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Meet the Miniaturist: Kristine Hanna from Paper Doll Miniatures!

  • Sep 29, 2022

I'm thrilled to be chatting with Kristine Hanna from Paper Doll Miniatures on Sunday, October 2 at 4pm ET. Register now to join this free livestream - the chat box will be open throughout for questions!

Kristine creates one of a kind custom miniature homes with a blend of modern and traditional styles using laser cutters and 3D printers. Her innovative work is encouraging for the miniatures movement by providing a fresh perspective on contemporary design and imaginative builds. More of her awesome work can be found on her popular instagram account here.


Kristine’s most ambitious (and most awesome!) project to date is The Brentwood Dollhouse crafted in the transitional style with 8 rooms, including a walk-in closet(!). The house was created in a manufacturing partnership with miniatures.com and is available as a kit for the dollhouse DIY enthusiast.


We’ll hear all about Kristine’s design process, the tools she uses to craft and customize her work and the challenges she faced (and solved for!) in the development of her latest project. We’ll also get an exclusive walk-through of The Brentwood including the interior design work she has completed which provides even more inspiration!

This special Meet the Miniaturist is sponsored by miniatures.com, a family-owned company that has been fueling the small-scale hobby world with tools, materials, and supplies for over 40 years!

Can't wait - see you there!

Can't make the livestream? No worries, head over to my YouTube Channel to catch the replay usually available a few days after the livestream. Like and subscribe right now so you alerted as soon as new posts appear!



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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community!


The Sawtell Miniatures Collection: A Life of Learning and Love

  • Sep 18, 2022

Tom and Lois Sawtell spent their retirement years sharing an interest in history and a passion for miniatures. They married, purchased an historic home built in the 1800s and raised a family in the ideally New England community of Guilford, Connecticut. There they built and collected miniatures which now seek new happy homes at my next estate auction which starts on Sunday, September 18 at 7pm ET and will end on Sunday, September 25 at approximately 7pm ET* on my eBay site here.

The Sawtell's were so involved in the miniatures world and crafting and collecting that they built an extension to their home with acted as their shared studio workspace and filled it with specialty tools, materials and supplies for making miniatures.


The pair spent time taking expert level classes at the famed Guild School in Castine, Maine and at the annual Guild Study Program in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia and other locations along the East Coast. Some classes they took together and some separately but always with one thing in mind:learning how to make awesome miniatures...and succeeding!

The Sawtell's paid very careful attention to the history behind the pieces that they crafted, taking copious notes on their background and stories. They were maticulous in their attention to detail when putting these pieces together in the classes they took with IGMA instructors. ABOVE: Corner Cupboard and Ladder Back Chair crafted by the Sawtell's in a class taught by IGMA Fellow Mark Murphy. William Clinger Chair (middle photo).

They were quite social and had an extension network of friends they took class with and learned from.


I'm pleased to present the Sawtell Collection Estate Sale. Many of the pieces available in this sale were masterfully designed and prepared for the Sawtell's to build by Guild Artisan and Fellow instructors (and some of the best educators on the planet) including Mark Murphy, Carol Hardy, Sally and George Hoffman, Sue Rountree and others.

Additionally, there are a number of other yummy miniatures the couple purchased for their collection inlacing works by Mary McGrath, Elizabeth Chambers, Stokesay Ware, The Arnells of Bermuda, Pete Acquisto, Obadiah Fisher, Jane Graber, Carol Hardy, Al Chandronait as well as unsigned, high-quality, artisan works. ABOVE: Paul Revere tea pot on monogrammed footed plate by IGMA Fellow Obadiah Fisher.

Above: Soup Tureen (Amanda Skinner), Miniature Dollhouse (Unsigned), Wildlife Sculpture (Mary McGrath), Area Rug Needlepoint (Unsigned), Teddy Bear with Red Bow (Unsigned) and Hand-painted seascape by Sachem Studios.

This sale also includes several historical room boxes and vignettes imagined and designed in miniature by IGMA artists and crafted by the Sawtell's in classes taught at various Guild Study programs including the above kitchen vignette designed by Allison Ashby and Steve Jedd inspired by the Governor's Palace Kitchen in Colonial Williamsburg and crafted by Tom Sawtell in a 2005 class taught by the Jedds in 2005.


This sale goes live on Sunday, September 18 at 7pm ET and will end on Sunday, September 25 at approximately 7pm ET* on my eBay site here. Click link below for to preview more of the lots offered in the sale. Happy Bidding!


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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community!


National Museum of Toys & Miniatures Featured on Meet the Miniaturist Livestream!

  • Sep 16, 2022

I was thrilled to host the National Museum of Toys & Miniatures in Kansas City, Missouri in a special Meet the Miniaturist livestream on Sunday, September 11, 2022. You can watch the replay here.

Attendees were treated to a virtual tour of the museum which houses the largest collection of fine scale miniatures on display in the world including the William Martin Breakfast Room designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and crafted in 1/12 scale miniature by IGMA Fellows Allison and Steve Jedd (1999).

We were met by the curatorial team including Amy McKune, Curator of Collections and Dr. Madeline Rislow, Sr. Manager of Learning & Engagement who took attendees on a virtual tour of the museum. They shared the incredible work by Johannes Landmann, who made the mermaid harpsichord with hand-painted lid (2004) and the carved Jardinaire by Linda LaRoche (1998).

The pair also shared a closeup view of some of the tiny treasures on display at the museum as well as their insights on the miniatures including the Architect's Classroom by William R. Robertson (1998).

A very special thank you to the curatorial team and the Rebekah Boyer, Sr. Manager of Development for this extra special little treat. For more information about this awesome museum head to the Email info@toyandminiaturemuseum.org.



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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community!


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