Moncton miniature hobbyists hoping to inspire the next generation of artists

Spending time with New Brunswick miniature hobbyists is like entering the land of make believe.

“We are pretending that we are making this little world here and it brings you satisfaction to see it finished,” said Charlotte Vardy, a member of the Moncton Miniature and Doll Club.

The hobbyists have been creating magical masterpieces in the land of miniatures for more than 40 years.

Vardy said the members of the Moncton Miniature and Doll Club are trying to keep the club alive by inspiring the next generation of artists to take up the hobby.

Miniature and doll enthusiasts from across the country are helping them spread the word that it offers stress relief and an opportunity to expand the imagination.

“Think about what your dream in life is and if you can’t have it create it in miniature,” said Doreen Johnson, 83, who has been a member of the club since the 1980s.

Both women have their houses filled with miniature doll houses, rooms, landscapes and displays that they created themselves.

“I love to make everything I don’t want to buy my furniture if I can make it,” said Vardy, who made mini-tissue boxes out of wallpaper pieces and who stitches her own tiny area rugs and pillows.

She said the hobby allows her to tap into her creative side and the smaller the prop, the greater the challenge.

Johnson loves gardening but with no room on her land for the garden of her dream, she said she simply scaled it down to a 1 to 12 ratio and created a luscious Victorian landscape.

“I will never have it in person but I can create it in miniature,” said Johnson.

Both women have won awards for their displays but say they simply don’t have the energy to keep the group going in their seniors years. They would love to see the next generation step in to take their place in a world that often makes them feel larger than life.