2012 DOLLHOUSE MINIATURES FESTIVALS

Miniatures Fun in the Florida Sun - escape winter and join us! Incredible in-season room rates!

SARASOTA FESTIVAL
JANUARY 14 & 15, 2012
REVIEW

What an uplifting, jam-packed miniatures weekend we've just experienced! Largest crowd we have ever had at the Sarasota show - I did a Hail Mary pass, blitzkrieg of press releases and print ads in local newspapers, plus the usual mini mag ads and post card mailings and it really paid off...being on the front page of TICKET, the Sarasota Herald Tribune's weekend guide of stuff to do was a real coup!!!!

Customers drove in from as far away as Naples and Sanibel, Tampa and Orlando early for the Preview, with it being the first time we've had a Saturday night Preview before the Sunday show, so the majority paid at the door. Door prize slips indicated the Snow Birds have arrived...customers from Maine, North Dakota, Michigan, and Canada, Brazil and of course, surrounding states and all across Florida. Sarasota club members provided the exhibits per usual - thank you Lois Eastman, et al.....and Shannon and Roy Moore, whom I can always count on to set up the NAME table and staff it, indicated that they sigend up about 8 new NAME members and had lots of interest in forming or joining a local club.

Our new/old venue, the Ramada Waterfront Hotel was a welcome relief from our cramped quarters the past two years....plus we had a second smaller space that customers entered first to register for door prizes, so dealers in that area were given a first look/see by them.

Early arrivals for Friday workshops came to my house for supper Thursday evening...we were cheek to jowl but great conversations were going on and many lingered, having made some new dealer friends.. My sister Barbara and a couple of her friends helped with food prep so we had lots of good stuff.

Workshops went off well and continued on Monday with Tom Walden holding a drill press class. We had to move the tour of the Tibball's Miniature Circus in the Ringling Educational Bldg to Sat a.m. so it conflicted with a few who had classes but it always blows people away when they see it....thousands of small figures and animals and wagons and structures and trains...displayed brilliantly. It alone is worth visiting Sarasota. We'll go again next year on Monday when the cost for visiting the entire facility - mansion and museum is FREE!!!!!!!. So plan now to be in Sarasota in January...we're working on the dates right now.

Saturday night's Preview was abuzz with excited shoppers filling the place. Fern Vasi sold her unique flying guy that reminded me of that De Vinci apparatus that looked like it might have been a guide for the Wright Brothers - I know some helmeted, goggled guy flew one in advance of the Wright bros ....Michael Reynolds sold his Henry the 8th portrait and those of all six of his wives to June Shuette, plus his incredible 1800's circus "wagon" pulled by two giraffes found a good home! - his burled wood trunks/caskets went flying as did other of his inlaid furniture....Cookie Ziemba introduced her new 2012 calendar with photos of the prime pieces in her collection...she'll have to go to to a second printing, she was wiped out...plus had some new crewel patterns and is taking commissions for made to order bed coverings and hangings....they were lined up at Michael Mortimer's table to swoop up his Tudor furniture...Clara's Cuties (flowers) reported record sales, as did others..... Minuette always had a shoppers....and Collum-Silverstein's case had loads of space where their doll's dolls and children once stood....Nancy's Dollhouses & Miniatures had some of Maritza Moran's newest pieces, gorgeous!.....Janice Crawley's porcelain and tea pots were favorites of collectors....Sus Devnani's adorable vintage type dolls were wiped out, she can't keep up with the demand.

Fern and Josephine Meyer had their newest collaboration....hand painted panels for a room box of Seurat's Afternoon on the Grand Jette to line a room box with figures in the foreground copied in three dimension by Fern...including the lady holding the tall umbrella, the animals being walked...etc. - it is truly a one of a kind masterpiece. Brooke Tucker used to call miniatures "three dimensional art".....and this was a perfect example of it! Val Casson was selling charming toys, her theaters and horse stalls for toy shops or nurseries, and Punch and Judy theaters and puppets, plus gorgeous gowned mannequins and corsets. Carla Gaustad had her lovely table filled with wonderful European finds while Lady Jane had her conservatories... and Trims'n Things/Drue Conrad had every tool box item you'll ever need, from cutting mats to tweezers to infinity!. Ron Mummert has made some great fantasy woodland type structures in all scales - and sold out. His 1/4" version of the Red Dragon Gift Shop that he's teaching after the Orlando show went first. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the sales rooms.... but I've run out of space and time.

Sunday's show admitted the Preview attendees early....and the waiting line soon filled the aisles and customers remained most of the day.

On to Orlando....get your Sat. Feb 18th Preview reservation in so I can get your name badge made in advance. Take a look at Workshops.... Ron has a couple of spots remaining for his Monday class. Plus get your reservations made now in Molly's Miniature Show Room Block at the International Palms Resort Hotel: 407.351.3500. Fabulous $79 rate. For those of you arriving at the Orlando International Airport, Mears Shuttle will bring you right to the International Palms Resort on 6515 International Drive is jig time...reserve with them: 407.423.5566. I look forward to seeing some of you soon! The Snow Birds are really beginning their descent on Florida!

Cheers,
Molly

February 18 & 19, 2012

Saturday & Sunday Orlando Miniatures Festival
International Palms Resort, 6515 International Drive
6515 International Drive ~ Orlando, Florida (If it looks familiar, it's our old Holiday Inn location, all spiffed up under new ownership, you're going to LOVE it!)
From East: I-4 to Exit 74a, Kirkman to right on International Drive
From West/Tampa: I-4 Exit 75a Sand Lake to left on International Drive
Mears Shuttle from Orlando Airport Room Block $79 rate: (407) 351-3500

There are always lots of wonderful workshops at this show, plus we'll have the opportunity to visit the White House in Miniature on Friday, Feb 17th (after classes are over) at John and Jan Zweifel's Hall of President's Museum... info to follow later but if you want to go, you can let me know now for planning purposes. This has always been a two day event - no change in format...with the Preview beginning after Miniature World of Central Florida club's Saturday Fun Day - project is always a Ron Mummert designed piece... this year it's called Toy Parade, a shop that complements Ron's Fun Day series of shops - but it's great as a stand alone piece, as well. For Fun Day registration info contact: maelwood@earthlink.net

Friday, February 17 5 p.m. TOUR THE WHITE HOUSE IN MINIATURE at the PRESIDENTS HALL OF FAME, Clermont, Florida Following Friday workshops and before the weekend show begins, we're heading to John and Jan Zweifel's President's Hall of Fame where the White House in miniature is now residing. $12 covers admission and lovely refreshments...it's always a magical time with the the Zweifel's! They'll be autographing their White House in Miniature book, as well.

What a great gift for your children and grandchildren! We'll have directions for those who wish to drive and will hire a van if enough of you need transportation.

Please reserve now on the Pre-registered Preview page and mail to: Molly Cromwell/WH Reservation
2445 Crispin Ct., Sarasota, FL 34235.

~Preview Reservation~

Dealer List

June 2 & 3, 2012

Sturbridge Miniatures Festival
"The Show New England Waits For".... it's magic has spread from coast to coast - you've heard about it, I'm sure, from both dealers and customers. Don't miss the Sturbridge Experience.... it's like a gathering of your best friends! Host Hotel on Cedar Lake, 366 Maine St., Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Always a wonderful selection of workshops in a setting you will enjoy immensely. Room Reservations being taken now at
(508) 347-7393.

~Preview Reservation~