Jan Mann's Estate

Jan Mann was an incredible miniaturist who was a member of M.E.E. and N.A.M.E. for many years. Although I wasn't a member of M.E.E. during her time with the club, I was fortunate enough to meet her over the years.

Her family donated a wonderful collection of her miniatures to the club and we sold them at a silent auction on Tuesday night.

Three shelve display cabinet.

Beautiful display table with....

a built-in house in 1:24 scale.

The Reading Room - from the front

and the inside

Beautiful display dome with a cabinet full of teapots. (about 12 - 15" tall)

Hanging Christmas display

A Christmas Shop

A Miniature Shop

A child's room

Inside the quilt shop

The outside of the Quilt Shop

A framed vignette

Another framed vignette

A 1:48 house

Inside the 1:48 house

An antique shop vignette

What a great experience it was for all of us to see her work with all its incredible detail!

We all had a chance to bid on these displays in a silent auction. Marg and Inger had arranged that we would have bidding numbers so we did not know who we were bidding against.

As more a do-er than a collector, I don't often bid on other people's work but there were a few things I was interested in.

I didn't bid on the quilt shop, Christmas shop and child's room as I have done those myself.

But I did bid on the Christmas wreath, the glass dome, the sideboard vignette and the RL display table even though the rooms were in 1:24 scale.

The display table was SO beautiful! And if it had been large enough to display a 1:12 room, I would have gone higher with my bid but although the furniture in it was absolutely fantastic, I just didn't need another scale.

The glass dome was also beautiful and even though it wasn't quite tall enough for my purpose (I wanted it for a Care Bear for my daughter), I did start bidding on it - but gave up.

However, I did win two pieces:

This framed vignette called out to me.

 Both the sideboard and the painting are just so beautiful! Unfortunately it is so beautifully framed that there is no way of identifying the maker of the sideboard. And the only indication of the painter of the picture are the initials.

For a couple years now, I've had a wonderful scene by Joyce Buchanan hanging on my door. Tonight I replaced it with this great Christmas door by Jan. It's a bit too early for Christmas but have to show it off!

I took this piece over to show my Mom Wednesday afternoon and she just loved it!

Thursday I'll take the framed vignette over to show her.

Christmas table favours for Meals on Wheels

These are SO easy to make.

You'll need 12 oz. styrofoam cups, cupcake liners*, 6" ruler, pencil, X-Acto knife, a pair of scissors, and some glue (I used Tacky).

* I get the cupcake liners at Dollarama (24 for $1.50). You do need a design that can be used upside-down which limits your choices a bit.

Put a cupcake liner on the bottom of the cup and measure the distance between the bottom of the cupcake liner and the lower line of the lip of the cup. In this case, it's 1 7/16".

With your ruler, mark that measurement around the cup (about every 1/2" or so. Then cut up to that mark about two or three marks apart.

Use an X-Acto knife to cut between those marks,

then use the scissors to follow the marks the rest of the way around the cup.

Run a small line of glue around the bottom of the cup (now the table top) and set the cupcake liner in place. Depending on how far the cupcake liner flares out, you may want to put a dab of glue on each lower end and stick it to the cup.

The top can then be decorated anyway you want. 

I've spent the last few evenings cutting up 40 cups in preparation for a Mini Day Out while my friend Cheryl is here from Nova Scotia. With probably 15 - 20 attending, we should make all the tables quickly enough.

Here are two tables from the last time I made them, three with the red and green cupcake liners, and two each with the red and white and blue and white snowflake liners (just sitting in place - not glued yet).

This is such a fun little project and I'm really looking forward to seeing how all the tables turn out.

One of our favourite days..Art Days at Leo Nickerson Elementary.

On Friday, September 29, Joanne and I went to Leo Nickerson School to take part in their Arts Day as we have for several years now as representatives of the Miniature Enthusiasts of Edmonton Club.

We spent the day there from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

This year, we had two tables across from each other. On the left, Joanne had the club's Canada 150 display which was a huge hit!. In addition, she displayed her 1:48 truck trailer kit which was SO wonderful and another 1:144 display.

On the right side of the hallway, I displayed (from the left) the miniature of the Leo Nickerson School Art Room, a child's bedroom which was the draw open to the students, and my Christmas Shop.

The Art Room that I made in 2011 for a silent auction at Leo Nickerson is still an attention-getter! Students look at it quizzically, then recognize it even after the changes over the years. Love that!

The middle room is the one that was made for a draw for the students. The young lady who won it was so surprised and excited! (Can't show you the picture but I saw it and it was great!)

My Christmas Shop is always a great display! The children love the detail of it.