I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait for the Spring Miniatura Show. Not long to go now and I’m sure all our talented craftspeople, stall holders and those who are bringing doll houses as show pieces – from castles to creepy cottages, will be burning the midnight oil in preparation.

As always, there’s an amazing line up of creative artisans eager to exhibit at the Spring Show, and the scope of the miniatures they’ll be bringing showcase just about everything a dolls house collector might be looking for – whatever scale and whatever period of history. Here’s a tiny sample of what we can look forward to at Stoneleigh in March.

Beith Miniatures

There will be those miniatures so lifelike and realistic, you could swear they are the real thing shrunk as if by magic! For example, the beautiful work of Beith Miniatures. David Poole makes exquisite handmade wooden furniture in 1:12 scale using mahogany and incorporating marquetry and inlay. Most of his furniture is based around the Georgian and Regency period.

Pan Miniatures

Also making beautiful furniture is Annette Nicholls of Pan Miniatures. Annette creates upholstered furniture, curtains and floral arrangements in 1/12th scale. Her sofas look so comfortable, you could just kick off your shoes and curl up in one. As for Sally Anne Meekins, she makes gorgeous wheel thrown and hand modelled ceramics – teapots, tea sets, tulip vases, cabbage ware and novelties, mostly in 1:12 scale but some 1:24 ceramics too.

Sally Anne Meekin Ceramics

Then there are the fantasy miniatures that take you off into another world – fairies, elves and trolls. Artists such as Michael R Miniatures, Alexandra Blythe of Mayhem, Magic and Me and Kastle Kelm to name but a few.

Michael R Miniatures

Your passion might be to create scenes, houses and characters from bygone times – the Tudors, Victorians, Edwardians right through to modern days. Kate Pinsent creates dolls in 1:12, 1:24 and 1:48 scales, authentically dressed in period clothing of the era.

Kate Pinsent Dolls

And many miniaturists create the prettiest of items such as Grace Mary Miniatures, with her beautifully dressed dolls, as seen in the main picture above; also Dotties Miniatures and the Miniature Hat Boutique with their gorgeous hats and accessories.

A newcomer to the show this Spring is LTW Miniatures who hand make 1:12 patchwork quilts, cushions and kits. Anne-Marie is the fabric addict behind LTW who says that she has visited Miniatura in the past and is so excited to be attending her first show as an exhibitor. Be sure to pop over to her stand to see these beautiful quilts.

Steampunk enthusiast Kitten Von Mew will be making a welcome return to the Spring show with her steampunk-fantasy miniatures. She will be bringing along her Georgian house with it’s mysterious background. Kitten will also be running demonstrations to show how she creates her stone walls and paving out of EVA foam, and the aging and texturing techniques she uses with money saving materials.

Kitten’s is just one of the many demonstrations and workshops that will be happening over the Miniatura weekend. Plus tens of thousands of new miniatures to see and buy. I can’t wait to see what our clever miniaturists will dream up for this Spring.

Photos by Rob Tysall – Pro Photography, Kitten Von Mew and LTW Miniatures.