At the Show - Exhibits

This week's exhibit is from the 2007 Good Sam Show. Michael Puff took a workshop from Rik Pierce, Frogmorton Studios, to build the Three Bears Cottage. Michael made the structure into "McTavish Toy Shoppe and Fairy Garden." He also incorporated a Fairy Garden. For landscaping, he bought  florals from fine artisans at the Good Sam Show or used kits. His mother, Martha Puff, furnished the interior with her collection of miniature toys. The structure is now part of the Kaye Browning Miniature Collection at the Kentucky Gateway Museum. To see more of Rik Pierce's designs, go to http://www.frogmorton.com,  http://community.webshots.com/user/rikpierce.

McTavish Toy Shoppe

Front stoop of McTavish Toy Shoppe.

The corner of the Fairy Garden.

Bench with wee fat fairy and fairy food, fluttering fairies, lots of garden flowers and more.

Pool with frolicking fairies and ducks.

 Corner of the garden with climbing rose bush, fairies and a pair of foxes.

Interior of McTavish Toy Shoppe.

First floor of McTavish Toy Shoppe.

Mr. McTavish's workroom.

At the Show - Store Fixtures

Mike Botkin, Miniature Cottage Shop, has attended Good Sam three of the last four years.  His basswood store fixtures range from the 1800s to modern and are available in 1" or 1/2" scales. Pieces can be special ordered in hardwood. Plexiglas counters are finished with a general store, bakery, ice cream/candy shop in mind. Shelving is made in over sixty sizes and all shelves are removable. 1mcminis@att.net 

Old General Store Post Office cubbyhole display.

Sideboard/buffet with wine storage rack.

Handcrafted wood row boat unit for books and/or curios.

Wood store fixture for displaying knitting yarn, embroidery, trims and fabrics.

At the Show - Figures

For more than ten years, Gayle Clausen of GayleDolls has been making reasonably priced 1:12 scale dolls. She has attended Good Sam since 2006. Gayle specializes in everyday working men and women with attitude. Popular sellers are her waiters, shopkeepers, older folks, Red Hat Society ladies, storybook characters, Christmas carolers and several versions of Santa Claus. gayledolls@cox.net, www.gayledolls.com

Fisherman with boots and waders by Dolls Cobbler. Wheelbarrow by Shaker Works West. Accessories by Terri's Mini Workshop. All will be at the 2012 Show.

Red Hat Society lady on handmade go-kart.

Hazel--a free spirit in fancy hat and warm coat.

Geppetto and his puppet Pinocchio. Geppetto holds quarter-scale puppets of both of them.

Shoe shine boy and customer.

Singer belting out a song.

An honest seaman or happy pirate.

The quilt maker.

At the Show - Accessories

Teri's Mini Workshop has been coming to Good Sam for at least 16 years. In business for about 37 years, this workshop makes more than 600 reasonably priced 1:12 scale miniatures to outfit dollhouses, shops and room boxes. In addition to the lines shown here, products are offered for pets, hunting, fishing, beauty parlor, scrapbooking and more. Do stop by her table at the 2012 show. There is something for everyone.

Some handmade items available for the garden.

Handcrafted items for the kitchen. Sink from Shellie's Miniature Mania.

Here are a few products for the bath.

Paint easel and Yellow Ducky rug from children and nursery.

Some of the handmade medical supplies available.

Handcrafted nautical and shell shop items.

Handcrafted sporting goods. Counter from Shellie's Miniature Mania.

From screwdrivers to a filled tool case, everything imaginable is available for a workshop. Shop table from Shellie's Miniature Mania.

At the Show - Exhibits

The 1:12 scale exhibits displayed here were photographed by Connie Sauve at the 2008 Good Sam Show.

This delightful room box with plexiglas on two sides and on top is a perfect venue for the cat lover and her many cats. Doll by Gayle Clausen, gayledolls.com. The exhibitor's name is unknown.

Miniature replica of a "See's Candies" shop. Since 1921, See's Candies has been manufacturing and distributing candy--particularly chocolate--in the western United States. The exhibitor's name is unknown.

"It's A Piece of Cake" from Cynthia Howe's collection. The unfinished store front box from Keith Ballhagen Woodcraft (deceased 2007) was finished by her friend Moonyeen Moller. The shop showcases Cynthia's collection of cakes by Carolyn Brown, Maple Leaf Miniatures. www.mapleleafminiatures.ca. See "My Miniatures" on Cynthia's website for additional photographs. cynthiahoweminiatures.com

At the Show - Quarter-Scale

This week, we share the work of three quarter-scale artisans who attended the 2011 Good Sam Show and are scheduled to be at the 2012 Show.

Gayle Clausen, GayleDolls, creates a line of quarter-scale dolls in addition to her 1:12 scale figures. She finds it great fun to make wee every day folks, shopkeepers, waiters, food service workers, maids, peddlers, Christmas carolers, pirates, and more. All characters are about 1-1/4" tall. Gayle has been a dealer at Good Sam the last six years. gayledolls@cox.net, http://www.gayledolls.com/

An ordinary gentleman.

Spanish maiden.

Christmas Carolers.

Quilter, peddler, and garden sprite riding a dragon.

Teeney and Peggy having a pillow fight.

A red-haired maid and lady peddler.

Circus ring-master and clown.

For the past twenty years, Samantha Murray, Samantha Creations, has been creating miniatures. She brought her quarter-scale furniture to Good Sam for the first time in 2011. In addition to miniatures, Samantha paints floor cloths and creates jewelry. She sells at shows and through her Etsy shop. SamanthaCreations@sbcglobal.net, www.etsy.com/shop/SamanthaCreations

Chippendale style dining set with upholstered seats and matching breakfront.

Faux leather tufted club chair and sofa with wingback chair. Bookcase, coffee table, and grandfather clock in mahogany finish.

Windsor style living room set in an animal print with brown "leather" wingback chair. Walnut finished tables.

Walnut finished upright piano next to a mahogany finished baby grand piano.

Mahogany four poster bed and kidney shaped vanity with stool. Mirrored dresser, night stand, and armoire.

Mel Yost, Mel's Miniatures, handcrafts imaginative quarter-scale cottages and aged buildings. He transforms natural woods, conifer cones, lava rocks and other bits of nature into enchanting structures. Mel's unique 1/4" scale rustic furniture is made out of the same manzanita and bitterbrush woods used for cottages. Do stop by Mel's table and enjoy his picturesque out-of-the-ordinary creations.  MelvinJanet@aol.com

Quaint quarter-scale tree house with glass copper-trimmed windows. Open at back, lighted. Aged wooden ladders to climb up to tree house.

Lighthouse with hand-cut cedar shake roof, open at back, lighted, quarter-scale. Glass windows on top have copper trim and handmade aged rope.

Quarter-scale cottage on maple slab base. Bitterbrush wood slices over front door, red brick front, aged pine wood on the stairs.

Quarter-scale thatched roof English cottage on unique maple slab base. Whimsical stove pipe chimney.

Old-style 1/4" building of plaster, handmade brick and seasoned wood on walnut burl base. Adorned with gold-colored decorations for a vintage look.

At the Show - Exhibits

This week's exhibit is Cynthia Howe's quarter-scale Bliss Street displayed at the 2011 Good Sam Show. It consists of a row of six Bliss houses complete with landscaping and accessories. Each house is an exact replica of an authentic Bliss dollhouse produced in the early 1900s by Bliss Mfg. Co., Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The company pioneered in the development of lithographed paper on wooden dollhouses and toys. Cynthia is currently offering four 144th scale "Little Bit o'Bliss" dollhouse kits on her website. cynthiahoweminiatures.com  All photos are courtesy of Connie Sauve.