Small Scale Stuff

pictures of small scale toys
miniature typewriter, dollhouse stuff, art object and book 0

About

How My Interest in Miniatures Began

I’m approaching 60 years and my interest in miniatures and small-scale collectibles began over 50 years ago. I was around seven years old and we just moved to a rural area in Canada. Our house was a few miles from town and we only had one television station. The only shopping, restaurants, and movie theater were miles away.  When we were not in school, my four siblings and I had to find ways to entertain ourselves. I did not know it then, but boredom would lead me to my love of small things. My First Miniature Objects I recall it...

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Home Decor / Lego

LEGO GLOBE

I am a fan of Lego Ideas sets (discussed in an earlier post), such as the new Lego Globe. I gifted myself the Globe for my birthday – partly as inspiration to take up traveling again in 2022. It also helps that I, as a Lego VIP member, had points to redeem, thus bringing the cost of the Lego Globe down by $20. The Globe sells for $199 on Lego.com, when it is available. At the time I bought the set, Lego had a promotion and included a freebie. The Freebie I am a sucker for promotions and I tend...

shopping cart with mini brands toys 1

Toys

ZURU MINI TOYS

Mini Toys are a newer line ZURU created after its Mini Brands line became wildly popular. Mini Brands are miniature versions of household products and food products. After social media influencers started posting their Mini Brands reveals, kids AND adults began collecting these ZURU products. In fact, ZURU has a collectible guide included in each Mini Brands ball, letting the consumer know if any of their products are “rare,” and thus worth something. ZURU has several lines, including grocery products (Mini Brands), Mini Toys, the Unicorn Squad, the Dino Strike, Monster Trucks, and so on. A white ball houses the...

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Lego

FAKE LEGO SETS #1: Politically Incorrect

Friends often send me texts with some crazy Lego pictures, which -although funny- are definitely fake Lego sets. I am a little appalled by the sets that I discuss below in this first post on fake Legos. What motivates these sets’ creators to take a fun building block and make it into something offensive? This is the world we live in now. Incidentally, I pulled all these images from the internet and have tried to list the creator where I could. Oftentimes, the creator probably doesn’t want the publicity, so it’s difficult to “credit” the builder. WARNING: If you are...

Happy New Year 2022 0

About

NEW YEAR MUSINGS

We are in a new year and I am looking at turning 60 at the end of the month. I had hoped the pandemic was behind us, but here we are – Year 2 and the omicron variant is running amok with new variants on the horizon. This does not bode well. I admit I am depressed. Part of the reason I retired early was to travel. International travel (or at least overseas travel) is out for now, which means my long-planned trip back to the U.K. is on hold. Perhaps in June things will settle down and I can...

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Lego

Lego Christmas Sets

Around Thanksgiving, I brought out my Christmas decorations, including my collection of Lego Christmas sets to adorn the mantel of my fireplace. I don’t have a lot of sets, but the centerpiece is definitely the Lego Creator Expert Gingerbread House, pictured below. I also have a Christmas carousel and a Christmas scene with a reindeer and elf. I also have – still boxed- the Lego Christmas Carol set, which is the featured image on this post. In case you don’t know, Lego often has freebies with purchases over a certain dollar amount. These freebies seem to be offered around the...

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Home Decor

Functional Little Home Décor – Dec/Jan

This post focuses on IKEA home décor items that can add some character to your home. While IKEA may have a “certain reputation” regarding the quality of its offerings, many of its home décor items are not only cute but functional. Below, I will discuss a few of my finds. IKEA Home Décor Item #1: Stockholm Bowl If you have ever visited IKEA in person or online, you have probably seen this metal bowl with its iconic daisy design. The bowl is called Stockholm and comes in two different styles. There is the original silver bowl, as pictured above/ This...

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Toys

Kinder Surprise

Kinder Surprise (also known as Kinder Egg or Kinder Surprise Egg) consists of a milk chocolate egg surrounding a yellow plastic capsule with a small toy inside. Made by the Italian company Ferrero since 1974, Kinder Surprise was originally created with children in mind, replicating an Italian Easter family tradition in which adults give children large chocolate eggs with toys inside. However, Kinder Surprise toys have become collectible for adults as well. Collectors often try to acquire all toys within a themed set. Some even share their egg openings on social media, or create their own toys and re-wrap them in Kinder Surprise packaging.  Over 100 new toys are...

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Home Decor

Functional Little Home Décor-Oct/Nov

I have two functional little home décor items to discuss in this post – a tealight holder and a hand figure. I’ve owned these two items for years. However, these pieces might give you some ideas… Tealight Holder Years ago, in the late 1990s, I invested in a now-defunct candle company (Affordable Luxuries). While there were issues with the company, some of the products were very nice, So nice that I bought some items just for me. Below is a tealight holder that the company offered. It is in the shape of a small birdhouse, complete with a little bird!...

Lego minifigure Bang rocket guy 0

About

About This Blog

This blog pays homage to small-scale things. Note, I use the term small-scale in the blog to cover several topics, from miniatures to toys to decor items. I think the term small-scale encompasses a lot more items versus the term miniatures. There are several sections in this blog: Fine Art Miniatures, which covers the work of specific artisans, like Robert Olszewski. Dollhouse Miniatures, including mass-made dollhouse furniture and furniture you can build from kits. Small-Scale Toys, primarily Lego sets for adults, but also other cute small toys. Miniature Craft Kits, which are smaller than the 1:12 size of dollhouse kits....

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Dollhouse / Miniature Craft Kits

Small-Scale Building Kits

Why Amazon Building Kits? Because I moved to an 821 sq ft condo (in keeping with my small-scale stuff obsession), I don’t have the room for a large dollhouse.  During pandemic boredom, I was getting antsy to build something. I decided to look on Amazon and noticed a number of small-scale building kits.  Completed, these little buildings would fit on shelves in my condo. Plus, the price of these building kits was far cheaper than the cost of a 1:12 scale dollhouse kit. Finally, the reviews were, for the most part, positive. (I did run Fakespot to see if the...