The Sturbridge Fair....

 

Times They Are A Changing....

For a number of Years now, Dear Readers, I have gone to the Sturbridge Miniatures Fair at the beginning of June and come home with an amazing pile of miniature Treasures. There was a brief hiatus due to Covid in 2020, but I have gone almost every year for a decade now. So I set off on Sunday last with high expectations of finding mini marvels to tempt my budget. But it turned out that the Miniatures Fair was no longer being run by the group who used to run it (they retired last year!), and had been sort of absorbed into the concurrent Antique Dolls and Bears Show instead. Well, they said there were some miniatures to be found in there, so having come all that way I went in to see what I could find. I was a bit disappointed to see almost entirely antique bears and dolls.... some remarkably like the ones I had as a child! (Antique!) So I prowled carefully and did find a few spots that had old estate sale caches of minis. Some furniture and lots of bric-a-brac. The pieces of antique furniture were about the only thing worth the trouble; they were relatively cheap, and I bought some nice pieces. The secretary above has no maker markings on it, and is slightly damaged, but I liked the shape and the doors have a fascinating  faux "glass" that is held together with scotch tape on the back! (Probably just brittle decaying plastic. As you can see it came home with me.

At another spot I found a bunch of pieces made by Shackman 

with the tags and boxes still together!

The woman said they had been in her childhood dollhouse,

 which she no longer had room to keep.

The table and chairs were mine!

As was this dresser, also by Shackman.

And this desk.

Just look at that "piano hinge"!

And here it is open.

The tiny drawers inside are just blanks, 

but the lower ones all open.

(I confess, I remember wanting this furniture when I was young!)

At yet another site I found a mix of old stuff and newer pieces.

An elaborately painted "Venetian" Chair by Bespak.

A lone ceramic pedestal sink....

A lovely elegant antique washstand

 with the marking JPM painted on the underside.

I am not familiar with this and will need to do some research.

It is delicate, well made and in good condition.

A "Petite Princess" grandfather clock!

These were available in my childhood, 

but the scale is not true mini scale.

We were given a few pieces of Petite Princess,

 and I was always put off by the smaller than true scale.

But this clock might find a home somewhere in one of my unfinished projects!

A beautiful cranberry glass teapot....!

Well, there will have to be a home somewhere!

At yet another spot I found a few more current "antique" pieces.

This Art Deco style settee just called to me....

 something about the purple velvet and the bentwood arms....!

And a matching side table too.

And then I spotted this....

A Vintage style TV Cabinet?

(Sorry about the gloomy pictures... 

the weather has been dismal and dark with smoke for days)

And then the lady whose booth it was

 showed me how the TV works...!

Vintage Frank Sinatra anyone???

Or old movies......

This is the movie "It's A Wonderful Life"

Full length....... really mini perfection!

I couldn't believe it!

I still haven't explored the entire menu...

"Lucille Ball", "Sherlock Holmes" ....

"What's my Line".....

As you can see,

 it too, came home with me!

So I went to the Sturbridge Fair, Dear Readers,

And even though I found a few Miniature treasures...

Clearly, the times they are a changing.