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)

Kaleidoscope House minis on sale for 3 days only!

1. Mark your calendar for Oct 8-10.
2. Sign up for Fab.com
3. Buy original, unopened Kaleidoscope House furniture sets and accessories before they are gone.

Earlier this year I blogged about this huge lot of KH sets. The unopened items have been sitting in boxes on pallets in a warehouse for years. The order was never paid for so the entire lot went up for auction. One of my readers bought the lot and it will be for sale on Fab.com Oct 8-10! Most items will be under $20, and Fab.com expects to sell out by the end of 3 days. If you want to add modern minatures or families to your existing homes, or buy some extras to keep in mint condition in the box, this opportunity will never happen again, and never at these prices.

I want to share with you some background on who is making this cool opportunity happen. Andrew is a really nice, busy dad of two and is incredibly excited to be able to bring this lost find to the public. He works at a preschool as an admissions director. He adopted his son from birth who has "special needs" and who loved dollhouses from the get go. Andrew was given a Kaleidoscope House as a used gift for his son. His son broke a piece so Andrew brought it to the preschool and the kids broke more pieces. He was about to toss it in the trash when he looked up the history and fell in love with it all the more. He sold it on ebay broken for $700 and split it with his surprised friend who had given them the house. His son is now 12 and Andrew also has a 2 year old daughter (which is his son's niece....the baby of Andrew's son's 16 year old half brother and his 14 year old girlfriend...kind of confusing, but has given Andrew a loving family. We both have daughters the same age, so we've shared some great stories). Andrew was looking to buy another Kaleidoscope House again when he came across my article on the auction. He really felt he could take a risk and do this to hopefully make enough money to pay for a wonderful vacation for his kids. It's not often that you know who the seller is; I am excited to buy some mint condition Kaleidoscope House miniatures for my kids and for my personal collection at great prices and it warms my heart to help contribute to a special vacation for Andrew's family.

Sign up on Fab.com and save the dates October 8-10, if you don't want to miss out on this great opportunity.

Amped up on modern lights?

Are the lights on in your dollhouse? Mine are not. I bought a wiring kit years ago but I'm a little intimidated by the process, I have yet to wire any of my houses. But, these new lights from HBS Miniatures make me want to dig out that kit again. The Reza Floor Light, Marlow Table Lamp and Berkshire Floor Light are my favorites of the bunch. You can check out all of Ernie's new lighting options here.

(all images from miniatures.com)

Dollhouse Kitchen and Home Tools on Fab.com

A friend turned me on to Fab.com — more to come on that in next post ;) — its another online website with daily sales up to 70% off retail, but focused on design inspirations and pretty cool modern stuff.

I saw these household items from Boston Warehouse and had to applaud the designers for bringing miniatures into the kitchen in a less than traditional way. Plus, I think they are pretty cute. These were on sale for $5 each.



Oh, and Dwell Magazine The Bible for Modern Living (I love that tag line) just went on sale for $12 for a 1-year subscription, which usually runs $19.95. They are offering a digital subscription or a print subscription, depending on how much you like trees. :P

( all images from fab.com)

Shedding a tear for Summer

It's been a busy summer, we moved and are still living out of boxes. My oldest just start pre-school and I thought I'd have more time to unpack, but the youngest is really enjoying my undivided attention. So miniatures have taken a back seat, again. Sorry.

The one thing I regret missing out on this summer was The Summer House by Rundquist Miniatures. I should have known to bid higher, but was going back and forth worried the openings weren't large enough making the interior difficult to decorate and get furniture in. Plus some of the walls are foam board, so I would have had to replace those with wood. The kit was made in 1983 and this is the only one I've seen since I lost out on the one posted on Mini Modern a few years ago.

Bidder 4***b, I hope you build the kit soon and publish your photos somewhere.

Hey Moviedogs, you won the last one, have you finished building it yet? PLEASE send photos of your progress, I'm dying to see this beauty built.



(all images from ebay listing by seller andylesly)