The Making of a Miniature Pyramid Roombox

Earlier this year, I just decided to to do it. You know one of those 'its' you've been thinking about but just hadn't gotten around to for like two years. Well I finally did! The 'it' was an ancient Eyptian Pyramid Roombox in 1:12 scale. Then I had to get around to blogging about it. After an inquiry about the piece, I finally was motivated to write a bit.I've made several Egyptian dolllhouse miniatures ranging from sets of museum crates & archeology desks, to Revival style furniture, and even a tacky gift shop set. The style seems pretty popular maybe because there isn't a lot of it out there in the mini world (hint hint to mini makers) and Egyptian anything is so magical (ok, except the recent riots). Anyway, I always wondered what type of setting my customers put their Egyptian style minis in. I suppose a Victorian house could have such touches because the 'exotic' other was very influential in all of the Revival movments, including those of that period. I kept thinking though, that a fully Egyptian setting would be really interesting. I had been keeping a folder of ideas for awhile. Some of the pics include:I decided on making a pyramid shaped tomb with an open front. For your history buffs out there, my design is purely FANTASY and may have elements from different historical periods... honestly, I just totally made it up based on my own imaginings. I began drawing patterns on newspaper and cardboard and the project just went from there! It was built with a combination of foamcore, styrafoam, paper mache, sculpy clay, paperclay, and my own stucco mix. It's a very lightweight but sturdy piece. It measures 18" square at the base and is nearly 16 1/2" tall.

I made molds using polymer clay of some of my Egyptian trinket boxes and jewelry and then used these to stamp pieces for the decorative elements. I made little lotus bricks, statuary, and carved hieroglyphs on the walls like this.

There is a central ramp leading into the tomb and an upper shelf inside to put additional trinkets on as well as hang the removable curtain rod. I admit that I was inspired a bit by the Mummy movie with all the gold curtains.I wanted the tomb to look very ancient and a bit spooky. I thought someone could really have some fun with a Halloween scene in this. I kept all the colors very dusty and earth toned, like the paint had worn off centuries ago leaving just a bit of the gold. The details were inked in black and soot to bring them out, with a bit of dribbling here and there like some water damage had occured. Yes there is flooding in the deserts of Egypt. In fact, I just saw a show about the water table rising enough to worry Egyptian authorities about the base of the Sphinx. On to the little goodies I made to go inside the tomb. My tomb has not been raided. The female mummy still lies within its wraps and there are jars, tabulets, and a bit of treasure about. I made several things specifically to go with the tomb as a set for sale. I used genuine obsidian and African wood beads, little ankh charms, and a glass scarab bead.

Now, I did do a photoshoot of many of my favorite little Egyptian bits and baubles in the tomb just for my own satisfaction. Unlike the things in the above photos, these are not for sale. Yes I know much of it is not to scale either (someone emailed me about that) but these pics were just for fun... because it was shiny and I like hoards of treasure! I should totally do a pirate cave too on that note.

Anyway, while I mentioned that there are not so many dollhouse scale miniatures in Egyptian themes, I did find a few here and there. Berkpanda on flickr has an amazing Egyptian roombox and set of dolls in their stream of photos. I was unable to provide any pictures here due to copyright issues but definitely go see these! http://www.flickr.com/photos/berkpanda/508229234/in/photostream/

I also found this ancient Egyptian domestic home- so cool. Not sure of the scale but I think it's a smaller war game piece. It would be pretty easy to make something like this with an open back. Maybe a fountain in the front. http://www.greenscollectables.com/proddetail.asp?prod=N25

Miniature dealers who do have Egyptian decor can be found with a bit of digging. Here is a selection from The Wild Orchid at http://www.c-we.com/wild.orchid/egypt2.htm Not sure if these are artisan? Some of it looks similiar to the Aztec miniature catalogue but I still like it all. The tiny sphinx bookends available on the site are beautiful.

There is a set of very realistic Egyptian burial scene dioramas by 'hummeline' on flickr, taken at the Field Museum (where?). Go check out the whole stream at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hummeline/1806580167/in/photostream/Now there are a ton of Egyptian miniatures in smaller fantasy gaming scales! Below is a tomb set which has the block set in standard gaming piece movement squares. I really like the details and the paint job. The molds are available from Crocodile games and you can customize with infinite detail. This picture doesn't even do justice to the main website's examples. There are temple columns, fountains, statuary, etc at http://www.hirstarts.com/etombs/tombs7.html There are some very unique accessory pieces by Crocodile Games as well. "Their range of miniatures for their Wargods of Ægyptus wargame is based in a egyptian fantasy realm, so there are plenty of sources for inspiration!" I heartily agree. http://www.leadfigures.com/posts/tag/egyptian/

On ebay, Jason's Collectibles and Comics has a nice selection of resin terrain pieces. http://cgi.ebay.com/Miniature-Terrain-Egyptian-Temple-IWSEGY010-/110695823626?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c5fc390a

My latest discovery: Medical Miniatures!!!

Just imagine what you could do with a few well chosen medical themed miniatures... Insane Asylums, Embalming Rooms, or Spooky Hospitals! I've recently found so many miniature funeral and medical goodies that I will have to break this down into a few seperate articles. Let's begin with the basics: gurneys and wheelchairs. I found two spectacular resources on ebay for 1:12 scale medical equipment and props. These are:

Mortician's Friend
http://myworld.ebay.com/morticiansfriend/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

Northern Lights Miniatures
http://stores.ebay.com/northernlitesminiatures?_trksid=p4340.l2563

Mortician's Friend seems to be a general macabre gift store for funeral business professionals. Having been Mortuary Science student myself for two years, I saw a delightfully odd array of such knick-knacks in various morticians' and directors' offices. Tombs of King Tut, pink hot rod hearses, and all kinds of quirky headstones made me grin. A grim dry sense of humor seems to be an effective coping mechanism as humans are not naturally inclined to handle the dead. Couple the humor with a strong sense of respect and empathy, business acuemen, and an artistic eye - you have the perfect Funeral Director! Anyway, this shop offers miniature hearses and a very realistic looking gurney with a sheet covered doll. I'm sure this is mass produced because I've seen it in few other mortuary themed gifts shops, including Pushing Daisies online. I am bidding on one right now for myself...

The other shop I found on ebay has the most incredible selection of medical miniatures I've seen, both modern and vintage. Here are just a few of my favorite pieces.

I also just love these creepy little handmade organ models at Northern Lights. Line these up on a shelf with a few specimen jars.Below is another sickly realistic miniature organ find, this time from Wicked Gems on Etsy. For gooey jewelry and miniatures visit her at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/45326891/on-sale-on-the-butchers-block-tiny-hand

Wicked Gems specializes in anatomically correct charms and lockets, like the heart below.

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Now, to the medical staff. Every Haunted Hospital needs a blood spattered Nurse and Doctor. With a little work, these two could easily become Nurse Nihilism and Doctor Dead!

Feature Artist: Enchanticals Fantasy Miniatures

Today I will be introducing you to Marsha of Enchanticals (if you don’t already know her, she’s a delight!). I first ‘met’ Marsha on Etsy through Team MIDS (miniatures in dollhouse scales) and I also follow her work on flickr. She frequently submits her enchanting pieces (hence the shop name) in both my Spooky Dollhouse and Fantasy Miniature flickr groups. She was kind enough to answer a few questions about herself and her creative process.

Below is my favorite magical cabinet she has made so far. I love the tarot paper on the backboard!

Her shop: http://www.enchanticals.etsy.com/
Her blog: http://www.http//enchanticals.blogspot.com/

-Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a miniaturist, artist, writer, and poet. I am/was gifted with both a sense of wonder and curiosity, as well as a rich imagination that knows no bounds. My late parents encouraged and instilled in my sister and me a desire to learn all that we could from all sources available….the written, visual, spoke; to seek; to question; to think broadly and out of the box; to learn other cultures, customs, and make friends of every culture and creed; to create; be ourselves; think for ourselves, and, most of all, to imagine. For from imagination with action added to it for fuel, one can create boundlessly.

Here is one of Marsha's assemblage spell bottles:
My personality is a bit like yin and yang. I love nature, sunlight, sunny days, animals, flowers, meadows, butterflies (my Sacred Power Animal), and colors. But, my yin, so to speak, side, loves the night, the moon, grey overcast skies, rain, barren trees, melancholy, cold winds blowing, emptiness, fog, and mist. This yin yang personality of mine enhances what I create. When I am in a Yang mode, I create fairy, elemental, and the like creations and when Yin, I love to make spooky, dark, vampires, and etc.

Below are some of her nature inspired items.

-Please discuss your creative process.
As an artist, I create in various mediums. However, my preference and specialty are predominantly in 1:12th or miniature dollhouse scale…miniature items, but especially furniture, altered and/or made by me. I furnish them completely with one-of-a-kind, handmade, detailed, and realistic looking items made from nature and found objects.

There is no assembly line in my workshop. No elves either. For this reason, each piece is truly one-of a-kind. I keep no written “recipes” for the colors I use nor written instructions for any of the items I create. Each piece is from or includes nature or is created out of found objects I have available at the time. Thus, none of my finished pieces can be duplicated.

For each individual creation, I specifically write an original story entitled, “A Little Tale”. My little tales are fables, some with a moral, which either recount the personal life history of the previous “owner” of the piece of furniture or the origin, history or mystery surrounding the miniature item I created. My little tales are a way for me to bring my creations to life for the audience and also to draw them into and become part of, not only the items created, but also my enchanted little world. (Grim loves these little stories!)

Enchanticals is known for beautiful glass tipped wands, crystal balls, and potion bottles:


-How did you first become interested in miniatures?
I do not remember a time when I was not head over heels in love with miniatures and dolls. My late Mother loved and collected miniatures and, perhaps, this became imprinted on me.
Each creation is based upon a central theme or character and each altered found object created for that piece supports the main theme.

-What themes do you work in regularly?
My themes and characters for my creations run the gamut…from enchanted to fantasy to whimsy to fairytale to wizard to horror/spooky to realism. These themes do not have a season or Holiday associated with them; I create them year round. For example, spooky…Spooky is not just for Halloween, but rather exists in my enchanted world the entire year.

A spookier gray hutch:
-How do you define ‘spooky’? Do you make spooky or fantasy miniatures year round or just seasonally?
Speaking of “spooky”…my spooky creations are scary, sometimes a bit ghoulish, and may give you a bit of a chill. But, they are always infused with a dab and a dash of whimsy. My spooky is devoid of evil, harm, cruelty, repulsiveness, and hate to and for others. Spooky, to me, is fun fantasy.

Here are a few of her more chilling works:


-Do you have a dollhouse of your own and what do you like to collect?
Grim asked me to tell you about my dollhouse. Well, after three years I can finally talk about it and am ready, anxious, really, to finally buy a new one. Three years ago, when I was moving, I firmly decided that “I” was going to move my just completed, not yet furnished, dollhouse or rather French model’s atelier. I didn’t want the movers to damage it. Well, the oddest thing happened. I had the atelier firmly and tightly in my hands as I was walking to my car. All of a sudden, as if the element of wind decided to create a huge gust of wind (There was no wind.), my dollhouse flew out of my hands, went up in the air about 10’, and came crashing down on my pebble tek driveway. It shattered into a million tiny pieces. Nothing was left. I simply stood there and looked at it. (Grim throw hands up in horror and hides her face in misery) It was decorated with French blue and dove grey walls with white molding and molding embellishments, real wooden floors, a fireplace, glass windows, and tile. But, now I have three sketches ready for my new dollhouse and cannot wait to buy a new one and begin.
Marsha J. West

Links Marsha wishes to share:
http://www.hilarosenberg.com/
http://www.ravenrocksstudio.com/Home.html
http://www.alicemagazine.co.uk/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AFancifulTwist
http://www.griselda.com/

I would just like to thank Marsha for sharing her time and creativity with us!