Shrunk.
£6
A M O D E R N M I N I AT U R E S M AG A ZI N E
Contents
Contents
Read
Make
Shop
8. The Show Must Go Online 10. Vegas, Baby! 12. Miss Mini Life: Micro Miniatures 14. The Loft that Lockdown Built 21. Forever Friends 28. Meet: Esha Bijutkar 54. Made To Order 58. A Case of the Blues
30.DIY: Kitchen Boards 36.DIY: Needle Punch Rug 41. DIY: Corner Sofa 48.DIY: Monochrome Quilt
25. Shrunk Loves... 26. House Hunter 62. Stockists
p. 53
p. 41
p. 14
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Contributors
Lisa is the owner of online store An Arty Aardvark, specialising in bright and cheerful 1:12 miniatures for contemporary doll’s houses. Lisa created the needle punch rug DIY, found on page p.36, super easy to customise and adapt to your style. Find Lisa on Instagram @anartyaardvark
Izzie
Rhenee
inson
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Izzie is a freelance journalist with bylines in Metro, VICE, Girls On Tops and Bustle, among others. Her expert topics include mental health, feminism, theatre and art. Find her on Twitter at @izzie_price1, izziepricefreelance@gmail.com
Annabelle is a writer and editor who specialises in wellbeing, mental health and social issues. If you’ve got a dog, she’s already following it on Instagram. Read Annabelle’s piece on 90’s nostalgia on p.21
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Anne-Marie owner of LTW miniatures and queen of tiny patchwork. Specialising in 1:12 scale quilts and kits, she shows us how to create our own with a monochrome DIY, p.48. Follow on Instagram @ ltwminiatures
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A n n ab el
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ar Esha is an engineer by profession and artist at heart! A self-taught miniaturist, she works in 1:12 scale creating one of a kind miniature food, furniture and dioramas. Esha shows us how to create rustic baker boards on p.30. Follow Esha in Instagram @Pink_petite_rose
L is a H or
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Esha Bijutk
Rhenee is based in the United States and builds incredible miniatures and dioramas from scratch in scales 1:24, 1:48, and 1:144. Head to p.12 to read her Micro Scale column. You can follow Rhenee’s work on Instagram and YouTube @MissMiniLife.
Fran ce aS sc tone
Francesca is an award-winning blogger and creative business owner, making her surroundings more beautiful with a DIY attitude. She has always believed in combining craft with design to create something that is beautifully handmade and this ethos is a recurring theme throughout her blog, Fall For DIY and miniature DIY tutorials on Instagram, @miniatureinteriors. Find Francesca’s corner sofa on p.41.
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Image Credit: Phillip Nuveen
Image Credit: Phillip Nuveen Image Credit: A Wee Bit Teeny
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IMoMA Feb 17th-19th, 2021 : Wholesale Show Feb 19th- 21st , 2021 : Retail Show
Gold Coast Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Vegas, baby! Words by Lisa Hicks S A V E T H E D A T E , T H E R E ’ S A N E W M I N I A T U R E ’ S S H O W C O M I N G T O S I N C I T Y . H E A R W H A T V I S I T O R S C A N E X P E C T F R O M T H E E X C I T I N G , C O N T E M P O R A R Y E V E N T “When it comes to modern miniatures, it’s hard to find trade shows these days outside the typical vintage, strictly dollhouse industry shows.” says Lisa Hicks, the Marketing Manager for International Market of Miniature Artisans, (IMoMA). The inaugural IMoMA event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in late February, just before many miniature shows had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Founders Cindy Gonzales of Cindi’s Minis, and Paris Renfroe of PRD Miniatures formed IMoMA and took over this niche space after the dissolution of the long-running CIMTA show, (Cottage Industry Miniature Trade Association.) which had been held for the past 37 years in Las Vegas. While CIMTA was exclusively a members-only wholesale show, IMoMA is striving to change the scenery a bit by being more inclusive and opening the floor to a whole new range of mini art forms. It’s so much more than just doll’s houses! The upcoming 2021 event will be a retail event, following on from the wholesale show. “We represent the next generation of miniature artisans.“ says Paris Renfroe, Co-founder of IMoMA. “With the many miniature artisans around the world, we wanted to create an event where we could all come together once a year in the form of a ‘mini-convention’. It’s one thing to see an artist’s work virtually, but here you can see the art up close
and meet the artisans face-to-face. We want our show to be inclusive to all forms of miniature art regardless of medium, scale, or purpose. Social-media giant Instagram and eCommerce sites like Etsy have been instrumental in showcasing new and exciting miniature artists working in a variety of mediums from around the world. It’s helped them to get recognized and make money all while doing what they love. IMoMA realized early on that miniatures is in no way a dying industry, but rather an evolving one. In fact, it’s a multi-million dollar, worldwide industry that’s growing with an online platform. With new artists entering the world of miniatures daily, IMoMA looks to curate an event including some never-before-seen, speciality miniatures, making for an unforgettable retail experience.
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The Loft that Lockdown Built Work on this stunning 1:12 scale project only began in March of this year. Like many of us, Amanda, a Californian based miniaturist, found herself with a lot of extra time on her hands as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of people around the world retreating indoors in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. It was whilst sheltering in-place and adjusting to this ‘new normal’ alongside her husband, that Amanda was able to tackle her doll’s house project. A second-hand children’s doll’s house, originally sold by American retail giant, Target, it was a pre-loved bargain, costing around $6 / £ 4.70. Joining Shrunk. for a lockdown Zoom chat, Amanda says; “I started with a farmhouse
that I got for Christmas, which was a big learning experience! I started instagramming and looking at the ideas that I’d been working on for Olive Lane Miniatures. The loft is actually only my second ever project. I wanted to do something totally different. I love the farmhouse stuff as a default, but the modern loft was cool and different, and a little out of my comfort zone. I‘ve always really liked the idea of loft-living. Personally, I probably couldn’t do it because I have too much stuff! I love the historic aspects of it, the exposed brick and that it used to be a warehouse, but now it’s some cool, hip apartment.” With a new challenge and nothing but time, Amanda was soon lost down a Pinterest rabbit-hole as she gathered inspiration for the loft interior, Amanda says; “I try to be
I M AG E CR E D ITS: A M A N DA S M IT H , FO LLOW O N I NSTAG R A M : @ O LIVE . L A N E . M I N IS
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DIY: Corner Sofa BY FR ANCESCA STONE
@ M I N I AT U R E I N T E R I O R S
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as to whether anyone might want to purchase a reminder of the all-toopervasive nightmare we’re all living but was pleasantly surprised by the reaction and the prints ended up selling out completely.
Falling With Feathers by Craig Keenan
Craig is excited by the prospect of potential future miniature projects - we ended up discussing the exquisite miniature scenes created on The Great British Bake Off, with Craig suggesting we call Sky Arts with the idea of ‘Team Bakers’ (a baker and an artist teaming up): “We could make millions!” - but he ultimately knows that whatever the future holds, he will continue making art, whatever the medium. “I don’t think you could stop someone being creative, no matter how hard you tried. If you took away my printing process, I’d be creating in a different method. And then if you took away my canvas and paint, then I’d move on to drawing, and if you took that away, I’d - I don’t know - be a chef?!” Currently represented by Print Club London and soon to be seen with Will’s Art Warehouse (founders of the Affordable Art Fair), Craig’s work is both prolific and unique. His pieces sell out fast, so act quickly - but if one thing’s for sure, there will always be more where that came from. As he said: “You could never stop me being an artist.” Here’s to that.
Image Credit: Adrian Flower
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Gallery Hut, Image Credit: Emily Paxton
For full details of the Vitamin Sea exhibition, the 37 contemporary artists involved, or to purchase your own 1:16 scale kit, visit Paxton+Glew, online at: www.paxtonglew.com Or pop into their new, Brighton gallery: 12 Hanningtons Lane, Brighton, Sussex BN1 1GS UK Vitamin Sea, Image Credit: Emily Paxton
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The List Spotted something you love ? Here are all the mini retailers featured in the issue. A Wee Bit Teeny
www.aweebitteeny.com
Alice Miniatures
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ AliceMiniatures
An Arty Aardvark
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ AnArtyAardvark
Calico Garden
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ Calicogarden
ChelseaMakes
www.chelseamakes.com
Delph Miniatures
www.delphminiatures.co.uk
Fernando Setien
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ FernandoSetienShop
IMoMA - International Market of Miniature Artists www.imomalv.com
Itty Bitty Mini Mart
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ ittybittyminimart
Jessica Cloe Miniatures www.jessicacloe.com
Kensington Doll’s House Festival
www.dollshousefestival.com
Little Lucciola
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ LittleLucciola
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LTW Miniatures
Scaled Realm Miniatures
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ LTWMiniatures
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ ScaledRealm
M for Miniatures
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ SmallFunShop
www.etsy.com/shop/ MforMiniatures
Melvin’s Miniatures
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ MelvinsMiniatures
Mini Adventure Co.
www.miniadventuresco.com
Minst
www.minst.com
My Miniature Emporium
www.myminiatureemporium. com
Nordic Nest Miniatures
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ NordicNestMiniatures
Paris Renfroe Miniatures www.prdminiatures.com
Paxton+Glew
www.paxtonglew.com
Philadelphia Miniaturia
www.philadelphiaminiaturia. com
Phillip Nuveen
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ PhillipNuveen
Pretty Little Mini’s
www.prettylittleminis.com
Small Fun Shop
Streets Ahead (Wholesale only)
www.streetsaheaddollshouse. com
The Bracelet House
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ TheBraceletHouse
Tiny Timber Co.
www.thetinytimberco.com
Truly Scrumptious
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ Trulyminiatures
ar tisan-made miniatures & more in many scales, for all your big ideas, handcrafted in Chicago, Illinois, USA We make big small.
Find us at www.ittybittyminimar t.com www.etsy.com/shop/ittybittyminimar t on Instagram @ittybittyminimar t
All miniatures featured in photo are itty bitty mini (m)art originals.
www.shrunkmagazine.com