At the Show - Exhibits

This week's exhibits from past Good Sam Shows have a "food" theme.

1:12th scale exhibit by Joanne LeMay from 2011 show. Poem written by Carol Vasil and doll dressed by Jeane Price. All three belong to the Mini-Friends Club of San Mateo County.  An established club for thirty years, Mini-Friends exhibits at Good Sam every year.

"Mini-Friends 30th Anniversary Recipe"
Ingredients:
7 special friends
1 overflowing cup of miniatures
3 good measures of laughter
2 bunches of presents
Steps:
Stir every 4th Tuesday with happiness and humor, add memories of friends past, pour into a heart of smiles and fun, bake in an oven of friendship, serve with warmth and compassion.

Cake Walk in 1:12 scale. Won as a door prize at 2008 NAME National, Nashua, N.H. and embellished by Mary Fish, Pleasanton, CA. Exhibited at 2009 Good Sam Show.

Uncle Karl's Cheese Shop in 1:12 scale by Moonyeen Moeller, San Mateo, CA. Dolls by Sharon Cariola, Dolls Mine, San Diego, CA. Exhibited at the 2009 Good Sam Show.

From the Chairman

I am very sad to tell you that Pat Carter, Good Sam Show Committee, died January 5, 2012. She had many abdominal surgeries with mixed results, and did not make it through her most recent surgery.

When Good Sam first started the White Elephant Sale, whoever was available at "Grand Central Station" helped price and sell what had been donated. Sometimes it was a bit chaotic. It certainly was not organized. Pat was there at Grand Central, just hanging out and helping where she could. Slowly but surely, she began to concentrate on the White Elephant Sale, and she did it so well. It became her baby. In recent years we have made from $1,000 to $2,000 on the sales between her expertise and the generous donations of miniaturists.

Pat had a miniature store at one time and a miniature club in Eureka. She was a fount of knowledge about miniatures. In recent times Pat has written a column for the NAME Gazette. 

At Pat's request there will be no services.

I will miss her ready smile and calm demeanor. Pat was a special person.

Pat Carter

At the Show - Furniture Artisans

As an ongoing series, we will share photos of some of the fine creations available from artisans and dealers at the 2011 Show.  Many of these individuals will be returning to the 2012 Show. Jurying takes place in February of this year. The dealer list will be announced later in the spring. We will keep you informed.

Here are three of the fine furniture artisans from the 2011 Good Sam Show.

Dr. Ken Byers, www.shakerworkswest.com, hand crafts miniature Shaker and Country primitive furniture, antique globes, typewriters, washing machines, clocks, and many other wonderful artisan collectibles. He has been a Good Sam dealer since about 1996.

Shaker inspired Side Table with working drawers. Floral arrangement by The Minikin Florist.

Shaker Cobblers Bench. Accessories kit includes set of shoe lasts, leather boots, and shoemaker tools.

1850's wood ice box with handcrafted hardware, 2 inch and 1 inch scale.

Ferd Sobol, I.G.M.A. Fellow, www.soboleditions.com, started in miniatures almost thirty years ago. The Federal Period is Ferd's favorite for the exquisite limited edition 1:12 scale furniture that he handcrafts with perfection. He has been a dealer at Good Sam since 1993.

Piecrust Table Second Edition with a pair of Ladies Hand Caned Chairs.

Vanity Wardrobe with matching stool. Serpentined closet doors, mirrored vanity, and 14K gold hardware, pre-wired. 

Exquisite Ladies Personal Desk and Hand Caned Chair. Fall front drop top opens to reveal interior cubbyhole compartments above a dovetailed drawer.

Geoff Wonnacott Miniature Cabinetmaker, IGMA Fellow, England, handcrafts 1:12 scale authentic furniture reproductions. He uses the finest materials often sourced from antique furniture. Geoff has been a Good Sam dealer the last two years and taught a workshop in 2011. www.geoffrey.wonnacott.org

Sheraton chess table with Staunton chess pieces turned and carved in ebony and boxwood. Mahogany Stick Splat chair. 

Louis XVI Parquetry Cylinder Bureau made in rosewood and ebony with gilt metal figures. 

Louis XVI small gilt gueridon and neoclassic gilt chair (c.1790)

At the Show - Exhibit

Silk Fabric Shop by Polly Morris, Oakland Hills, CA exhibited at the 2010 Good Sam Show. Our photographer Michael Puff took the photo below, which appears on the cover of the January 2012 issue of American Miniaturist. The article showcases three of Polly's 1:12 scale creations, two of which he photographed at Good Sam. Polly provides lots of great Tips and Tricks.

Silk Fabric Shop by Good Sam exhibitor Polly Morris.

Elegant silk drapery, hand-painted chest and framed button display.

Introducing the Good Sam Blog

As we ring in 2012, Good Sam is proud to introduce its new blog. In our first posts of the year, we will bring you photo highlights from the October 2011 Good Sam Showcase of Miniatures.

Here we will be regularly posting updates about the upcoming 2012 show scheduled for October 6 and 7 at the Doubletree Hotel, San Jose, CA. Please join us and keep yourself informed.

We are not sure what all to do with this site yet. If you have any cool ideas for what should be in it, let me know. I’d be glad to hear from you!

The show provides key funding for the PlaneTree Health Library's free community services, http://www.planetreesanjose.org.

Barbara Jones, Chairman, northbaj@att.net
http://goodsamshowcase.miniature.net/

Barbara Jones, General Chairman and Phyllis Hedman, Dealer Chairman, Finance.

From the 2007 Good Sam Show with a Circus theme.

Good Sam's a Cover Girl

The January/February 2012 issue of Dollhouse Miniatures magazine put the Good Sam Show on the cover. The Landman Gallery exhibit from the collection of Barbara Davis, IGMA Guild School Director, has pride of place. (Thank you, DHM!) 

Jan/Feb 2012 Dollhouse Miniatures magazine

The Good Sam Show coverage is divided into two sections in the magazine. Part one is devoted to exceptional miniature from fine artisans, craftsmen and general dealers. Part two focuses on the Workshops offered, some of the kits available, and a few highlights from the exhibits on display.

From the Chairman - Exhibits

Thirty-six years ago--in 1976--the ladies of the Good Samaritan Hospital League added a new fundraiser based on some members’ love of miniatures. They put on a display (no sales) of miniatures at a local community center and asked for donations at the door. They called it the Showcase of Miniatures and, over the years, it has become commonly known as the Good Sam Show. The 1977 show was also only displays. Then, in 1978, a few dealers were invited to attend and the show grew from there.  

We are very proud of our display area and that it has stayed vibrant over the past 36 years. We welcome exhibits, new or from the past, and are eager for participation from first time exhibitors. More information can be found on our website.

Each week, we will share an exhibit or exhibits with you from a recent Good Sam Show.

Bliss Street is a row of six quarter-scale replica Bliss houses, landscaping and accessories. Each house is an exact replica of an authentic Bliss house produced in Rhode Island in the early 1900s. Exhibit in 2011 by Cynthia Howe.