Peter Tucker @ Good Sam

From Vancouver British Columbia, Peter Tucker and his wife Jeremie were back again this year. My photos of his lights weren't so hot, so I'm using these from his site. I loved his new chandeliers. Peter had made some of the table lamps with LEDs powered by watch batteries, so no need to deal with electrical.

I'm a sucker for "1-of-a-kind" so I bought this side/coffee table. I just used it in a room and will be posting soon (hopefully). It was a pleasure seeing Peter and Jeremie again. They are so nice and fun to talk with.

Peter's blog is a fun read with notes and tips building miniatures roomboxes.blogspot.com or you can find all of his work on his website here:
www.roomboxes.com


I really love his art deco inspired pieces and I adore his Nelson style modern bench. I'm looking forward to seeing Peter and Jeremie at the next show.

(top images from Peter Tucker, www.roomboxes.com)

Good Sam Show 2011

I am totally behind in posts, My Realitty already posted about the show (she was able to make the rounds with Doris, minimodernistas, who will hopefully be in the show next year), and Modern MC's description is a must read. I had a great time with her and mini2b at the show on Saturday, and then came back on Sunday to be groupies with My Realitty. Here are some of my highlights. Erik Goddard had these really cool room boxes: converted urban loft, art gallery, and modern loft. I love the views he creates out the windows, too. My Realitty and I got a chance to hang out with him after the show, super nice guy, it was a pleasure to meet him. Check out his website for more photos and info: www.erikgoddard.com



William Maranville from Livermore, CA was back this year with more incredible handcrafted turnings and carvings from wood and stone. Bill shares a booth with his wife Barbara Stanton who does really cool miniature oil paintings. I didn't take enough pictures but you can see her work is on her website barbarastanton.com. Bill's contact info is (925) 373-9638 email microangelo (at) earthlink.net. Bill and Barbara are so nice, they're always fun to talk to.


I think it's kind of funny that I was drawn to many of the vendors I've purchased from before. Gilbert Mena was there this year, I love his wood turnings and little boxes. He doesn't have a website, but he's out of Valencia, CA. T: 661-259-5350 E: gilmena (at) webtv.net

I bought one of the zebra vases from Troy Schmidt from Santa Barbara, CA, Red Dragon Pottery. My pictures didn't come out so these are from his website reddragonpottery.com/mini.htm. Troy makes gorgeous wheel-thrown porcelain on a full sized potter's wheel.


I got to meet Paul and Susan Osze this year. Again, more really nice people, and another couple that shares the passion for minis. They made the cool garage and condo last year. I took too long talking and missed taking pictures before they packed up, but they had a cool room box with a Kaleidoscope House Jasper Morrison couch, and the "World of Tomorrow" room box with cool audio and video elements. It was impressive to say the least. The photo is from their website, but you have to check out their video of the room. Their website for more of their work is boingdragon.com/miniatures/

My Realitty and I stuck around with our backstage passes for autographs. :P We had a great time hanging out and rubbing elbows. She had brought her new Brinca Dada Dylan House and she let me borrow it! I'll post photos soon. Peter Tucker and PRD Miniatures pictures coming next.

Ultimate Guest Room Getaway

I've been slow on blogging as most of my spare time for 4 months was trying to find a new place to live in a better school district. I imagined an extra bedroom for my minis, but living in the Bay Area, that won't happen for a few more years. So this is the only guest room we'll have for awhile.

A lot of PRD and minimodernistas, but another of my favorites is the Paul MacAlister "desk lamp". It's actually 1/2" scale, but looks perfect in 1:12 on a desk. I blogged about the 1/2" scale pieces from Paul MacAlister's estate on ebay here and here. I won a couple of sets on ebay. The seller was kind enough to send me a few extra pieces that were in need of repair, including the lamp. Thank you Robert! I will post more on those as soon as I get my miniatures unpacked.

I made a few things in the room. The circle art is copper gift tag pieces from a kit at my local craft store. The faux bamboo in the corner is a straw placemat cut up and placed in a copper plumbing piece from hardware store. The tall lamp is also pieces from hardware store with a ReMent waste basket inverted for the shade.

Pillow Talk.
In my collection of miniatures, I probably have more pillows and chairs than can ever fit in all my houses (not complaining, but I could have a showroom). I love being able to test out different pillows and see what works best for each room. These are all minimodernistas pillows, I can't get enough. I like the mix of patterns that add a punch of color, but the more solid pillows match the floor texture perfectly. I love them all.

Deets: minimodernistas: horizon night table, V-leg day bed sofa, pillows and smaller pillows on bed. PRD miniatures: M.U.T.T. custom platform bed, linens, large pillows and bolster, throw, M.U.T.T. floor mirror, M.U.T.T. bench, M.U.T.T. coffee table, painting and custom carpet flooring. Paul MacAlister 1/2" scale lamp. Wood turnings are Gilbert Mena and William Maranville. X10NY magazines. Shelf with drawers is an ebay find. Accessories are Kaleidoscope, ReMent, beads, and dollhouse show finds.

Reading Rooms

I still haven't unpacked my miniatures since we moved, so I have to reminisce with older photos. About 5 months ago Modern MC organized another Bay Area mini meet up (My Realitty blogged about it here). I added some of the goodies from the meet up to these rooms I was working on.

I adore my ZigZag shelving unit from PRD Miniatures. Paris also made this magazine rack I totally heart, based on a CB2 design. The other uno couch is in the entertainment room upstairs. I intend for this to be the library/office, but need books for the shelves, just haven't found the time to make some yet. I love how the white shelves pop against the Tiffany blue and dark brown wood.

Library deets:
PRD Miniatures: zigzag shelving unit, magazine rack, glass bottles, carpet tiles, uno couch (not online yet, but were sold at Good Sam Show), graffiti pillow and bolster, and custom built wood floor. minimodernistas: white tray coffee table and white pedestal box. X10NY magazines. Wood turnings by William Maranville. AG Minis lamp. SF MoMA art magnet. Accessories are Rement and dollhouse show finds.

Modern MC brought us the white and black boxes from Tap Plastics, and the grid room divider is also from Tap Plastics. My Realitty brought some cool wood and fabric samples. I mounted a make-up mirror onto one of the wood samples (Modern MC used four to make this cool wall mounted TV). I'm working with Paris to design the bathroom for this house, so this room has been a dumping ground for other minis. The room divider from Modern MC inspired me to dig through what I had to piece this room together.

Bathroom deets:
PRD Miniatures: white Klein chair, hatbox toilet and custom slate floor. Tap Plastics: black boxes and room divider, gifts from Modern MC. Vanity, shelf and bench, set from ebay, art from ebay. Make-up mirror mounted on wood sample from My Realitty. Bathtub from DHE. Accessories from AG Minis, Rement and Bratz. Rug scrap book paper.

(Photos and details on 2011 Good Sam Show will be up this weekend. More to come...)

Good Sam Show After Party Sun 10/16

Anyone interested in dinner or drinks on Suday evening 10/16 after the Good Sam Show? Paris and Lisa Renfroe, PRDminiatures.com, are in and maybe a few other dealers. Doris? Carol? Bueller? Beuller? We'll grab something to eat or drink at the restaurant in the hotel. Let's meet by the big giant white dollhouse in the lobby to the right of the ticket sales table. Paris and Lisa will have to breakdown, and might need some help moving boxes to the car. So we're playing the time by ear. Maybe we'll have some of us get a table.

Showcase of Miniatures (Good Sam Show)
October 15-16, San Jose, CA
Doubletree Hotel, 2050 Gateway Place, San Jose, CA

Hours:
Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission: Adults $7.00, Seniors $5.00, Children $3.00 (under 3 free)

http://goodsamshowcase.miniature.net

Mikro House on Fab.com

Somehow I missed that Mikro Art was on sale at Fab.com, too. The sale ends tomorrow morning, but the Mikro House is selling for $53. I first saw the house years ago on minimodern.blogspot.com. "Mikro World is a series of fold-up metal sculptures created by British artist Sam Buxton. Each piece folds from a single sheet of stainless steel that is just 0.01 inches thick and packaged flat with folding instructions. The Mikro House is one of the more elaborate designs in the series. Each wall folds out to create one room: a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom!" The details are pretty cool with little footprints in the shower and the bathroom shelves. Pretty impressive. I keep starring at the close up shots to imagine how it is all cut on one single sheet of steal. Here are some other really cool pieces of art.


If the sale page is down at Fab.com, you can check out www.mikroworld.com or www.mikromart.com for more information on Sam Buxton's work.

Kaleidoscope House minis on sale NOW!

Kaleidoscope House miniatures are up on Fab.com. Get them before they are gone. Prices range from $14.47 to $29.97 on the 13 different sets for sale.

At the present time Fab only ships to the US. For any of my readers abroad, shoot me an email and I might able to buy and ship to you. Email me at modernminifan @ gmail.com (remove spaces).

Check out all of the items at: http://fab.com/sale/1311/4zwii8

Sale ends in 2 days 12 hours. :D

You can read more about Andrew, the guy who made this sale possible, in my previous post here.

Mini Mac by lilu by zuri

I am a Mac. When I saw these apple miniatures on lily by zuri I had to have them. As a web developer by trade, I spend so much time on my MacBook, I figured I might as well have a mini one. I love the packaging the laser cut glossy acrylic pieces come in, too. The pictures on etsy are WAY better, but I am loving my new laptop and ipad.
I couldn't choose which color iphone so I got both. Plus, I love the modern clocks, I got all three. Couldn't help it, they are so cute. I'm really impressed by the quality, especially at the price. Check out the lily by zuri etsy shop for more details at www.etsy.com/shop/lilushop.

...Farewell Steve Jobs, I don't know what I would be doing for a living without your innovation and vision. You will be missed.

Almost FABulous Oct 8-11!

UPDATED 10/5: Tam toum pointed out that the sale is no longer up on the site. Fab took it down to add more pictures...but it's back up now.

There is a sneak peak of the Kaleidoscope House accessories and furniture on the upcoming sales section of Fab.com. The sale will be starting Saturday 10/08 11am ET - 10/11 11am ET. There are only a few photos so far, but all items will be listed once the sale starts. You can read more about the sale and Andrew in my previous post.

From Fab.com: "Kaleidoscope Toys, Designer Dollhouse Décor. Conceived for the Kaleidoscope House project, these dollhouse accessories feature some of the best names in art and design: Laurie Simmons, Karim Rashid, Jasper Morrison and Cindy Sherman, to name a few. Adults will love their collectability; kids will adore their fun appeal."

Save this URL to get directly to the sale page: http://fab.com/sale/1311/

(all images from fab.com)

Home Within Home exhibit in New York thru Oct 22.

Modern MC, minimodern.blogspot.com, posted links to some amazing photos from this exhibit last week, but I wanted to share some more pictures and see if anyone plans to go see it. The details look incredible, I just wish there were more close up shots of the interior rooms.

Do Ho Suh
Home Within Home
8 September – 22 October, 2011
http://www.lehmannmaupin.com/#/exhibitions/2011-09-08_do-ho-suh/

Lehmann Maupin Gallery
540 West 26th Street, New York, NY

"In Home Within Home, Do Ho Suh will present a series of works that reflect the artist’s ongoing exploration of themes surrounding cultural displacement and the co-existence of cultural identities, as well as the perception of our surroundings and how one constructs a memory of a space. Suh’s own feeling of displacement when he arrived in the U.S. in 1991 to study at RISD led him to measure spaces in order to establish relationships with his new surroundings. Years later, the artist developed the idea of taking these measurements and using them to replicate and transport spaces. Suh constructs these architectural spaces and the elements within them in various mediums including fabrics, resin, and Styrofoam. Among the works exhibited in this show will be Fallen Star 1/5, Home Within Home, and a series of fabric objects, all personally revealing works which invite viewers into his homes."

(images from photosynth.net and Lehmann Maupin Gallery)

Good Sam Show Oct 15-16 with Paris Renfroe and Peter Tucker

Paris Renfroe, PRDminiatures.com, and Peter Tucker, roomboxes.com, will both have booths at the upcoming Good Sam Show in San Jose. If you are in the Bay Area this is the biggest miniatures show around. I'm not sure which day I'm going, but anyone interested in a meet up?

Showcase of Miniatures (Good Sam Show)
October 15-16, San Jose, CA
Doubletree Hotel, 2050 Gateway Place, San Jose, CA
Hours: Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sun. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Admission: Adults $7.00, Seniors $5.00, Children $3.00 (under 3 free)
http://goodsamshowcase.miniature.net

If you are not in the area, the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts, has a great calendar of all of the US
Miniature Shows: http://www.miniatures.org/newsite/calendar.php

(images from Peter's website and Paris's flickr page)