A daughter, sister, mother, aunt, and grandmother, Barbara Vajnar wears many hats. With 3 children and 2 grandchildren living with her and her husband, you can easily see why there is no room at the Inn. Barbara says though her life is "full and a little hectic", she loves the pace.

Having spent the summer with her grandmother who was an antique dealer at the time, they worked shows. Having seen a miniature bowl and pitcher in ironstone at one of those shows, her Grandmother purchased it for her. Barbara's great-great-aunt Helen was a collector of miniature pitchers from around the world, and Barbara was given one every time she visited. So her miniature collection began. These days, Barbara creates detailed country furniture and accessories in both 1:12 and 1:6th scales.

Barbara tells a story about her grandkids that we want to share. It sure made us smile here.

"When my granddaughters were very young they use to love to get into my doll houses when I wasn't looking. I would notice pieces missing and sometimes find pieces broken and thrown under the bed or dresser.

"One morning I was home alone and was playing around with my doll house and noticed quite a few good pieces gone. Of course my natural instinct was to blame the girls for this. This went on for a couple of weeks. I had been in the shower one morning when my dog had opened the bathroom door, and right behind her was my cat with a shiny piece of sterling in her mouth. I stood very still and continued to watch the antics going on, as she continued to put the piece in a planter in the bathroom. Both dog and cat left the room. To my surprise all the pieces I had thought were taken by my grand kids were actually taken by my pets. Who would have thought a cat and dog aiding and abetting each other in the crime of stealing miniatures.

"Needless to say the doll houses are not easily accessible anymore."

If you ask her what gets her out of bed in the morning, you'll hear that happy voice speaking back at you saying, "looking forward to a new and beautiful day with my family and of course heading to the basement to create my minis."

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