Dallas Miniature Showcase 2018

So last weekend I got to take a mini vacation!  Literally and figuratively!  It's been two years since I've attended the Dallas Miniature Showcase (Dallas Mini Show 2016 Adventure) and the show has a new promoter so it seemed like a good excuse to go crash at my BFF's house in Texas and have a fun girls' weekend!  (This is a long blog entry, but there's a lot of pretty photos of miniatures so I recommend you stick with it! LOL)

Still happy to be going despite the multiple flight delays due to bad weather in Dallas

Descending into Dallas

Still a little hazy due to the bad weather they had that morning

The highway looks miniature from the air!

My friend and I spent some time playing with her miniature projects, from electrifying a dollhouse baby house (1:144 scale) to shingling her toy store and shingling a Greenleaf house she is donating to a good cause, to laying out her future projects (her hunting lodge, a Harry Potter scene for her nephew, her bakery, and her oriental scene); we accomplished a lot in a day and a half! She also demonstrated scenic grass for me (more on that later in this blog).

The new show promoter also had out several tables for people to display their creations they've been working on (to motivate those of us low on inspiration lately).  My BFF displayed her Tiki Hut Cabana (2014 Post about Tiki Hut) and a Truck scene (pics later in blog).  Unfortunately, due to the weather I suspect, not many people brought exhibits to share.

My BFF Julie's Cabana she made in honor of her close friend Carol

Marc Mead shared his display (sorry interior shots have a bit of a haze to them - that's the plexi and I kept getting a reflection no matter how hard I tried not to):

I almost missed the dome ceiling! Sometimes not being graceful and almost falling over gives you a new perspective on viewing things. (Yes, that was a fancy way of saying I almost fell while leaning over to look into the box, but in the process I happened to see the ceiling).

The sitting room adjoining the bedroom

And Sandra (whose miniature business had a table at the show -- I bought little eggs from her 2 years ago) put out an exhibit as well -- I love how she filled the windows!

Sandra's little shop

Love how the little black/white check in the window mimics the flooring inside!

The local miniature club had out displays of their project they had worked on in a recent club meeting:

I loved those so much I'm thinking I'm going to make one too!

I'm not sure who brought this exhibit (there was no name on it) but it was breath-taking!

Simply stunning!  I'd love to know if the person who created it made it in a class (I do recall an advertised class to create a box similar to this) or if s/he came up with the design themselves!

I also took random photos of some things I loved but could never afford (LOL):

Julia Stewart's Aristocratic Attic table was a glittery, feathery, sparkly distraction of goodies (jthoreson77@gmail.com)...

Julia's flamingos brought a smile to my face!  I loved them!

Wilson from Dollhouse Linens & More (will55@windstream.net) had so many beautifully dressed beds and dining room pieces!

Dollhouse Land (lauracrain2@aol.com) had some lovely...Shabby Chic? Country French? How about I just say "lovely miniatures" because I'm awful at identifying decor style!

My favorite doll dresser Tish of Versailles Fashion Dolls (tishtierney@yahoo.com) had a table (and yes, a doll may have ended up coming home with me)...

This lady and her naughty kitty could be it's own scene all by itself!

This Flapper would look stunning in an art deco modern setting

BFF says she's tudor; I thought she was more Edwardian. But then again, I am terrible at identifying decor/time period styles so let's trust BFF.

Sir Tom Thumb (pkinney@miniaturewoodcreations.com) had some interesting miniatures...if it exists in real life, it's available in miniature somewhere! LOL.

Is that a....

...Yup.  It's a guillotine.

I'm not sure whose table this was (Miniature Designs out of GA, maybe?) but someone brought this to sell:

Replica of Chip and Joanna Gaines shed

Love how the light comes thru the doorways!

I bought these goodies from a New Zealand business, Tiny Finery (janisaham@gmail.com; Tiny Finery's Etsy shop however she admitted she doesn't put much up in her Etsy shop and it's better to just email her):

Shoes came packaged in a shoe box and shopping bag!

I don't like shoes in real life, but I am getting quite a collection of them in miniature.

And then there's this little piece...

Not just a clown for me

I know to you it looks like a clown toy (and that's all it was to me too when I first saw it and debated about buying it for my Mansion's nursery shelf).  But this little clown has a sweet story.  Most other items on this artist's table were more expensive than I wanted to spend so I assumed this little un-priced toy would also be expensive, but I kept going back and picking him up to look at him. A member of the local mini club was standing there purchasing things and noticed me constantly going back to look at the clown.  So she asked how much it was and proceeded to put it on her bill and then gave it to me! She something along the lines of, "If you go back to something more than twice cuz you like it, then you need to own it!"  I was speechless -- how wonderful that there is such a generous, kind lady out there in the world!  I'm certain my socially awkward "thank you" didn't come out sounding right, mostly because I stuttered something about thinking of her whenever I looked at a clown.

Some other goodies I got from various vendors/artists:

C is for Cookie!

"I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love."

And now for a collection of photos of my BFF's work (she makes incredible scenes!).  She has them scattered around her house:

Her Santa Stall

Constructed in a Ron Hubble class, she finished it off and decorated it after making it

She made more than 3/4 of the books in this scene! (I made the box for her as a Birithmas gift years ago)

Her Alice in Wonderland scene in a lantern...

Inside the lantern...

So fresh and colorful!

Her trash porch is covered in plexi so sorry for the hazy reflection of the white french door!

Flowers in the tire are my favorite detail!

And, the best scene (in my opinion) that she's created in the last few years is this roadside stand Flower Truck:

The Flower Truck

Absolutely stunning!

So many beautiful flowers in so many colors!

Love the lilac hues on the Iris plants

That little gnome is so cute! (Yes, Julie made those sun flowers!)

So this incredible Flower Truck scene was made for ME!  It was my Birithmas (Birthday and Christmas smashed together) gift!  She made it in secret -- I didn't know about it until after she'd finished it!  And, just like all those tiny books she made in her bookstore, she made ALL those flowers, one at a time, out of paper and wire!!!  Every. Single. Flower.  She also made the dark wicker basket on the far left. You all probably had guessed she had the patience of a saint since she puts up with me as a BFF.  But here's tangible proof (of either her patience or her craziness).

Up-close pic of basket on far left that friend made and of the sign that she painted to match flowers

So, yet again this weekend, I was rendered speechless and blown away by another person's kindness (and talent, in this instance)!  It is absolutely stunning!  But I couldn't resist playing with the frolicking dog...

Let's go for a ride and feel the wind in my fur!!!

And here's that static grass I mentioned earlier...

Long field grass needs to be cut!

Grass sticking up

...she told me that static grass was what she had used to create the varying height grass in this scene so I wanted to see what was involved in using it because my hunting cabin and Irish cottage will need landscaping!  I am hoping to landscape the hunting cabin this summer so there will be an in-depth blog post about it then!

Bye, Dallas!  View from my late night flight back home to the East Coast!

After the show I have so many more ideas and things I want to try (from furniture making to landscaping)!  And I bought a few items for my colonial kitchen so I may pull out that roombox and finish it finally!  We'll see -- so far all I've done since being home is unpack my suitcase, wash all the dishes/laundry my family left for me, and I'm still trying to get caught up at work (lots of people want estimates to have their dollhouses fixed up!).  We'll see what the next few weeks bring...