Who can you expect to see at Miniatura at the NEC?
Julie Campbell’s Grandpa, soaking his feet. That’s who!
After a weekend at Miniatura we could all join in. If you’re coming and you’re walking, you’d be well advised to wear comfortable shoes. Julie Campbell, long time Miniatura exhibitor with her Bella dolls, trades now as Julie Campbell doll artist and you’ll find her in the Miniatura Brochure under J. Julie is famous for making a Mum doll who starred in a TV advert for a telecommunications company. You can find her online at www.juliecampbelldollartist.co.uk and see the famous doll for yourself or you can find her at Miniatura on stand G2 and ask if her Grandpa really did sit with his feet in a tin bath.
Don’t people have strange relatives? My mother soaked her feet in a plastic bowl which I have now inherited. (The bowl, not the feet.) I do not know of anyone modern who soaks their feet but if it’s you get in touch, I’d like to know.
Incidentally if your feet are not up to walking round the show, did you know that blue badge holders can get a free wheelchair by pre-arrangement with the NEC? There are also mobility scooters for hire and disabled toilets. Once in the hall the show is all on one level. An aspect of the hobby which has always seemed very right to me is that it is open to all, you do not have to be ept ert and a general winner to join in, as long as you can get to the NEC there is lots of help available if you have mobility problems. More details at www.thenec.co.uk
I have been busy with the 2 inch and under collectable dolls.
Here they are, gosh there are plenty. Stood up against a cotton reel individually they resolve into a variety of porcelain dolls inspired by the collectable dolls of our collective youth.
They have to be our collective youth because I never had a Greek soldier doll or a Dutch doll and I was too old by the time those lovely rag dolls that came with adoption certificates were popular. Many of the collectable dolls are making an appearance thanks to photographs from collectors who have taken a camera into the loft and had a good poke around in the old suitcases. If you would like to send similar photographs I will take them under consideration because the hobby is all about the toys you didn’t have, they ones they took off you and those that turned up missing. Get them all back again at Miniatura.
I’ll see you there, meanwhile I think I had better get busy with a new addition to the collectable doll stand to house these
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