OCBMG Summer 2017 Meeting Hours

During the summer months, the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild meets at an alternate location. You can see the regular times and locations for both the OCBMG and the Shoe Box Bunch by looking at the sidebars to left and right of this post. NOTE: The Shoe Box Bunch locations don't change, and those meetings will continue at the LaVista Community Center as usual. 

For the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild, here are our summer 2017 locations:

Sunday, June 25 at 1:30pm
(Fourth Sunday instead of third due to Father's Day)
LaVista Library
9110 Giles Road, Lavista, NE
Meeting in Room 138; must enter through main door.

Sunday, July 16 at 1:30pm
Ralston Library
5555 S 77th St, Ralston, NE
First room on the right when you enter through main door. 

Sunday, August 20 at 1:30pm
Ralston Library
5555 S 77th St, Ralston, NE
First room on the right when you enter through main door. 

Beginning in September, we will be back at the LaVista Community Center again. Please feel free to come join the OCBMG or the Shoe Box Bunch at any of our meetings. We'd love to have you!

2015 OCBMG and Shoe Box Bunch Club Projects

To kick off the new year right, both the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild and the Shoe Box Bunch are starting on group projects. Above, you can see a completed version of the OCBMG project, which is a 1:12 front porch that can hang on the wall. The idea is to change the porch decorations throughout the year to display seasonal items. There are two options for the porch size. The kit shown below is the smaller version (missing the roof piece in this image):

There is also an extended porch version, which includes a window and more space for display (the porch below is being rehabbed -- it previously included porch rails and a rooftop garden):

The Shoe Box Bunch has one version of their 1:12 kit for a bay window display. In the photo below, you can see the back wall of the bay leaning up against the real-life wall for now. This builder is playing around with the idea of a widow's walk up top (great idea!). Shoe Box members will be able to proudly display many minis in these lovely windows:

We'll be sure to share more photos throughout the year as we work on these kits. As always, feel free to come and join us!

2014 Miniatures Round-Up

The Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild and the Shoe Box Bunch rounded out 2014 with many fun activities. On October 11, we held a free miniatures display in Papillion, Nebraska. We spent the day visiting with our guests and showing off our amazing builds:

There were so many things to look at -- rows and rows of multi-scaled beauties. It was truly fantastic:

Also in October, we held displays at the Omaha Swanson Library, Sump Memorial Library in Papillion, and La Vista Public Library.

In late November and early December, both clubs contributed to a Christmas display at the Sarpy County Museum in Bellevue, Nebraska. Christmas displays are always a big hit, and we enjoy sharing our builds at this magical time of the year.

In mid-December, OCBMG and the Shoe Box Bunch both held holiday parties. There was a lot of delicious food and a lot of minis! Holiday parties are never complete without gift bags:

OCBMG is proud to mention that several of our members had articles and/or photographs published in the NAME Miniature Gazette in 2014. We also received the NAME Blue Ribbon Club Award for 2013–2014, which is presented to charter clubs that contribute to their local communities and the miniature community at large. We look forward to earning this award again in 2015!

Happy mini-ing!

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We still have some slots open for Nebraska State Day 2015. Want to build a wonderfully cozy screened-in porch and have a day of miniature fun with us? Click HERE for details.

Thanking OCBMG Outgoing Officers

OCBMG would like to take a moment to thank our outgoing officers. These former officers have worked very hard over the last two years. They each served two terms, and we appreciate their generosity and volunteerism within these positions. At our last meeting, the guild presented our former president, Carol Kolb, with this lovely vanity above. We thank you, Carol, for leading our guild and serving us so well.

We'd like to recognize all of our past officers, too:

• Carol Kolb - President
• Del Faris - Vice President
• Andrew Kolb - Secretary
• Wanda Leighton - Treasurer (served as Treasurer for almost 35 years until she passed away in September of 2013)
• Michele Foley - Treasurer (in Wanda's absence)

Thank you so much to all of you for giving us your time and hard work. Even though we are all friends and love miniatures, it's still a job to keep the guild going. We appreciate each and every thing you have done for us! Cheers to many more years of friendship and fun!

OCBMG April News

This adorable quarter scale (1:48) ice cream shop kit was put together by one of our OCBMG members. She brought it to our guild meeting yesterday for our Show & Tell segment, which is when we show and explain different projects we are working on.

Quarter scale has become very popular within the miniature world because it takes up less room than full scale (1:12) builds and--let's face it--it's super cute.

Here is the inside of the store:

It's hard to imagine how tiny quarter scale is until you see it in real life. These wee projects are very fulfilling because they can be put together in a flash!

Our club project yesterday was to put together a 1:12 Grimm's Fairy Tales book from Paper Minis by Ann Vanture. If you click HERE and scroll down, you can find the book. Vanture's books and other paper kits are of amazing quality. She has several "kit of the month" type clubs that you can subscribe to for books, toys, or general paper minis. You can also sign up for a monthly newsletter from Vanture which often has links to free printies in multiple scales.

We always have a great time at our OCBMG gatherings. Feel free to stop by one of our meetings to see if you'd like to join. We also invite you to attend one of The Shoe Box Bunch meetings to visit with our non-NAME sister group. You can find information about the times and dates for these groups in the sidebars. Please note, the location changes during the summer months, so contact us at ocbmguild@gmail.com to ensure you have the correct date and address if you are thinking about visiting soon.

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We still have openings for our Nebraska State Day 2014 gathering in September. You do NOT have to be a member of NAME to attend this fun event, so sign up today to get in on the fun, mini action. Who knows? You might find your inner miniaturist and discover a new, rewarding, lifetime hobby! For information about this event, click HERE.

Nebraska and Iowa Dollhouse Miniature Clubs

The above image is the sample bistro for the 20th Annual Nebraska State Day workshop on September 21st, 2013.

Welcome to the new home for the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild and the Shoe Box Bunch! Both of our clubs work to share our hobby with the community whenever possible. There are many ways we participate:

• Exhibits at the Durham Museum and the Omaha Public Library
• Dollhouse miniature shows and sales
• Participation in National NAME Day and Nebraska State Day (half-day or whole-day workshops where each participant will have a nearly-completed roombox to take home)
• Monthly make-and-take workshops
• Monthly raffles
• Periodic auctions or sales

Every event we host gives club members the opportunity to socialize with other miniaturists, learn new skills, and have a great time. If you've ever wanted to be a miniaturist or are simply curious, please feel free to contact our group at ocbmguild@gmail.com or leave us a comment here. We hope to see you soon!

Happy mini-ing!