by Lena from
LenasMiniLand
There's something about miniature things that make grown ups go a little bit crazy.
Dollhouse as a hobby become popular long time ago. Now there is a variation from traditional everyday objects made in classic 1:12 scale to new modern Monster doll home accessories.
On this our weekly featured shop we got to interview a skilled Etsy seller Lena to give us a glance what it's like to have a miniature creations shop.
When and how you started?
It all started two years ago, at a time I was falling in love with collectible dolls and miniature craft. I believe it’s not a game or a toy, it is a copy of our own lives, but in a smaller version.
What part of the process do you like the most?
Big and the favorite part of my work are personalized orders. I love to replicate actual size furniture into 4-6-12 times smaller original copy, same shape, and identical look.
What kind of product you are making? How it’s made? Tell us more about
the materials. What is your favorite to make? And the hardest one?
At the beginning, I was only making wicker furniture. But as my craft was growing, more and more ideas came to my head. And now I can offer wicker, sewn, crocheted, knitted items, such as plants, flowers, clothes, lingerie, bed mats and pillows, wall hangings and food ... absolutely all things for dioramas (a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit). Oh, all in miniature, of course.
Your working team, supporters, helping hand?
I love my job and it does take a lot of time to run my Etsy shop, so I have to be smart incorporating my family. My husband helps me with packages and runs the parcels down to the post office. Kids are on quality control and help me to test my ideas. This way I save some time to spend with my family and get the job done!
What are you proud of / reached goals?
There’s one thing I really proud of. – my photography skills! I can say my photos are truly beautiful. There are areas to improve on, but customers are buying for my photos. That is a huge achievement for a woman, who knew nothing about the art of product photography before she started her business.
Future vision?
As for the future, I tend to live in the present, every dream or idea I get, I do not wait or hesitate, just do. There is one thing I haven’t tried yet, doll making, but it's just a question of time when I’ll add one more skill to my list.
Where do you get inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from our life, nature, plants, and things in my environment. And my customers of course! I think it’s the best way to get inspired –it is to take in mind customer feedback and work on ideas from custom orders. The same way I started making Japanese hats for dolls, one of my customers asked if I could, so I learned the Japanese technique to make these hats from rye straws, them from paper. Now I have two types of Japanese hats available –
sanadogasa and
ichimegasa.
Any notes to your customers?
A little note to all my existing and future customers – please, buy more unique and one of a kind designs, because that is what I love to make!
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