February 2008
Collector's Corner
Photos by Christy Blackburn
or let your imagination run wild in the toy store and so much more.
Somewhere in San Antonio, Texas, a very patient man lives in harmony with a multitude of cleverly named shops brimming with exquisite miniatures and the mad miniaturist whom he helped to create, Christy Blackburn.
Room boxes, domes, re-purposed terrariums, Sid Cooke shops, and a gilt display cabinet are among the items used to house the treasures made by Christy and fellow miniaturists such as Gerta Van Dijk, Mike Juza, Philip Granger, Sandra Manning and Jim Pounder. Many of these pieces hold memories for Christy of trips from the West Coast to the East Coast and across the pond!
For Christmas in 1976, Christy's husband (a long-time car and ship modeler) gave her a Real Life Miniatures fixtures and counters kit - and a miniaturist was born. Fixtures and counters led to 
companion kits for crates, display cabinets and more fixtures. One by one, her husband's knives, clamps and model-building tools disappeared from his work bench and made their way to hers. Bit by bit, Christy's first miniature project took shape, and became Wakefield Corners General Store, which remains on display in her collection.
Christy has been sewing and crafting since she was four years old. She enjoys creating furniture, plants, flowers and all kinds of accessories. 25 years of rheumatoid arthritis has made it harder to fashion her own creations, but Christy has adapted and learned new ways to hold her x-acto knife, ruler and crochet hooks in order to continue to create her beloved miniatures.
Christy's passion for creating and collecting miniatures certainly isn't limited to any one scale or any one category. 1:12 scale to 144 - Christy loves them all!
What began as a few plants and flowers, blossomed and grew into The Petal Pusher florist shop; tiny dolls outgrew their designated shelf space in FAO Shortz and have now taken up residence in a shop named Pixie's Doll Shop. A myriad of little watches, mantle piece clocks and grandfather clocks reside at the base of a full-sized grandfather clock in the family room of Christy's home.
Shelves of toys line the walls of a miniature toy store, 'FAO Shortz'. A talking robot and a working train are just two of the delights to be found within. Elegant cranberry glass contrasts 
with the dark wood toned furniture in Rose Colored Glasses - one can almost hear the delighted oohs and ahhs of customers as they gaze at each lovely piece. Miniature shoppers could stroll through 'Le Beastro' pet supply to pick up a little something for their pampered pet before making their way to shop at Pamplona Fine China or make a quick stop at A Common Thread to pick up some needlework supplies before heading home to rest their weary feet!
Christy is always looking for new pieces to add to existing collections - cranberry glass, teddy bears, toys, Christmas items, needlework supplies and porcelain pieces are all on her shopping list. Of course, while watching for these themed items, she often encounters other delights which she simply must have. These unexpected finds are temporarily displayed in a full-sized early 1900's emporium showcase, until they become part of a themed collection.
Christy still has a lot of collecting to do - she has three rather large, unfinished dollhouses left to finish and fill - at least one of which seems to be destined to become a series of boutiques. I for one hope she shares photos as she goes along!
Rose Colored Glasses
Copyright © 2004-2008
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM