"Actually the whole design of my miniature house is taken from real furniture. Finding miniature Art Deco furnishings was hard until I found two amazing craftspeople: Kim Selwood and Arlette Shelton. Arlette made my white leather three-piece and Kim made the rest of the furniture. I would find a picture of something I liked and presented it to him and he has always "come up trumps".

"I don't/didn't know what was possible to make in miniature and Kim has been up to all my challenges so far! I even found a lady to make me a porcelain Art Deco bathroom from my designs!"

Although mainly a collector of other people's work, Katina has been inspired to make a few things herself.

ABOVE: Kim Selwood Miniature Furniture made the furniture for the bedroom.
ABOVE/BELOW: All soft furnishings, bed covers, curtains / drapes and cushions were made by Katina.

"I enjoy Christmas immensely, so my house had to have a tree - which I decorated myself with Swarovski crystals, bows and pearls.

I did swags, etc., and made my own Christmas cards and wrapped miniature parcels. Some with real presents inside! I also make my own polymer clay food and have several "feasts" for Christmas and the New Year settings plus an Easter dinner and Easter eggs as well! Oh, and a Simnel cake (a light fruitcake covered in marzipan and eaten during Lent)."

She has also made the majority of the soft furnishings in her house.

"Arlette made some cushions for me and from these I was able to take the pattern and make more myself. There are so many wonderful miniature textile makers but I wanted to make my own curtains, and bedcovers. Also it saved money that I could then spend on having my furniture made! Plus, I do enjoy finding materials and sewing. It is very therapeutic and gives one real satisfaction when a project is completed.

RIGHT: The kitchen cabinetry was made by Elizabeth LePla of ELF Miniatures from a design Katina found in a magazine.

"I always use silk or cotton for my projects. I have found a company that makes material that can be printed through an inkjet printer. This is wonderful. I can have any pattern/design I like. I manipulate the pattern and then am able to print it. I did this with my nursery - carpet on linen, bedcovers on silk and screen covered with silk. My leopard print rugs were taken from the sofa pattern in the study. I photographed the pattern, manipulated it and printed it on linen, cut it to shape and then backed it on some slightly heavier linen. That is where the satisfaction lies. Everything is then unique to me then!" she said with a note of pride.