The Spirit of the Holiday Season!
No matter what holiday you happen to celebrate during the winter months, miniatures transcend the differences. The creation of holiday miniatures was an important aspect of the Dorsett family’s projects for The Scale Cabinetmaker! There were several covers that had a holiday theme and many pages were devoted to creating toys that were accurate reflections of Jim Dorsett’s past. His metal pedal car comes to mind….
I love the holidays and as I have aged, it is not as much about the gifts I receive, but the gifts I can give. I love to entertain, bake goodies and find something special for a friend. I have recently introduced several people to the hobby/ art form of scale miniatures and look forward to them coming into our home so that I can share the vignettes and houses. I decorate each setting for Christmas. I spend hours promoting and talking about how important these tiny things are to me. My biggest Christmas wish is that I could receive, would be 10 more hours a day, I would spend this time exclusively creating and making miniatures.
This hobby appears to be having a Rennaissance currently. I see examples all the time in movies, magazines and television of artisan work in the field of scale miniatures. Online tutorials and videos are all over the internet. The outreach to future miniaturists is one of the biggest changes, promotion and advertising now has to be done through social media platforms This challenge is real for the promotion of shows, shops and websites of artisans. Constant contact and information are the key to keeping the hobby alive. Miniature shows continue to be held and there is a desire for individuals to sign up for classes and workshops. Education and passing it forward are so important, the Dorsett family loved to teach and share their knowledge. The Scale Cabinetmaker was based upon learning and encouragement. It is wonderful that TSC is available in a digital format and the information and articles is available to a whole new generation.
So why not gift yourself with the original source of quality education this year!
Happy Winter Holidays…..may the spirit of creation be with you all.
Bradley
A quick note from Carol Lindstrom, daughter-in-law of Jim & Helen Dorsett, and spouse to their daughter, Meghan.
The Christmas Season was so important to them. They would spend weeks decorating. One winter, we had 6 different Christmas trees in the Depot building. Christmas lights were strung across the front and down the sides of the building. James, and later Meghan, had traditional family cookies to bake and distribute. Hot chocolate and hot spiced apple cider were ever on hand for family, friends, or strangers. Perhaps most importantly, the music. Between the albums, tapes, and cds, there was plenty of music. Add to that Meghan’s ability on the guitar and James with his harmonica (we all knew never to ask them to sing) and the windows would rattle and the walls would quake! But, being the unconventional family they were, it is not Christmas music I remember from my years in the family, rather it was the Rippingtons. Just about any jazz would do for them but the Rippingtons had a solid hold on the centerpiece for music. Just as James, Helen, and Meghan would I wish all of you the happiest and healthiest of Christmas and may you find the new year to be one of joy and peace. Carol Lindstrom
Comments
The Spirit of the Holiday Season! — No Comments
HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>