get the better price. Plus you can find wonderful things from artisans who might not be dealers at the shows you attend.

3) Auctions.
For years I thought I would never be able to afford the wonderful miniatures that were coming up for auction. I did not even know how to sort out bidding on those auctions. So, sadly, I passed up bidding. Eventually when an auction got to be too tempting, I jumped in.  While things are usually sold in lots and you might be interested in only one item, charge in and get the lot. You can later sell off the unwanted bits and in the end come out ahead with your prized item costing nothing.

4) ETSY.
While I find ETSY to have a lot of miniatures less than top, artisan quality (lots of decal-ed plates and crockery, computer printed books, paper watering cans etc), there are quality pieces there, you just have to look.  As new artisans emerge with wonderful things you can score amazing miniatures for great prices. These artisans eventually move on for some reason, often showing up on eBay where there is great competition for their work. Strike while the iron is hot. (And hey, nothing wrong with decals and computer printed stuff, I use and make it myself,  but that stuff will not bulk up the pocketbooks of your heirs)

5) THE CAMP. 
This is a Yahoo group consisting of over 1800 members at the time of this writing. Its a great place to share anything about miniatures and ask for help with your projects or locating a item. Lots of help from many well informed artisans and collectors. When one finds something fabulous it gets shared and you can find great deals and great artisans by word of mouth. I believe it to be the ultimate miniature online group. Join HERE.

6) Facebook. 
While not for everyone because I have heard that joining scares some people into believing their information might be shared, its still one of the biggest if not the biggest social media sites. There are many miniature groups there and you will find wonderfully talented artisans coming out of the woodwork from all over the world and many sell their work. I would start with IGMA: The International Guild of Miniature Artisans.Go HERE.

7) Pinterest.
Another social media venue full and I mean FULL of miniature eye candy. Again, you can find wonderful creators of minis there and many do sell their work. You can also leave a message asking to place an order.

8) Blogs.
Yes, there are millions of blogs these days. Just another sign of the times that the internet is where it's at. It can happen this way; you find something on Pinterest that links to a blog. That blog lists favorite blogs they happen to follow - miniature related, of course, and you can scroll through several at a sitting, see what the owner is doing and how they do it. Many show step by step photos of their own personal projects. But in and among this information is reference to items they collected and where to find the artisan.
 
9) Show schedules with dealer links.
Whether you go to shows or not, you can always visit the show's website. There posted are dealers for upcoming shows with links directly to the artisans. Click around and you will find something to please you in your budget directly from the artisan. Since you saved a pile of money not traveling to the show, spend away.
 
10) And last but not least THE IGMA Fine Miniatures Forum. This is an online forum of the very finest miniatures but anyone is welcome to view and post their work. You need not be a member to participate. But once there, you may well be inclined to be part of a group promoting miniatures as an art form. Which indeed they are. Check it out.

Did I miss anything? Found anything wonderful yourself off the beaten path? 
Tell all below.

THE POETRY OF MINIATURES

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart".  Winnie the Pooh

How wonderful is it to stumble upon a item of tiny perfection?  Any miniature collector knows just what I mean.  It's that moment when you discover the quintessential representation of maybe even a common everyday item replicated in diminutive form.  And somehow it takes your breath away.  Here is a recent one of mine snagged on ebay for a song.  How the whole world missed it I have no idea. The stars were shining on me that day.

The Perfect Miniature Tea Set on Tray ~ Artist Unknown

 Not everyone gets this. 

 Maybe because they are too busy to stop and notice something that small and that perfect.  It takes a special sort I guess and I am one.  This tiny tea set is wheel thrown clay with a lovely, earthy green glaze.  The pots have perfect fitting lids and the tiny cups and saucers are the true and perfect 1:12 scale.  If you did not see the lemon in the photo, you would not know it is miniature.  It came from the UK and I wish I knew the artist.

 This is Realism in Miniature.

At it's best.  And to happen upon just the most perfect tiny thing is a huge part of being a miniature collector.  It's the thrill of the hunt.  The discovery of, until that very moment, exactly what you wanted.  It might not even be something you were actually looking for but you know when you see it it has to be yours.

 It's poetry you can touch.

The perfect miniature piece or setting or diorama can evoke a feeling or emotion just like a poem.  They are lovely little bits of art to me and many and I think the world needs to stop and have a better look.

I subscribe to a poem a day newsletter by Samantha Reynolds  and a recent one reminded me of miniatures.  With all due respect to Samantha, if I plug in 'miniatures' for 'poetry', you'll see what I mean.  And I thank Samantha for that.  I think she just might agree that in this case, they interchange.


The Dharma of Poetry 

Poetry isn’t meant to educate you
or make you laugh

it isn’t meant to motivate you
improve you
or mend
your heart

it might do it all anyways
poetry is like that
ambitious
for a little guy

but it isn’t the rumble
in the centre
of it all

every time letters are stitched together
into a poem
it is simply
a polite request
to obliterate the fog
that tricks you
into numbness

look
look

there are a thousand ways
to see each simple thing
an eternity
of newness
with each blink.

Tell me your miniature 'poem'.  What's the perfect tiny thing for you?

The Purging Project ~ Miniature Clutter, OH NO!!

" Bottom line is, is you don't need it, it's clutter and it needs to go" ~ Charisse Ward

Yes, it is time to purge my hoard of miniature bits and pieces that I have overly collected.  I have been doing this for some time now and still have quite the stockpile. At some point in my miniature creating career I started doing 'assemblages' of things.  That required me to acquire a s**t bunch of stuff in case I might need it the next time one of these projects called me.  So every odd and cheap little thing went into the pile.  I could use this for that and that for this.  Well, you see.  The table below came out of the stash of stuff.

Witch's Kitchen Spell Table ~ Made from the Hoard ~ 1:12 scale

And the creepy stuff underneath !!

I'm not calling myself a hoarder, but... 
This kind of thing can get out of hand.  Its hard to stop, like chips.  In the end I just have too much and I need to weed it out.  It distracts.  It beckons. It keeps me from the hundred other projects in my head.  Lately I have been pulling it out piece by piece and turning it into something else.  My problem is that when I come across a pile of stuff that I am willing to part with I start fiddling with it until it becomes something else.

Stack of hand made books with mouse !

Stack of books with frog and action figure candle

An inexpensive metal tea set that came out of a lot of miniatures that I won on eBay became this spooky, ghostly tea set magically pouring itself.  I have done many of these in the past in different variations and every witch needs a set like this.  This reminds me of the enchanted muggle things in the Harry Potter books. 

Witchy Tea Set

This commercial and not very pretty chair became this one of a kind piece for a 'haunted' place.  It was awesomely fun to do because I sculpted a ghastly face onto the wood of the chair and then painted the spooky tree on pale gray silk for the upholstery.  And I found out that I LOVE painting on fabric. So another thing on my list...

Spooky Miniature Chair

Not every thing turns into a spooky thing - but mostly - because that seems to be a favorite of mine as well as collectors.  I still have a long way to go.

SO...what does your hoard look like?  Tell me.