It was the oddest thing to see my Crate and Barrel Tissue Box House in a vitrine, as part of an exhibit, this weekend. There were feelings of excitement mixed with shyness, mixed with wonderment (is this actually here? will people like it?). But, there it was!
Then, I noticed that two pieces had become unstuck so of course I started obsessing over this and the other feelings went away! By the way, the house is in the Members' Musings exhibition at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, not too far from me. It was great to see the show, which included painting, sculpture, and digital art. The kids got a kick out seeing the piece, as did our friends who met up with us for a visit in the park. A few more shots of my piece, titled Repurpose:
You can read more about the piece in this post from February. Then it was out to walk the park, and I'd have to say that the kids (and us) were completely taken with the peacocks, who were making a spectacle:
while barring access to the bathroom!
A lovely white one made an appearance as well
This one was near some dollshouse-appropriate artwork:
If you are near Hamilton, NJ, stop by the park for a visit -- there is a ton to see, and lovely walks to be had!
See the black lacquer desk and the pedestal for the bead in the corner? Both are manufactured by AMAC, a renowned plastics company that I discovered at the New York International Gift Fair back in February. The boxes, which come in array of colors, work so well for accents and as actual furnishings. I love the sleekness of these boxes, and I know will come up with other uses for them! Should you see them in the gift shops and other stores you frequent, do pick up a few!!!
Credits: Chair is Reac; desk and artwork pedestal are AMAC boxes; base of desk is AG Minis; plant is Manor House Miniatures; newspaper box is a dollshouse store find; laptop is by Lilu Shop on Etsy; shoes and bag are Barbie; bench is a vintage drawer pull; poster and yellow book on bench are from a swap with The Shopping Sherpa; flooring and back wall covering are from the Paper Source.
What a time I had opening all of my tiny packages from The Shopping Sherpa as part of our January-February-March swap -- heck, call it our spring swap! We both were busy bees making things for each other and creating a cohesive bundle of useful mini stuff and I could not be happier with my treasures! She posted on the goodies I sent her in two posts--here and here--and I'm cramming all of mine into one!
I tossed out to her a few requests for stationery, bedding, rugs, etc., and she came up with a Kate Spade-Jonathan Adler theme with bright, punchy colors and strong graphics.What a great idea for me, right on target.
Care to see everything?
It all started here...
That post card is a Shopping Sherpa original! Really lovely!
The tiny packages in string then revealed pillows, a mirror, bulletin boards, and graphic art -- LOVE the iconic design imagery!
Rugs! Stylin'!
Three luxurious bedding sets! They're nicer than my real bedding!
And what's Teddy holding...???
Vintage posters!
And storage boxes, desk accessories, books, and a matching Eames elephant!
A gremlin holds onto his Jonathan Adler design bibles...
Last, but not least, some papers that will definitely come in handy in a number of my houses.
THANKS Shopping Sherpa!
Another thanks goes to Claudia, who runs a new blog, Lillis Puppenstube. She's renovating some great vintage houses, and I admired the papers in one of them, here. She kindly sent me a few sheets, with some groovy extras! I hope they end up in my VERO soon!
This one has potential for a 70s scene!
Speaking of scenes, I'll end with a quick one in my fish condo, which I have brought out of retirement! I love how all my new items look, along with some new papers from the Paper Source. I am especially taken with the yellow and white one used for flooring. Very mod!
Credits: Chairs are vintage from Sweden; lamp and plant are vintage TOMY; stool and side table are vintage German; clock is Bandai; pillows, storage boxes, silkscreen, and books are handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; apples and trash can are AG Minis.
I am thrilled to now own a lovely Japanese-made miniature furniture set, after what seemed like a long journey!
I first saw the couch and chair and other pieces on Mini Modern's blog back in 2008, when she used them in her Lundby Stockholm, and they were labeled as 1:18 scale Japanese-made "Pacifico." Then, I saw them again on Amy's blog in early 2010, after she found them for $4 in a thrift shop (Amy is a lucky duck!). Then, Susan showed even more of the pieces on her blog earlier this year, when she used them in her Built-Rite house. This time, Susan provided so much helpful information on the set, namely an ad from the 1964 Sears Christmas catalogue that showed the three rooms in miniature for sale ($3.99/room):
Page 71 of 1964 Sears Christmas catalogue - image courtesy of www.wishbookweb.com
This information was great to have, and it was also interesting to see that the pieces (and many accessories) were sold as rooms with interior decorating possibilities, with tracks/brackets, wall panels, and wall-to-wall carpeting. It is no surprise that the Irwin Decorator Set is in the same catalogue, five pages earlier (images courtesy www.wishbookweb.com as well).
My pieces arrived in the original box, but not in a room box as originally sold. I do wonder if anyone has ever seen these original room boxes or the accessories. The box for the furniture features a cool shadowed dot pattern that gives off an optical illusion of three dimensionality:
I noticed a manufacturer's sticker on the front bottom left corner, which says "Imperial Imports Japan":
There was also some writing on the side: "NY-33":
Perhaps this was some notation for Sears? Not sure. Google searches on Imperial Imports did not turn up anything of note.
The inside of the box showed the traces of elastic that held all the pieces in place:
As it states in the Sears ad, the set is closest to 1:24 scale, which is not normally the scale I use, but some of the pieces are transferable to a 1:16 or even a 1:12 environment. All of the pieces are so incredibly well-made and exceedingly delicate. I am glad I decided to unpack them all alone on a table, cleared of other things.
One of the first pieces I was excited to see was the dining room table -- with an adjustable leaf!
The smallest of the pieces are the turquoise-padded dining chairs, with their wispy chair backs and tapered legs -- gorgeous!
The dresser might be transferable to a 1:12 environment, but definitely can work in 1:16. Again, very delicate handiwork, with working drawers:
The wood just glows on these pieces, even after 40 + years!!!
The infamous chair and couch that first caught my eye back in 2008 did not disappoint, although one bottom strut piece on the couch was broken, the only flaw in the set. I paired them with the various white, shiny-topped tables, so modern:
Here's the front and back of the tables -- lovely!
Next, I played with the modular shelving units, which are so versatile and can definitely work in 1:12 and 1:16 scale, for a variety of purposes. There are open units, and a few with sliding white doors and sliding plexi doors.
The bed and chaise are definitely 1:24 scale. The bedding top comes off from the wooden platform, and both pieces have the same stiff pillows as the living room set, but in a lighter flower pattern (not so much to my liking, actually)
You may have noticed some very cool books in the pictures with the couch and chair -- this is a mini preview of my next post, which will feature the goodies in my swap package from The Shopping Sherpa. Here's a teaser:
She showed my treats here and here. Can't wait to share mine with you!
As I was photographing this scene in my midcentury modern bungalow, I kept thinking moody, moody. Not sad, just moody. Perhaps it is the lighting, or the color scheme that developed as I put it together, but in the end, I am happy with the way the moodiness reigned.
See those ottomans? They are quite minimal, modular pieces by Concord, $4.95 for the pair! Lemon Cadet tipped me off on them. I decided to use them without the tops, which are slightly rounded and come right off. Lemon Cadet used them here, and removed the legs but kept the tops -- check out the rest of her Flickr stream too, with lots of Petite Princess treasures and other vintage pieces.
The artwork on the wall is by Mark Manders, who has a traveling show on view now at the Aspen Art Museum -- Parallel Occurrences/Documented Assignments. Very interesting work, and I do like the piece pictured here, Ramble-room Chair (2010).
A last bit, no moodiness here: my Crate and Barrel tissue box house featured in a post last month was chosen for an exhibit, Members' Musings, at Grounds for Sculpture, here in central New Jersey. You can read more here about the show, which opens on April 9 and runs through June 5. If you are nearby, check it out!
Credits: Dining table is Bodo Hennig; couch (VERO?), credenza (Crailsheimer?), and watering can (Bodo Hennig?) are vintage German; Arc lamp and lucite dining chairs are eBay finds; rug is vintage TOMY; plant is AG Minis; Barcelona chair is Reac; pillows on couch are by Annina; pillow on chair is by minimodernistas; ottomans are Concord Miniatures; artwork is by Mark Manders. Accessories are beads from Pubdoll, AG Minis, Re-ment, Delph, and eBay finds.
Once my TOMY Smaller Home and Garden came to live in my dollhouse room, it ended up facing my Kaleidoscope House. They couldn't be more different, of course--not only in scale and shape, but color. The K House is a multi-colored gem that shifts hues as you play in it and move the plexi panels, while the TOMY is a study in neutral yellows, tans, and browns.
I worked on a scene in the K House that was all about bold strokes of color. This is a case where I would only do this in 1:12 scale, instead of my 1:1 life. I picked up the table base in the clearance section of TJ Maxx for $2, and have no clue what is supposed to be. I am sure that there are pieces to it missing. It has the word "limonata" on it, which I know is a tasty fizzy drink, but who knows.
See the blond wood flooring (it's actually a sheet from the Paper Source)? What do you think of this look for the K House? This is my first time experimenting with any wood-type flooring here. I think I dig it.
After finishing that scene, I decided to throw a very quick one together "across the street" in the TOMY. Thus far I have only set up scenes in the upstairs, so I decided to use the living room space. Really only 1:16 or smaller works in this room -- most of the 1:12 pieces I tried looked so gigantic. So in went my vintage LISA set and a diminutive 1:12-scale PRD Miniatures coffee table along with some other neutral pieces.
Quite the opposite of the limonata, eh?
Credits: K House: Table base is from TJ Maxx, and top of the table is a holiday ornament from Crate and Barrel; Eames molded chairs are Reac; desk chair is vintage Wolverine; desk is a plastic box; plant is vintage TOMY; wall art is a jewelry charm from Michaels, and the wallpaper is also from there; fixture is by Bozart; record player on top shelf is from a set of Japanese magnets; wood flooring is from the Paper Source; rug is Peppercorn Minis. Accessories are Re-ment, AG Minis, beads from Pubdoll, ELF Miniatures, and dollhouse store finds. TOMY: Couch and chairs are vintage LISA; standing lamp and plant are vintage Lundby; coffee table is PRD Miniatures; side table is vintage German, as is the table lamp; logs are a train layout accessory from Michaels; picture on fireplace mantle is by Gigi N Studio, and vase is from a dollhouse store, don't remember which one.
Re-ment: I've written about the Re-ment in these scenes with one exception, in the K House scene. The flower pot receptacle on the desk is a tea pot from Fairytale Tableware #4, and is good for 1:12.
I looked everywhere for this play scale model, only to find out that it was on the main wall text only, and was not included in the exhibition!
I had the opportunity to spend some time at the exhibitionCounter Space: Design + the Modern Kitchen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which remains open until May 2. If you are in or near NYC in the coming months, I'd definitely recommend a visit to this visually rich, interesting, and fun installation of the evolution of the modern kitchen. There's a big design quotient here, so plenty of industrial design eye candy, as well as posters, photographs, and multimedia displays. While there is a lot of content, it is all laid out in a somewhat contained space designed both for meandering and for focused looks at all the various pieces of history. You will definitely learn something.
I did not do a linear circuit of the exhibition...perhaps it was because I was so excited to be on my own, sans the three kids, that I didn't quite know what to do with myself. Or, perhaps I was drawn to different parts of the installation for various reasons. I started with the incredible of-the-moment-looking "Frankfurt Kitchen," constructed in the late 1920s by Grete Schütte-Lihotzky for affordable housing units in Frankfurt. A recent MoMA acquisition on view for the first time, the kitchen is a minimalist lesson in organization and ergonomic ingenuity. And this was close to a century ago!
My somewhat crappy picture from the outside (you could not go in)
MoMA's much nicer one from the inside
Photo by Jonathan Muzikar
Another highlight for me was the range of posters in the exhibition that helped to highlight pre- and post-war imagery and sentiment:
The middle portion of the exhibit was devoted to design innovation in the kitchen and home, from a Dyson vacuum to vegetable peelers, to knives, to bowls, and everything in between:
I also enjoyed the inviting displays of functional objects, such as glass storage containers, salt and pepper shakers, and tea kettles...all of which would easily fit in today's kitchen:
Many drawings, photographs, brochures, and booklets helped with the context for these objects and the trends in kitchen design:
Love this graphically-strong photo by Russell Lee
Clever!
Looks mini to me!
A Tupperware party! Groovy!
My last stop was the section that had photographs and other works focusing on the kitchen, or having to do with food, from the 1960s onward. Some of my favorites:
Laurie Simmons' kitchen view - in miniature!
Cindy Sherman - love her work
I have to admit that the whole time I was keeping a look out for that play scale kitchen that appears in all the ads for the show, but alas, it was only to be found on the introductory wall text!
Do visit the exhibition if you can and swing by the store too. If you can't make it to the show, the museum's website for it is filled with information, videos, resources, etc. -- have a look!
A last note: I created a Call of the Small page on Facebook as a way to keep connected to my readers -- if you are on Facebook, like me! I have a gadget on the sidebar of my blog. Thanks!
I am thrilled to share the results of some hard work and fun during some weeks in late December and early January. I hinted at something in this post, and I can now finally let you know that my photography and styling of a modern miniature interior is in the April 2011 issue of Ladies' Home Journal!
Back in late December, I was approached by Clare Lissaman, the photo director for the magazine, which, with a circulation of four million, is one of the more widely-read lifestyle publications in the U.S. She had seen my blog in the New York Times article from April 2010 and had an interesting idea for photography for an article they had planned on decluttering your home (and life). Could I create a very messy, messy interior in one of my dollhouses, and then neaten it all up? Could I come up with the concept for the room, style it, and then photograph both the messy and the neat scenes in an identical fashion? And could I complete it in a matter of weeks?
Y E S!
I felt very flattered and honored to be asked and really wanted to make the most of the opportunity. Once we had agreed that the main room in my Citadel would serve as the "set," I came up with the basic layout of the room (living area with office and small eating space), and turned to the article for inspiration. Some of the ideas that resonated with me were: use furniture such as an IKEA Expedit shelf for neat storage and display of items; select just some of your children's artwork and frame the pieces, instead of keeping every little scribble; use filing folders and other accessories to better organize your work space.
Inspired, I contacted Elisabeth Le Pla of ELF Miniatures, Doris Nathanson of minimodernistas, and Paris Renfroe of PRD Miniatures to purchase some key pieces of furniture and accessories. Each artisan worked very quickly to make and send their pieces by early January, and I set to work. I wanted to create the basics of the scenes and provide test shots to the magazine to ensure that everything was on track.
Here's a look at early iterations of the messy and neat rooms:
As you can see, my original concept was to have the messy room not have the final pieces that appear in the neat scene. The magazine thought it best to have identical pieces of furniture used in both scenes, and have their placement in the room match. In addition, I had to adjust the overall lighting, the color of the rugs, and had to photograph both scenes from the same exact angle. And the kicker: I was asked to hire a hand model to reach into the neat scene and provide a sense of scale. I hired one for an afternoon and crossed my fingers that her lovely hands would do the talking. I also worked on the lighting by putting a fixture on the roof and shining it on a board that reflected more natural light into the house.
My next efforts were more on target:
LOTS of trial and error with the hand model -- and look at all that mess above and below!
After refining the hand model pose in the neat scene, I was told to mess things up even more, and to make an exaggerated level of clutter with more clothing, shoes, papers, bags, etc. This was hard, folks, very hard, since I am used to creating more ordered scenes instead of ordered chaos! Realizing I did not have much in the way of shoes or clothing, I bought some Barbie and Liv doll accessories at Target and put them everywhere, short of hanging them from the ceiling!
The final results:
Only part of the hand model's arm made it into the final picture
I finished the job in mid-January and have been on pins and needles waiting to see the final print copy, which hits the newsstands tomorrow; here's an advance pdf with web quality -- I hope to post an actual scan soon:
The online version is here. The nice folks over at the magazine did a blog post about the back story behind the story here -- check it out!
I am incredibly pleased with the outcome and am so happy that I was able to make a contribution to the issue. I am also grateful for Clare's faith in me and in this unique concept, and I hope to work with them in the future!
A BIG THANKS to everyone who has voted for Call of the Small for Best Miniature Blog in About.com's Readers' Choice Awards. Right now it is looking like I have a good shot at third place, but I'd appreciate your last votes today (if you haven't voted already) and tomorrow. The voting ends tomorrow, March 8. You can vote HERE.Voting is now closed.Thanks for your enthusiasm and support!
Credits: I wanted to point out the lovely artisan work used in the scenes - thank you all! Desk and Expedit shelving by ELF Miniatures; Blanca TV shelving unit by PRD Miniatures; Long and Low couch, Japanese pillows, Eames Hang-it-All, globe lamp, and green rug in office by minimodernistas; the pink sparkly high heels in the foreground are by Patrizia Santi and were won in one of her giveaways. The Eames chairs are Reac; the table is vintage German; the side tables are from Fridas Fancy. There are countless accessories in the scenes and I know I will not be able to note them all, but the majority are by Re-ment, ELF Miniatures, AG Minis, Manor House Miniatures, Barbie by Jonathan Adler, Barbie, Liv, Nancy Tobey, Peppercorn Minis, Jazams, beads and craft store finds, and Lilu Shop on Etsy.
A quick post to share an exciting new purchase: an Arne Jacobsen-designed 1:16 couch made by Brio in the mid-1960s. In addition to being lovely to look at, it is heavy and quite surprisingly substantial for a somewhat small perch. This is one holy grail that I can now happily cross off my list!
While the upper level of my Citadel house is not necessarily the obvious location for this diminutive piece, I think it works. There is some sewing going on here, with a neat Re-ment machine, which I got as a blind box from Toy Tokyo. Lucky! This set is from 2006 and tricky to get; when you can find it, the price tends to be much, much more than the $7.99 I spent...love when that happens.
A reminder to cast your final votes for Call of the Small as Best Miniature Blog in About.com's Readers' Choice Awards! Voting ends on Tuesday, March 8, so cast a vote *daily* until 11:59 p.m. that day! Vote HERE. Thanks so much for your support!
Credits: Couch is by Brio; bench is a drawer pull; Barcelona chair and zigzag chairs are Reac; console is by Paris Renfroe; rug and Japanese pillow is by minimodernistas; sewing machine and basket by Re-ment; plant pot is Manor House Miniatures and plant is an aquarium plant; wall art includes charms and scrapbook paper from Michaels. Accessories are AG Minis, ELF Miniatures, Manor House Miniatures, and thrift store finds.
Re-ment: The retro sewing machine and basket are from Retro Electrical Appliances #7, and are good for 1:12.
The second best thing to owning a gorgeous midcentury modern Adda-Room set is being able to show you pictures of one from its happy new owner!
I saw this amazing set on eBay recently and attempted (and failed) a best offer bid. I had never seen a set like this before:
Photo from eBay listing
Isn't it lovely? I saw that the set went very quickly to a winning bidder, and posted a notice on my blog homepage about it, wondering who might have snapped it up. It's a small world, folks, because follower Gail emailed me that she had successfully won the set after a long search. Would she share some pictures once she received the set? Yes!
Aren't the pieces wonderful?? I had seen mention of Add-a-Room sets in Dian Zillner's books, but they were from the 1940s and 50s. This obviously is squarely in the 1960s.
Anyone know anything? I know I would be very interested, as would Gail. Let me know!
And a big thanks to Gail for sharing!
If you like my blog and what I do, please consider logging in a daily vote for me in the Best Miniature Blog category in About.com's Readers' Choice Awards. With your votes, I am solidly in 4th place and have a really good chance at 3rd! I really appreciate your support! You can vote for Call of the Small HERE.
Don't we all have a holy grail list? I know I do, and it's hard to tell how long it will take to tick off each item. The Kaleidoscope House was on there, and it took over a year to cross that one off. Brio Mobilia pieces are on there too, and I have just happily crossed off one set: the office! It popped up on UK eBay as a regular auction recently, and then disappeared, only to come back as a BIN. There was a bathroom and kitchen set as well, all mint, as well as another office set. I actually tipped off a collector friend on the NIB kitchen set, which was on his holy grail list, and he snapped it up!
The office is a fab set, and I had so much fun working with it in the Villa Sibi. I devoted one side of the house to it and some other furnishings, including my first piece from the very talented Annina (check out her Etsy shop, here). See that lovely tulip-shaped mirror on the wall? Nice, huh? I also got some pillows, but have not used them yet.
I took a bit of a leap on the other side of the house. A while ago, I bought Ryan's Room "Bathroom and Bubbles" furniture that is geared toward the younger set. While a bit clunky, it is well-made and I decided to give it a whirl. Here's what the set looks like:
I've been in a big silver paint and Japanese washi tape phase, so I painted the faucets over and added a bit of tape to the tub. The pieces are a bit big here, I think, but I do like their simplicity.
What's on your wish list? ;)
Credits: Desk set is Brio Mobilia; rug is a Chilewich place mat; Medrazzo stool is Reac; zebra couch is vintage Creative Playthings; wall mirror is by Annina; wall plate is a scrapbook item; black and white mini artwork is from the Paper Source; coffee table is Lil Bratz; apple bowl, wastebasket, and plant are AG Minis; white shelving, globe, and recycling basket are Re-ment; divider is from the Villa Sibi; lucite bench is a vintage drawer pull; artwork is a postcard showing Kristian Vedel's birds from the Architect Made booth at the Gift Fair, edged in washi tape; bath set is Ryan's Room; rug is handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; bath mat is a window shade sample from Lowes; cork stool is from JoAnn's Fabric; flower pot is vintage German; artwork in bath is the packaging from an Ajiri Tea Company package (thanks, K!). Accessories are Re-ment, Liv, TOMY, AG Minis, ELF, Delph, Manor House Miniatures, Playmobil, beads, handmade by me, and random eBay finds.
THANKS for voting for me in the About.com Readers' Choice Awards for Best Miniature Blog! I am currently in 4th place, and have a chance at 3rd! Please log in a *daily* vote if you feel inspired HERE. You can vote through March 8. Much appreciated!
Whoa! It's the Bennett in the flesh, at Toy Fair 2011
I logged in some serious miles at the recent New York International Gift Fair and the Toy Fair, which both took place at the Javits Center in New York City in the past few weeks. These major events are open to the trade (and press, which is how I got to attend), and showcase the latest trends in design, playthings, house/home wares, and (many, many) related products. Major companies, small businesses, and individuals from all over the world attend to show and sell their products--it is a bonanza of ideas, people, wheeling and dealing, and its takes window shopping to a whole new level.
If you have never been, the shows are organized in long numbered rows, which hold booths that are grouped together by category; the aisles look like this:
Toy Fair
Gift Fair
So, this gives you a sense of the magnitude: multiply these pictures by about 100 and that's how much there is to see! The purpose of my visits to both was to see the offerings through my "mini goggles," but I had to be selective since I only had one day for each fair (both events run over a period of days). I will say that I got some *very* strange looks when I said I blogged about modern miniature design, but at least it was a good ice breaker.
The ice breaker was not needed at the brinca dadabooths, however, and I had the pleasure of meeting owner Doug Rollins at the Gift Fair and architect Tim Boyle at the Toy Fair to see their latest wares. Let's start off with Doug, who had the prototype for the new collapsible Dylan on display (I blogged about it here). Doug demonstrated the Dylan and answered a few questions for me as I drooled....please excuse my inadequate use of my kids' Flip camera (I need to get some tips from them!)
It was great to see the Dylan up close and imagine its potential (the scale is still undetermined, but likely will be close to 1:16). Doug let me know that originally there was to be a drawer that would hold a set of paper furniture, but that was abandoned in the interest of making this as light and portable as possible. The paper furniture will still be done, though, and Doug and Tim promise great modern fun. I'm intrigued!
When I met Tim at the Toy Fair, he, too, was kind enough to indulge my lame Flip work, and showed me the gorgeous, gorgeous 1:16 Bennett House. I was happy to see it there, and Tim admitted that it took some late night hours to get this lovely prototype into shape for the Fair! First, a video of Tim and this gem:
Fantastic, right? I really do love the lines and structure, especially the play possibilities when it is both open and closed. As Tim notes in the video, there will be a new line of furniture for the Bennett that will be sold as a group, as with the Emerson furniture. By the way, Tim did note that they are working with a new manufacturer for the Bennett and Dylan, and are confident that the quality woes encountered with the Emerson are behind them. Price on the Bennett: $500-600. Timing for the Bennett: Fall 2011.
Care for Some More Highlights from the Gift Fair?
The Jonathan Adler booth had a lovely showroom space, prominently situated at one of the main entrances. I enjoyed speaking with the staff there, including Starrett Zenko, who heads up marketing and PR for the brand. Will there be more minis from Jonathan (you may recall his line for Barbie's 50th Anniversary)? Not likely, at least not in the near future, but I noted that a shrink gun would come in mighty handy! I did notice Adler's "Junior" display of smaller items for the home...would LOVE those pillows in 1:12!
The "Accent on Japan" section was a real treat, and not surprisingly, there were lovely things to see. I was intrigued by mini paper instruments by Inatome, known as PePaKuRa, or the phonetic Japanese pronunciation for "paper craft." The instruments are laser cut, made out of a single sheet of paper, and they were amazing to see up close:
More paper craft in another booth:
And a mini garden!
Umbra was next on my list. I have many Umbra products that I use in my 1:1 life, but my mini use has involved the ingenious "Fish Condo, " which I enjoyed setting up as a sleek beach pad. Their booth had a storage cube that has serious mini potential:
Even some nice picture frames that could serve as a backdrop, or two could even be used to create a little minimalist environment:
This wall decoration is fantastic as well -- many possibilities here, for flooring, a wall divider, even a ceiling in a room box!
Nearby, there was a fantastic gathering of iconic mini chairs at Karen Alweil Studio's booth, featuring the Australian company Little Nest:
Yum!
The AMAC booth was like a candy store for us modern miniature collectors...
Little gems!
White opaque sleekness
OOOH! Black opaque!
Owner Steve Catechi was very intrigued and happy to see my open-mouthed reaction to the sea of beautiful plastic boxes, some gem colored, some shiny and opaque, in all shapes and sizes. HUGE mini potential here. Haven't we all used these boxes in some shape or form? The company has been around since the 1960s, and is recognized for its pure design by the Museum of Modern Art. I hope to share more from AMAC very soon!
Other Toy Fair Tidbits
One of the four major trends at this year's Toy Fair was "cent-sational," or the "pennies-per-play" model of mini collectibles and mini versions of toys already on the market at mini price points. Anyone else collect those LEGO action figures??? Speaking of LEGO, I thought of my buddy Pubdoll when I saw this LEGO car from the movie Cars, which was situated on the main floor. Over 100,000 pieces needed for that one!
The HaPe showroom was a highlight. The Sunshine Bamboo Dollhouse was on display, along with all of the funiture; while I have admired it on other blogs, it was nice to see it first hand. I had a long talk with the marketing head about the fun and challenges of producing and promoting these houses. I took some pics of the one they had on display, and admired the smooth, durable quality of the pieces.
We also discussed their new All Season Dollhouse, from their Educo division, which is a more straightforward structure, but still with an eco theme. I liked the hanging mod light and rocket ship accessory!
On to Plan Toys...we're all familiar with the Green Dollhouse, and I liked handling the furniture and seeing some new items, like the flower bed.
Cute, huh? I love how the felted flower buds are fashioned.
Along the way, another company caught my eye, Maxim Enterprise. They do make an eco dollhouse, the 3 Level Rotating Dollhouse, which has some potential, but I was intrigued by their new wooden modular rooms that you can fit together to create a dollhouse. All eco friendly as well.
They also were showing a barn that I thought could work as a studio to a larger house (sans the stalls), as well as a cute tree house that sprouted leaves! The Micro Timbers were pretty neat as well.
Some final eye candy that I love to use in my scenes: Tynies and the Beanie Eraserz, a line of new collectible erasers created by Ty and in partnership with the Japanese company Iwako. I love Tynies and am so glad my local toy shop carries them; it was good to see all the varieties here. Not just for kids, folks!
The Beanie line with Iwako is incredibly cute, and they feature "Beanie" colors. The eraser samples were on view in an enticing row of plastic dispensers, which attracted a lot of attention!
If you have read this far, thanks for your interest and patience! I had a blast at both fairs, and look forward to attending the next ones. If you went to any of the fairs as well, I'd love to hear your feedback!
Oh, a reminder to log in a *daily* vote for me in about.com's Reader's Choice Awards! I'm up for "Best Miniature Blog." I've received emails from some of you out there wondering why Call of the Small is in last place (or close to last place). If you don't vote daily (once per IP address), then I will stay there, folks! I appreciate your support! VOTE HERE! Voting ends March 8.
I was surprised to learn this week that I was chosen as a finalist in the Reader's Choice Awards on about.com in the category of "Best Miniature Blog."I am truly flattered and am really pleased to be in such good company with the other blogger nominees, each of whom takes a different, fun approach to their craft.
If you feel compelled to vote for me, I wouldn't stop you!
When you go to this page, you will see my blog listed along with the other four nominees; you can click on mine to read my take on modern minis, and then move on to vote. You may vote daily (once per IP address, per day) until March 8. You can see the most current results here. The winner will be chosen on March 15.
Thanks for voting! By the way, if you are not already familiar with Lesley Shepherd, you should be! Lesley is the Guide for miniatures on about.com, which is part of the New York Times Company. Lesley is very knowledgeable, and is always willing to answer your questions about all things mini. Please check out the miniatures forum, and sign up for Lesley's newsletter, too!
Wish me luck, and I really appreciate your support!
When I first got into modern minis in late 2008, I was in awe of the cutting edge style of the Kaleidoscope House and its furnishings, the sleek minimalism of the Villa Sibi, iconic Reac chairs, and vintage pieces from Lundby, TOMY, Brio, and others, which looked so incredibly fresh at 30 or 40 years old. As I continued to collect, I realized that actually there was a serious lack of modern furnishings, and I quickly sought out the work of artisans such as Elizabeth Le Pla (ELF Miniatures), Paris Renfroe (PRD Miniatures), and Doris Nathanson (minimodernistas)--all of whom were brought to the fore by Mini Modern in particular--and accumulated Re-ment in the hopes of a good fit for 1:12.
While I was (and am!) grateful to collect the aforementioned work, I gradually felt inspired to create modern interiors by repurposing commonly found items. So, you may have noticed that I often use place mats, coasters, dishes and bowls, ornaments, charms, scrap book paper, and many other odds and ends. My latest repurpose activity is a room box of sorts, constructed from four white lacquer tissue cover boxes ($7.99 each on clearance at my beloved Crate and Barrel outlet). I had the four pieces on my mantel for quite some time, trying to figure out how I could configure them. My hope was that I could fashion a minimalist haven like Pubdoll's Lego and Lundby masterpiece, here. No such luck. Then I thought I could do something that fanned open, but then they just looked like tissue box covers at awkward angles.
Then I came up with a square shape out of the rectangles, and I challenged myself to furnish each room, as if a house. Since I had the boxes sitting in a room that I pass through many times, I always thought of new things to place or add, so, I'd throw things in here or there and hope that I'd sort them out later.
Well, here are the results...a "house" with a kitchen, living room, bath, nursery, and bedroom!
I considered adding a Lundby patio set on top, and still might. I did the finishing touches today, including coverage for the open "window" panes. I used Chilewich place mats for the living room and bedroom, and a West Elm place mat for the kitchen shade. The nursery has something a bit more unconventional -- a tree! Flooring in the house is embossed felt and scrap book paper.
In the kitchen, did you notice that I mixed vintage Lundby with the new Lundby Stockholm accessories? The cup for the espresso machine is impossibly tiny, even looks small for 1:16!
The sculpture up in the bedroom is a memo clip (with the clip taken off) strung with beads. Other beads and jewelry were used on the walls there. The bathroom light fixture consists of two beads glued together.
This was challenging and fun. I am toying with entering this into an exhibit at an arts center nearby that has a call for any type of sculptural work...but then I would have some serious tacky waxing to do!!!
UPDATE, 2/8/11: I always upload my pictures to Flickr after I post on my blog, but this time, I noticed that one of the pictures of the whole tissue box structure kept getting views and comments. It was "Explored" by Flickr, meaning that it really resonated with viewers on the site! My photo was one of the top ten most "interesting" on February 6 -- you can see it listed with others here: http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/2011/02/06/. Go minis!
Credits: Kitchen: Stove and sink are vintage Lundby; light is minimodernistas; shade is a West Elm placemat; dog is from a kid's game called Lucky Puppy Math; flooring is scrap book paper from JoAnn Fabrics. Living Room: couch and lamp are vintage Lundby; side table is Re-ment; cork table and scrap book paper flooring is from JoAnn Fabrics; carpet squares are by Paris Renfroe; window treatment is a Chilewich place mat; wall planter is from Manor House Miniatures. Nursery: crib and rocking horse are by brinca dada; lamp is a vintage eBay find; shelving is Re-ment; flooring is scrap book paper from Michaels; tree and sandcastle are Jolees. Bath: sink and toilet are vintage Lundby; carpet square is Paris Renfroe; light is made of two beads from JoAnn Fabrics. Bedroom: bed is vintage German; coverlet and pillow are Bozart; file boxes are ELF Miniatures; sculpture is a memo clip from Crate and Barrel with beads from JoAnn Fabrics; flooring is embossed felt from Michaels; window treatment is a Chilewich place mat. Roof: the planter is a napkin holder from Bed, Bath, and Beyond with an aquarium plant from Petco. Accessories are Lundby, Re-ment, ELF Miniatures, Manor House Miniatures, Japanese erasers, and random toy store and hobby store finds.
Re-ment: I have written about the Re-ment in this scene with one exception: the loaf of bread in the bag in the kitchen is from Natalie's French Goods #4, and is good for 1:12.
Reconstruction of cutouts for "Noah's Ark," by Antonio de Lara, from the catalogue Toys of the Avant-Garde
In a few weeks I will be headed to the Toy Fair in New York City to check out the latest and greatest in toys, with an eye toward products for adults and kids alike that are dollhouse-related or are items that can be used in modern dollhouse environments.
My first stop at the Fair will be the brinca dada booth. As many of you know, brinca dada is the toy company behind the 1:16 scale Emerson House, which premiered at last year's Fair and has ended up in many of your homes. I heard from owner Doug Rollins (whose partner is architect Tim Boyle) that not only are they aiming to have their gorgeous Bennett on display at the Fair, but they are also unveiling a new house, the Dylan. Doug shared a preview of this new creation, which is...collapsible and extremely cool-looking!
Check this out this demo:
video courtesy of brinca dada
Amazing, right? Doug said that the house is ideal for the "modern doll house lover and apartment dweller" and can easily slide "under a bed or behind a couch." The house will carry a price tag of between $149-$179, according to Doug. The house has design elements evocative of the Emerson, such as the flooring and style of the roof. I do love the walls of windows and the bi-level design. And, of course, I love the idea of a collapsible house, having seen the potential of my 1940s pop-up, my 1960s Instant Doll House, and even my new 1960s Bodo Hennig school house. Doug and Tim are still working on the specs, so they could not yet share materials or scale, or details like whether or not there will be stairs. I look forward to talking more with Doug at the Fair, and will fill you in soon!
On a related note, I wanted to share some photos from a book that accompanied an exhibition of Toys of the Avant-Garde, which is on view at the Picasso Museum in Malaga, Spain until January 30.
It is a lovely catalogue of children's toys, books, posters, dolls, furniture, and many other aspects of play in the avant-garde style from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book features essays by curators and other experts on the stylistic influences of play in different countries and cultures, highlighting the designs of artists including Picasso, Klee, Calder, Duchamp, and many others. Here are some of my favorite pictures (it was difficult to choose!):
Any surprise that this a high chair by Gerrit Rietveld?
Now THAT's a cradle!
The catalogue, which was printed in separate editions in English and Spanish, retails for about $40 through Amazon or Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. I acquired mine through Barnes & Noble and with my membership and a coupon, it was $35. Well worth it!
Browsing through the catalogue reminded me to share a little toy that I recently purchased: a boxed wooden train marked "East Germany." It is such a simple, timeless design, and will hopefully work well in one of my 1:10 scale houses; I put it next to a 1:10 scale chair for comparison:
Lastly...I have a few special mini vintage "toys" in my collection that are lovely, but I am finding that I will likely not use in my houses. I wanted to offer them up to my readers, in the hope that one or a few of you might like to add them to your own collections. They are very special, and I wanted to offer them here first before trying eBay or something similar.
They are:
A vintage boxed set of Brio Mobilia dining room furniture, 1:16 scale:
The box is a bit worn, especially at the corners, but is unopened and the furniture looks to be in mint condition. As you can see, it is labeled "Djursholm 38380." I believe it is from the late 1960s or early 1970s.
The other two pieces came as part of a lovely lot of 1950s German furniture that I bought back in spring 2009, and are closest to 1:10 scale. I found out that the pieces came from Haus Kathrin (you can see my post here), a stunning 1950s era house.
A wooden television set, missing a leg, but easily fixed. The wiring and plug is completely intact, but I have not been able to test it.
A corner-shaped fireplace, covered in litho paper and also wired. There is a red bulb behind the wires, so I have to assume it is meant to light up to simulate the heat of a roaring fire!
If you are interested in any of these gems, please email me an offer at call-small(at)call-small(dot)com. First come, first served. Thanks!
My newest acquisition is a lovely vintage German Haefner & Krullmann bungalow, which dates from the early 1960s. I first saw this house on the wonderful puppenhausmusem website, here, a few years ago, where the house is said to be from 1964. Blogger and collector diepuppenstubensammlerin has the same house, which she wrote about last June, and she places the house at 1962. You can see pictures and other information at the above links -- please check them out!
This is my first bungalow. I love the simplicity of the layout and midcentury lines, and it is able to be put together and taken apart quite easily. I want to give you a little tour of this gem, which now sits in our living room (it's the only place for it, actually...my basement doll house room cannot take any more occupants until we mount some shelving on the walls).
Putting it together was pretty straightforward, thankfully because the eBay seller (who bought the house last fall in Laupheim, Germany) had carefully wrapped and organized the parts and even provided the screws on an I.D. sheet.
First, the base and flooring...
Then the first half...
And the house! All the flooring is original, as is the lovely antenna and wall of flowers on the patio.
Sadly, the front door is missing as is the patio fence and the partition between the kitchen and what is meant as the bedroom (where's the bathroom???). I think I can fashion a partition with some nice papers, and I may see if Elizabeth, the magician at ELF, can do a new door and fence for me (she did a set of doors for my Large VERO, you can see them here).
There is also some yellowing on one of the outside walls, but I think I might be able to cover those spots with a paint that matches.
A window box also has a few plants missing...perhaps my love of aquarium plants will come into play. :) The kitchen and dining furniture came with the house, and fits well here. I do love the Modella kitchen pieces, with their "stainless" trim. Very cool!
It was fun furnishing the house a bit...
Vintage Bodo Hennig Lamp
Thanks for visiting number 24!
I hope to have more fun with this house -- let's hope my four year old does not feel the same way!
UPDATE, 1/25/11: Thanks (again!) to blogger and collector diepuppenstubensammlerin, I now know that the white floor lamp is by Bodo Hennig, and the red stool in the kitchen is as well. On the lamp, she shared a Bodo Hennig advertisement from 1969 that shows a series of lamps, and it appears mine is an amalgam of the top of one (L11 in photo below), and the bottom of another (see L12)! Diepuppenstubensammlerin noted that since Hennig products were imported to the U.S., and they had different product lines, that there might have been variations such as this. Here is the photo -- thanks again, diepuppenstubensammlerin!!!
ANOTHER UPDATE, 1/27/11: Diepuppenstubensammlerin has also confirmed that the kitchen pieces, including the refrigerator, stove, etc., as well as the table, chairs, and tea set, are all Modella. She shared a picture from her Flickr photostream that shows the boxed set from theToy Museum of Nürnberg, dated 1970 (LOVE that clock!):
THANKS!!
Credits: Kitchen pieces are Modella; chair in living room is Crailsheimer; bookcase, chaise, dining pieces, and patio chairs are vintage German; lamp and kitchen stool are Bodo Hennig; rug is a piece of embossed felt from Michaels. Accessories are Re-ment, Bozart, and eBay finds.
Thanks to the 29 followers who entered my Love Giveaway! I appreciate your nice comments, and I am pleased to reveal the winning number, as produced by the Random Integer Generator. Drum roll...
Number 7! Caroline wins it -- congrats! Please email me your mailing address and I will send your goodies off!
This picture of me is dated March 1980. I was on the cusp of ten years old, perhaps around the time TOMY put out its 1:16 scale Smaller Home and Garden dollhouse. Instead of coloring a picture in my striped pink suspenders (WHAT was I thinking???), I should have been begging my Mommy for my very own Smaller Home and Garden.
So...for quite some time I have been keeping my peepers out for one. One of the first scenes I did on this blog was with the bathtub and living room chairs-- just some of the many pieces that were manufactured with the house-- so I have a special fondness for this gem. As a child of the 70s, it speaks to me! For a time warp, check out this YouTube video of the original TV commercial for the house.
Well, the big day arrived and I now am movin' on into my TOMY. Mine came in its original box (with directions):
Here is the front of the house after I put it all together. It's crammed next to my large VERO.
The construction is very straightforward, but the directions were helpful when it came to the smaller roof...tricky, tricky. The chimney is still not completely flush, so I still need to fiddle with that. I was pleased to see that the second floor piece was not warped; I often see these houses for sale with sloped or buckled flooring.
The house is in used, but very good, condition, and I purchased it from a seller on eBay from whom I have acquired other TOMY items, such as my beloved rectangular potted plant. I think I have used that thing in more scenes than any other accessory! Despite my leanings toward complete laziness about the original adhesive wallpaper (not to my liking), I forced myself to address the upper floors over the Christmas holidays. The ground floor does not have any papers at all, which is nice.
Here's what the upper floor pieces looked like:
The papers were in OK condition, but preferred not to leave them. I decided to stay true to the creme and blue color scheme, and used some very nice vintage textured wallpaper that I purchased at a dollhouse store on Long Island for the long bedroom wall (I cleaned the store out of every sheet-- about $3.50 per sheet, on sale).
I love the neutral tone and subtle texture. The small bath adjacent to the bedroom needed a little blue "pop," though. So, I used some Japanese folding paper for an accent wall, and papered the other two with the creme paper.
I neglected to paper the fair right wall by the stairwell, and have left it for now. I'll likely use the same creme paper.
This is a very fun house to photograph. The windows and flooring are great. You'll see that I used a "rug" of sorts in the bedroom -- this is a cut up place mat from West Elm ($4.95 on sale). I finally got a pair of Reac zigzag chairs, too! Love them, but they are smaller than 1:12 scale, which is why they work well here.
Thanks for tuning in to my retro moment! I hope to set up the bottom floors soon.
A reminder about my Love Giveaway: it ends at midnight (EST) TOMORROW, January 15, so hop on over to that post and comment!
Credits: Bath: sink is Dolls House Emporium; light is Lil' Bratz; rug is a window shade sample from Lowes; tub is a soap dish from Crate and Barrel with a Mighty World funnel; table is Re-ment. Bedroom: bed is vintage German; rectangular rug is by Peppercorn Minis; green rug is a West Elm place mat; chairs are Reac; plant and lamp are vintage Lundby. Accessories are minimodernistas, Re-ment, and eBay finds.
Plywood Prints LOVE by Alexander Girard from All Modern
If I do not say it enough, let me say it now: I truly, truly appreciate my followers and the community of ideas, support, and group love of things mini. January marks the start of my third year of blogging (you can see my very first post here), and of course the start of a new year. I am offering a giveaway for all of my followers in acknowledgment of and thanks for your enthusiasm and encouragement!
You are likely aware of the fact that I like to repurpose everyday items in my dollhouses. This inspired the majority of this giveaway -- I offer you a selection of items that I would absolutely use:
The photo shows a stunning vinyl Chilewich placemat (14 x 19"), a set of colorful plastic coasters, a 1:87 Schuco love Bug, magnetic geometric shapes, and two boxes of Re-ment. With the exception of the Re-ment and car, which both come from my collection, the items were purchased at the gift shop at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Some closeups of the freebies:
And here's the individual sets you'll receive from the Re-ment "Bread and Butter" and "I Love Kyoto" sets, which I have used many times! Both sets will come in their original box and sealed packaging, and have only been opened to check the contents.
To enter in the giveaway, you must be a follower, domestic or international. Please leave a comment on this post bymidnight (EST) on Saturday, January 15. I will then choose one winner using the Random Integer Generator, and will ship your items off. Have fun and thanks for entering! GIVEAWAY CLOSED
On the topic of love, I wanted to share that one of my photographs was accepted into a juried art show at my local coffee house, Small World Coffee, in Princeton, NJ! They are having their second annual Love Show, and I entered on a lark on the last day they were accepting submissions. The theme is yes, love, so I set up a very red scene in my AG Minis room box. The photograph they chose is entitled, Love is Color, Color is Love.
If you are in or near Princeton on Friday, February 4, please come to the opening reception (8-11 p.m.). There will be work by local artists on view, music, and food, and all the proceeds will go to a wonderful local organization, D&R Greenway Land Trust. Let me know if you'll be there! And if you cannot attend the opening event, the exhibit will be on view through March 1.
Who knew that school room boxes could be so addictive! I already have one, purchased last spring on US eBay, and I have now acquired another, also from US eBay ($30). Unlike my other school room, this one came in its original box, which was a complete surprise! It is odd the seller did not mention this, but I was happy to see it.
Here is the box, and then its original price tag:
You'll see that it is clearly from the legendary toy store F.A.O. Schwarz, in New York City, which was founded in 1862. I am not sure what the "19-69" is -- I doubt it is for "1969," since this school room looks like it dates earlier, but I am not completely sure.
When I opened the box, I saw that the room box was a fold up variety, which is very neat indeed, so clever! I immediately saw that the condition of the item was pristine, also a nice surprise.
The bottom pieces is clearly stamped "Made in Germany."
As I was doing some more research about F.A.O., I noted that the store's founder, Frederick Schwartz, was a German immigrant, so it is not a huge surprise that the store imported German items. I have read this before, and I even suspected that my other room box was of the same type, as it is stamped "GERMANY."
The pieces easily fit together, and I also figured out how to incorporate the window sill with the flowers, which the seller said she could not set in properly. The piece comes apart and then the dowels fit into the sill area.
I love the flooring...
This particular school room has inhabitants -- a school teacher and two young students. The dolls are Caco with plastic feet, and also in very good condition. Teacher even has her original label.
It says "Made in Germany" and "Biegsam" with the Caco logo. I am sure some of you are familiar with this name...? She is lovely, and she will keep her wrist tag.
Other items that came with the room include twelve Bodo Hennig books, as well as a watering can (also Hennig?), three glasses, four student desks and chairs and the teacher's desk and chair.
The map on the wall is in English, as is the wording on the front...
Please share if you have any information on this school room and I will also keep investigating links to this piece (which is also not a real estate hog in my progressively cramped doll house room)!
UPDATE, 12/31/10: Reader diepuppenstubensammlerin has identified my school room as one made by Bodo Hennig in the early 1960s for F.A.O. Schwarz. Please see the comments for her full response. Thanks, diepuppenstubensammlerin! I have learned a lot from you this year, and appreciate your expertise and your informative blog!
Layers of snow have buried our vacation plans to fly and visit with family, an unfortunate kink in life's plans that has me looking on the bright side. I have so much to be thankful for this year -- family, work, health -- but this year was also truly amazing for its big surprises. Complete serendipity reigned. From the New York Times article, to the Design Within Reach event, to meeting fellow bloggers, to continuing to find inspiration for mini scenes and the rehab of houses...these happenings, events, people, and things all have been incredible experiences in their own way, and I am utterly grateful for them.
I look forward to another year of creating and sharing, and I have gained so much from others who too have shared their vision of things small. I am also very appreciative of my followers, who now number 335 -- thank you!
By the way, the picture in this post is my way of sharing that I am now engaged in an exciting project that just emerged in the past few weeks. I'll be able to share more in the next few months if all goes well. I also hope to post on a new house and some other interesting acquisitions soon, but if it is not before the new year, best wishes for a happy, fun-filled 2011!
