18 June 2020 V2

Miniature Time Traveller Magazine Issue #18 10 Verna made a point of buying a book a year. They are beautifully made. She has for example, The Man from Snowy River and a book of poems by Shelly in her collection. Then there were the living beings to replicate. Verna had a lot of fun reproducing the dog. It started off as a terrier but acquired a makeover with modelling clay. It bulked up, and in a short unnatural evolution, turned into a mastiff. The good thing is, he never lost any body parts. Not so the little Papillion. He was made from two dogs. If you are squeamish don’t read further but Verna cut off their heads and reattached them to each other’s bodies that were facing the ’right’ way. She is pretty big on ’lop, rearrange and glue’. No compunction or compassion at all! The dolls were next to get the chop. All the dolls were bought at the $2 shop. Then Verna went to work with a saw. Argggh! Off came arms and legs. These were replaced with pipe cleaners so all the children could be made the right heights and posed. Only one face required surgical work. The eldest boy acquired a more pointy chin! Verna Stanhope, miniaturist plastic surgeon extraordinaire! Clothing the little people meant close scrutiny of the print of the original painting. Verna wanted them to look as exact as possible. Her Stuart reference book was a great help here. Softness, muted colours and careful use of lace created a group of children that captured the look of this famous painting completely. The room box—a masterpiece in it’s own right. Our mystery dollhouse on page 19 resides in a stately home that was refurbished by an owner whose ancestor fell fighting for Charles the 1st in the British Civil War. The dollhouse was seen by a visitor who reported: There’s a room filled with doll houses one of which is a whopping nine feet long and was discovered in someone’s attic. How can you forget a nine feet long dollhouse in your attic. Unbelievable! It was beautifully decorated and with windows each end you can see down the whole nine feet long passageways. Anthony van Dyck