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Our Christmas Miniatures Will Give You All The Right Feels You Need Today (14 Pics)
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Our Christmas Miniatures Will Give You All The Right Feels You Need Today (14 Pics)

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Artists Darren Scala and May Burnett from Westchester County, New York crafted this Charles Dickens-themed miniature storybook filled with tiny treasures with a whimsical fictional tale to go with it!

More info: dthomasfineminiatures.com | Facebook

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    Miniaturists Serve Up Magic in Small Scale

    This ain’t any old dollhouse…this tiny structure features real mini foods, portrait paintings, pottery, furnishings, and layers and layers of surprise, delight, and whimsy.

    Two Story 1/12 Scale Townhouse Storybook

    The storybook opens to reveal the 2-story home of Charles Dickens (England, circa 1863). The first-floor parlor features random planked flooring made from individual strips of maple hardwood finished with a satin shine. A carved Fleur de Les stamp was used to create the wallpaper design in gold over a custom color acrylic red paint.

    First Floor Parlor with Random Planked Flooring and Stenciled Wallpaper

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    A brass chandelier with incandescent bulbs by Clare Bell hangs from a coffered ceiling with over 40 panels made from 500 individually milled strip wood and connected planks painted in white with a high shine gloss.

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    A pair of lighted brass candlestick sconces with shades hang under built in-archways highlighting the center wall.

    A 9” panel door with brass kick plate and glass cut door knob is ajar and leads to a hand-painted portrait of Mrs. Dickens at the end of a backlit hallway.

    Felted Christmas Tree Stands Tall in Parlor Corner

    A tall hand-flocked Christmas tree reaches the ceiling twinkling with bright white lights and decorated with hand-tied ribbons, bows, and gold balls sprinkled with glitter.

    Tiny Angel with Golden Halo Wears a Silk Robe with Golden Wings

    The Christmas tree is topped with a lighted cherub with a golden halo wearing white silk robes and a gold sash.

    Parlor Table with Edible Cakes, Cookies and a Ginger Bread House

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    A round wooden pedestal table with carved empire feet holds a tall dramatic floral arrangement dusted with white snow and red accents inside a decorated polymer vase accented in gold.

    Branches Dusted with Snow and Red Berries Fill Center Vase

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    The table is filled with holiday treats including an edible iced cake, strawberry pie, a gingerbread house, and an assortment of gingerbread cookies on a tiered trio of painted polymer plates.

    Gifts Wrapped in Gold Ribbon Are Aplenty Under the Tree

    An assortment of Christmas gifts tagged with the names of the honorary children in our story (“A Christmas Past”) with seasons greetings “Happy Christmas, Olive,” Yuletide Blessings, Tim,” Christmas Greetings, David,” and “For the New Year, Nicholas.”

    Library Bookcase Slides Opens to Reveal a Hidden Room

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    The second floor features a wood-paneled study with a wood-beamed ceiling, decorative moldings, and random planked wood floor stained with traditional cherrywood with several framed paintings including a floral still life, a landscape, and a portrait of Charles Dickens above a decorative fireplace with flickering flames and logs arrangement atop a faux black granite hearth flanked by a pair of brass hurricane lamps with glass shades by Clare Belle Miniatures.

    Secret Portrait Gallery Appears Behind Sliding Bookshelf

    Built-in wood bookshelves filled with over 100 books (some opening with pages!) highlights the Dickens study. One bookshelf slides open to reveal a secret gallery lined with 4 framed and painted portraits honoring the Dickens children including Oliver Twist, Nicolas Nickelby, Tiny Tim, and David Copperfield (“A Christmas Future”) as they might appear after a life of dedication and contributions to children’s causes.

    Hand-Painted Portraits Line a Secret Gallery Room

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    First is the portrait of Oliver Twist, now the head of England’s leading children’s advocacy fund. Next, we find the painting of David Copperfield, Britain’s leading journalist who reports on the health and education of immigrant children. Third is Nicholas Nickelby, now a leading figure in the fight for women’s rights and equality and finally we find Dickens’s most cherished character, Tiny Tim. This portrait shows Dr. Timothy Cratchit, founder of the European Society for Pediatric and Childhood Illness.

    Dickens Writes a New Novel in His Second Floor Study

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    In Dickens’ new book, the children from his previous books are celebrated and given the Christmas they never had.

    Replica Dickens Desk has Working Drawers and Lifting Hinged Lid

    The hardwood desk mirrors the real desk which is on permanent view at the Charles Dickens Museum in London. This replica has 6 working side drawers, a center drawer with dovetailed joints, and a hinged lid revealing writing tools and accessories.

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    Artists Darren Scala and May Burnett

    Miniaturist Darren and May appear beside their Tiny Dickens Christmas creation.

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    Darren Scala

    Darren Scala

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    I'm an unapologetic miniaturist! I've been passionate about the tiny for as long as I could remember. I was inspired at an early age by watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on television and fascinated by the tiny objects it featured. At 8 years old, I asked my father, a cabinet maker by trade, to build me a dollhouse. (This was not something a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1970's asked for!). With the love and acceptance of supportive parents, I was gifted a custom dollhouse which became the springboard for my lifelong love of miniatures and the drive to follow my passions without hesitation. After graduating from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, I received a degree in communications. A longstanding career with Revlon, Inc., the international consumer products giant, followed and then I founded D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, a retail store and gallery in the historic lower Hudson Valley, close to New York City, where I began selling quality scale works and curated exhibitions including BadAss Miniatures and Wee#Resist. I’ve always had a passion for miniatures. There is seduction in scale that ignites wonder. Miniatures truly capture the imagination and provide opportunity to dream, discover and explore. It has been my joy to create a space where I could introduce miniatures to the public and generate the same level of excitement I have for these pieces.​ Today, D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is the online destination for fine scale works via estate sales and auctions. I spend most of my time working with collectors and their families in the pursuit of finding new happy homes for their amazing miniatures. In addition to sharing my "History of Miniatures" presentation to libraries, clubs and organizations (live and virtually!), I host an online interview series “Meet The Miniaturist,” where viewers are introduced to and hear from miniaturists from all over the world. In 2020, I appeared as a contestant on The Biggest Little Christmas Showdown, a fierce tournament-style four-part HGTV series competition to build winning miniatures. The show was hosted by Tony Award® winning actor James Monroe Iglehart from Broadway's Aladdin and Hamilton and included a panel of judges including HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder, Dave Asling, best known for his work on "Welcome to Marwen," and June Clinkscales, a darling of the mini world. Winning teams advanced to the next round of this cheerful competition and in the final round, the top contenders crafted their most extravagant mini holiday houses ever! For the past several years, I have also curated an exhibition of holiday miniatures to decorate Nybelwyck Hall, the fantastical dollhouse on permanent view at the Hudson River Museum, in Yonkers, New York. In my free time, I am a mentor, wish grantor and speaker's bureau volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation Hudson Valley New York Chapter. I'm also an active volunteer and former trustee of IGMA, the International Guild of Miniature Artisans. Oh, and I make miniatures whenever I can!

    Read less »
    Darren Scala

    Darren Scala

    Author, Community member

    I'm an unapologetic miniaturist! I've been passionate about the tiny for as long as I could remember. I was inspired at an early age by watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on television and fascinated by the tiny objects it featured. At 8 years old, I asked my father, a cabinet maker by trade, to build me a dollhouse. (This was not something a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1970's asked for!). With the love and acceptance of supportive parents, I was gifted a custom dollhouse which became the springboard for my lifelong love of miniatures and the drive to follow my passions without hesitation. After graduating from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, I received a degree in communications. A longstanding career with Revlon, Inc., the international consumer products giant, followed and then I founded D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, a retail store and gallery in the historic lower Hudson Valley, close to New York City, where I began selling quality scale works and curated exhibitions including BadAss Miniatures and Wee#Resist. I’ve always had a passion for miniatures. There is seduction in scale that ignites wonder. Miniatures truly capture the imagination and provide opportunity to dream, discover and explore. It has been my joy to create a space where I could introduce miniatures to the public and generate the same level of excitement I have for these pieces.​ Today, D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is the online destination for fine scale works via estate sales and auctions. I spend most of my time working with collectors and their families in the pursuit of finding new happy homes for their amazing miniatures. In addition to sharing my "History of Miniatures" presentation to libraries, clubs and organizations (live and virtually!), I host an online interview series “Meet The Miniaturist,” where viewers are introduced to and hear from miniaturists from all over the world. In 2020, I appeared as a contestant on The Biggest Little Christmas Showdown, a fierce tournament-style four-part HGTV series competition to build winning miniatures. The show was hosted by Tony Award® winning actor James Monroe Iglehart from Broadway's Aladdin and Hamilton and included a panel of judges including HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder, Dave Asling, best known for his work on "Welcome to Marwen," and June Clinkscales, a darling of the mini world. Winning teams advanced to the next round of this cheerful competition and in the final round, the top contenders crafted their most extravagant mini holiday houses ever! For the past several years, I have also curated an exhibition of holiday miniatures to decorate Nybelwyck Hall, the fantastical dollhouse on permanent view at the Hudson River Museum, in Yonkers, New York. In my free time, I am a mentor, wish grantor and speaker's bureau volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation Hudson Valley New York Chapter. I'm also an active volunteer and former trustee of IGMA, the International Guild of Miniature Artisans. Oh, and I make miniatures whenever I can!

    Diana Lopetaitė

    Diana Lopetaitė

    Moderator, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hey there, Pandas! My name is Diana (though some prefer to refer to me as Diane, Deanna, and even Liana sometimes), and I am a Community Post Moderator Lead for Bored Panda. As my position title states, I am one of the people (employed Pandas for bamboo) over here who work with the community side of things on this website to ensure all is well, and while at that, I also help various creators and artists get recognition for the incredible work they do by connecting them to a large worldwide audience. Other than that, outside of work, you can find me brewing a nice cup of coffee, making a pizza from scratch, or baking brownies. I also love traveling, concerts, and cats (heavy on that, because I am a cat mom).

    Read less »

    Diana Lopetaitė

    Diana Lopetaitė

    Moderator, BoredPanda staff

    Hey there, Pandas! My name is Diana (though some prefer to refer to me as Diane, Deanna, and even Liana sometimes), and I am a Community Post Moderator Lead for Bored Panda. As my position title states, I am one of the people (employed Pandas for bamboo) over here who work with the community side of things on this website to ensure all is well, and while at that, I also help various creators and artists get recognition for the incredible work they do by connecting them to a large worldwide audience. Other than that, outside of work, you can find me brewing a nice cup of coffee, making a pizza from scratch, or baking brownies. I also love traveling, concerts, and cats (heavy on that, because I am a cat mom).

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    922Terry
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful labor of love. Reminds me of the PBS series The Miniaturist.. I think that was the name. I love seeing anything created to scale that is so tiny. Amazing art & talent!

    922Terry
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful labor of love. Reminds me of the PBS series The Miniaturist.. I think that was the name. I love seeing anything created to scale that is so tiny. Amazing art & talent!

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