My $50,000 Miniature Mistake

This was originally written on my Blogger blog on 1/18/13

  " A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable."  Robert Frip

$50,000.  Because that's how far I got.  It took years and years. A collection of glorious, wonderful miniatures and I SOLD THEM.  That would be the mistake.  Great. Big. Huge.

No, I did not have money to burn.  It's just that I was not buying expensive handbags and shoes.  I was collecting 1:12 scale miniature collectibles.  Little by little, year after year.    Something wonderful here, something magical there...

Still life by Paul Salterelli - I had several of his early, and in my opinion, superior works. One is better than none.

It started at a flea market where I was  thrilled to discover a table selling miniature bliss.  It brought me right back to a happy childhood playing with tiny tea sets, rearranging diminutive furniture in a doll house and then later dressing Barbie in her shoes and handbags. 
(If you are not familiar with miniatures, sadly for you, there is a whole tiny world of things reduced to miniature that might make you believe you could just put them in your house and use them yourself, they are so perfect as to deceive. Thus my reason for photographing them with 'big' things.)

Hand Painted Charger by Le Chateau Interiors - this was originally mine and I bought it again.

I bought a bunch.  Put them in a typesetter's tray.  Found a miniature catalog advertised in a woman's magazine and bought more. Found out about a miniature show locally.  Went there and found people making very serious hand crafted artisan pieces in miniature. Anything you could think of that existed in real life was right there. A paragon of miniature wonder.  I was hooked.

I SOLD THE COLLECTION !!!  They say you don't regret the things you did but rather the things you did not do.  Not true

"Stupidity is a talent for misconception." ~  Edgar Allan Poe

I had new babies, needed money and figured, hey, I am never going to be able to collect miniatures again.  Who has the time when there are diapers to be changed and college funds to think about?  Duh. Babies grow up.

Ruby Glass Decanter Set by Francis Whitmore, Sterling Tray by Gugliemo Cini

Anyway, I am now on the lookout for things I gave up.  In truth some of them really did not matter so who cares now?  BUT...there are those perfect, thrilling, masterful creations that just haunt my soul.  From time to time I come across one and do my best to make it mine AGAIN.  Pictured here are some of my lost then founds.

"Just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got it back again." Frances Rodman

Lute by Ken Manning. Ebay.

In the end we just can't take this stuff with us.  But letting it go is just not an option.  Not for me.  Not again.  A word to the wise...

Chair by Barbara Logan - found again in a miniature shop

Samurai Sword by Cliff Fleltrope - my original was black with a dragon head.  This will have to do.

I sincerely hope you have spared yourself my agony.   And learned from my mistake. I hope you'll share your thoughts below.  (Oh, and if $50,000 is shocking to you, get out your receipts and just add them up.)


"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning."  Catherine Aird