Have a miniature lover on your gift list this holiday season? Here are a few ideas that might help you with your shopping.
Two vintage wooden crates repurposed as miniature settings by IGMA Artisan member Barbara Vajnar.
If you are lucky enough to know the name of an miniature artist or artists whose work they enjoy, you can start there, if not, miniature accessories like potted plants and books are a good choice as they can be put to use in just about any miniature setting. And if you can pick out an item that has some personal connection, maybe a favorite childhood book, so much the better.
No access to miniatures? Perhaps something like a framed shadow box or glass dome, easily found in a craft shop, in which to display miniatures. If the miniaturist is crafty and enjoys adapting other containers for display purposes, and antique shop might turn up an vintage box or tin that would make lovely display piece.
Some of my most frequently used tools.
Then there are tools, one can never have too many tools! Good tweezers are invaluable and there are so many different sizes and styles-there is always at least one pair next to my work station with others stashed around nearby. I also love my squeeze scissors-so much easier to pick up and use without having to slip my fingers into the finger holes of a pair of traditional scissors. Rulers are another item I have in a great assortment of sizes and styles. Good metal rulers with 32nd and 64ths marked on them, as well as see-thru rulers most often labelled as quilting rulers in sizes from 1 to 6 inches wide and in lengths from 6 inches on up.
A good lamp is another very useful tool. Craft stores carry a good assortment of task lamps for crafters and when you are working in small scale, additional light is bonus. Storage is another category of possible gifts. I love plastic bins for good protective storage for miniatures that have yet to find homes, as well as for storage of projects in progress and for materials. A trip to the Container Store or any of my local craft stores will usually turn up an assortment of useful containers.
Self-publishing through on-line sources like Blurb.
Lastly, if you want to put in some extra work, here’s an idea that would have a very big impact…make them a book of their miniatures. There are several companies online who will take your photos and bind them into a book. My husband did that a few years ago with photos some of the miniatures I have made. He photographed a few that were in my inventory and raided my photo library for others that had been sold.
