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Click on the large images below for BIGGER and additional images.
Grand Prize: $1,000 Gift Certificate
"North Creek – A Century Later" Michelle Miller, Howell, MI
The mini "history" behind Michelle's B&B was that
it was originally a one-story stone blacksmith shop from 1912, later
expanded and used as an auto repair garage and finally being renovated
into the North Creek Bed & Breakfast. Using 1/2" scale dolls and
accessories in the 1" scale kit, she creates the illusion of a
cavernous structure. Michelle cut her Fascination Station into two parts,
added a second story on the right and elevated the left side on a hill of
carved Styrofoam layers. She scratch-built the scaffolding and dumpster; used
Plaster of Paris for the stonework and spackling for the concrete. Although
it is possible the "renovation" may one day be complete, Michelle
likes the look of a remodel in progress.
First Place: $500 Gift Certificate
"The Old West" Joyce Bishop, Hendersonville, NC
Joyce jumped in with both feet when she chose the Fascination Station as
her first-ever miniature project. "I didn't think I would ever get
enough things to fill it up," she said, but added "When I got started
it filled up very fast, and then I worried I wouldn't have enough room!"
Her husband's love of TV and movie Westerns set the theme, and she did
further research online to be sure of accurate details. The right-scale horses
were among the most difficult elements to find, but her perseverance paid
off. "It was hard ... but I enjoyed doing it," she said.
Second Place: $300 Gift Certificate
"Ted Cairns Chevron" Louise Stedinger, Florence, OR
In addition to a winning project, Louise is proud to have created a
remembrance of a dear friend who has since passed, but whose memories
helped her get the details exactly right – down to the car lifts,
which she had custom machined for the project. Ted owned three service
stations, Louise said, and "High standards were the rule. The American
flag had to fly; good personal service, well groomed attendants ... clean
restrooms [were] all a must." At 81 and with only about three years' experience
in miniatures, Louise says, "I got a late start, but I love it!"
Third Place: $200 Gift Certificate
"Deadwood Stage at Chugwater Station" Roy Simpson, Lubbock, TX
Chugwater is actually a tiny town in Wyoming, but Roy says he doesn't remember where he
heard the name, it just seemed to express the gritty realism he wanted for this project. Although
he points out the scratch-built stagecoach and the trees and yucca made from wire, for Roy it's not
about the work that goes into a project but the stories that can come out of it. He wants all the
elements to be “right,” he said, but his ultimate goal was "to create something
that would bring a smile to the young and old."
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