"My father was a fine arts and antiques dealer, so I spent a lot of time going to antiques shows. The miniatures you would find there were incredible and my father would, on occasion, get a piece for me."

Her own creations came about in part during many happy hours with a cherished childhood friend.

"I had a really close childhood friend who had a handmade dollhouse and a mother who was crafty. I would go over to their house and spend many a day with them making clothes and dollhouse accessories."

Her miniature business didn't evolve until many years later when she purchased a handmade miniature fortune teller set.