Nebraska State Day 2017: Grandma's Attic Event

On September 16, 2017, the Omaha Council-Bluffs Miniature Guild hosted the 24th Annual Nebraska State Day. This year, the project was "Grandma's Attic." Every miniaturist has a bunch of great minis lying around that haven't found the perfect home yet, so this project is the solution to that problem! This year, we had 34 guests (plus Committee members) from 6 states: Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and South Dakota. We also had an international guest from Vancouver, BC, Canada. Thank you for coming to spend the day with us!!!

As usual, the Nebraska State Day Committee set up a table of example projects to help us know how the completed kit was intended to look. It's always fun to see how people can arrange similar minis in such different ways:

The inside of the attic has newspaper walls and exposed, unfinished studs and rafters, which really adds some magic to the setting:

Here is a kind gentleman taking a stroll down memory lane with an old photo album. And yes, that IS the leg lamp from "A Christmas Story":

Siding, shingles, and trims were all provided for the exterior:

The window and flower box was included as well:

There was a fantastic raffle:

Here is one of the raffle items--a beautiful Halloween table donated by Carol Krystof, who makes incredible miniature food:

We had four vendors this year: Ron Chase of D-Tales Miniatures, Sue Fortney, Carol Krystof, and Sondra Klingbeil. We really love having vendors at our events so we can buy a bunch of special goodies to remember the day. Thank you so much for being at Nebraska State Day! Here is Ron's table, which also included items from Harlan Schleuter of Miniature World:

After a continental breakfast, we got going and kept at it full-steam until the catered lunch arrived:

You can almost hear the buzz of concentration in the air:

The Committee members were extremely helpful and offered support, advice, instructions, and friendly smiles throughout the event:

OCBMG members know how to put together some really fantastic totebags. Here are some of the totebag goodies--all of which fit right into the attic setting nicely:

And more totebag goodies:

And more totebag goodies:

We also host a 21-gift exchange for anyone who wants to participate. Here are some of the exchange gifts:

And more exchange gifts:

And more exchange gifts:

The Committee had two wonderful surprise gifts for us this year. The first one is a blue baby stroller from the Committee, and the second is a fantastic trunk with tray by Harlan Schlueter. Thank you for these special, hand-crafted beauties:

We also received candy bars from Edna Perkins, afternoon snacks, and free drinks. One can never have too many snacks while miniaturing, so we were all very happy to be well fed and watered.

OCBMG would like to recognize and thank the Nebraska State Day Committee: Lois Andres, Edna Bonney, Del Faris, Georgia Gregg, Kathy Hall, Syd Hulla, Harlan Schleuter, and Ada Vicars. You're all amazing--thank you for sharing your talents with us and giving us such a treasured day.

Next year is the 25th Annual Nebraska State Day, and we have something very special to celebrate this milestone. We proudly present the Nebraska State Day 2018 project "Crafter's Workshop":

Stay tuned to see more photos and get more information about Nebraska State Day 2018. I'll be sharing more photographs and the details soon. Remember, you don't have to be a NAME member or a member of OCBMG to participate -- everyone is welcome!

Thank you to everyone who came to mini with us!  

And a HUGE thank you again to the Faith Presbyterian Church for hosting our event! We'll see you next year!

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!

OCBMG Miniatures Display at Omaha Train and Toy Show 2017: Info

Hello, everyone! The Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild will have a display at the upcoming Train and Toy Show in Omaha, Nebraska. Come see our goodies and a whole bunch of fantastic, wee trains!

You can get more information about the show by clicking HERE.

Train and Toy Show

Nebraska-Iowa Railroad Historical & Museum Society

Saturday June 3: 9am to 4pm

Sunday June 4: 9am to 4pm

Ralston Arena

7300 Q Street

Omaha, NE 68127
*Ample Free Parking at the Arena*

Admission Cost $6.00; Children 12 yrs and under FREE

We'll have two tables full of our dollhouse miniatures displays for you to peek at and information about our club. Model railroading and dollhouse miniatures make a great combo, so we're excited to spend this time with the NE-IA Railroaders. We hope to see you there!

OCBMG Featured in Miniature Collector Magazine

The Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild is proud to share that our guild was featured in the January 2017 issue of Miniature Collector. Miniature Collector is a fantastic mini magazine that publishes articles about and photographs of historical miniatures, artisan work, impressive, drool-worthy personal collections, and tutorials for levels of skill. A regular feature in the magazine is called "Club Fanfare," and that's where OCBMG comes in.

OCBMG member Renee Biermann wrote the article and shared photographs about our guild projects. There is a four-page spread about our guild activities and a list of "Tips for How To Gain More Members." We're excited to share our experiences, projects, and advice with other miniaturists:

If you're interested in reading about OCBMG, you can check your local bookstores for Miniature Collector or order a back issue of January 2017 through the magazine's site HERE.

Would you like to submit an article about your club to Miniature Collector for "Club Fanfare"? Here is how:

"To have your club featured in Miniature Collector, send a 300-word article and a few pictures to Scott Publications, 2145 W. Sherman Blvd., Norton Shores, MI 49441-3434 or email the editor, sharrison@scottpublications.com."

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Have you signed up for Nebraska State Day 2017 yet? If not, find information about registering for our special day HERE. Remember, you do NOT have to be a member of NAME or OCBMG to come to Nebraska State Day. We'd love to have you join us -- beginners/no-experience welcome!

NAME Day 2016: Bunk and Trundle Bed

On October 1, 2016, ten members of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild got together to build this year's "Bunk & Trundle Bed" 2016 NAME Day kits. Edna Perkins hosted the event and made sure everyone had everything they needed. Our club ordered the NAME Day kits from S&S Furniture Company in 1:12, 1:24, and 1:48. Many thanks to S&S for providing such great kits!

As optional add-ons, we could choose from a chest of drawers or a side table. The bunk bed sets came with mattresses and ladders. Here you can see the 1:12 and 1:48 kits that were put together by an OCBMG member in advance. Pre-built kits are fantastic for these events so everyone has a chance to see what the finished product "should" look like (although kit-bashing and wild creativity are entirely welcome and encouraged):

This is the 1:48 version of the beds, showing off the ladder:

It's really fun to watch people work on the same kit in different scales. These two members are working on 1:12 (left) and 1:48 (right):

And this member is working on 1:24. She's holding a Minwax Wood Finish Stain Marker. Many of us used the exact same stain color for our beds -- Early American. It was a very popular stain, indeed:

Lois Andres brought us some goodies as well -- chocolates and pretty, homemade pillows for the beds. Thank you, Lois!

Edna gifted everyone who came with the official NAME Day 2016 pin from the home office. Thank you so much, Edna. These little treats are so fun to receive:

See you again next year!

Nebraska State Day 2017: Sign Up Info

It's that time of year again -- time to sign up for Nebraska State Day! The 2017 project is "Grandma's Attic." It's the perfect project for all of those random minis you've been hoarding collecting for years. This builder found a place for old family treasures. I spy some relative photographs tucked between the rafters:

Or perhaps a stubborn critter has broken in to the attic? It could certainly be home to a family of raccoons. Maybe there could be a little hole in the siding here at the top?

And there's a window... Hmmm... Perhaps a ghostly figure lives up in the attic and can be seen on moonless nights peeking out of the window....?

So many possibilities! We invite you to come join in on the fun! Take a look at our previous Nebraska State Day events by clicking HERE.

Here are the details:

"Grandma's Attic"

24th Annual Nebraska State Day

September 16, 2017

8:30am to 4pm

Faith Presbyterian Church

8100 Giles Road

LaVista, NE 68127
You do NOT need to be a member of NAME
to participate in this event!

Registration: $75.00 (includes morning coffee, lunch, project, tote bag, souvenir gift, and more). This event is limited to 35 registrants, and the deadline for registration is August 15, 2017. Cancellation/refund no later than September 1, 2017.

Gift Exchange: Make 21 miniatures (all alike) that would go into the Attic (no kits or printies) and if you participate you will take home 21 gifts for your Attic. This is NOT mandatory, but it's a lot of fun -- you really don't want to miss out on it.

Make check payable to: Nebraska State Day
Mail to: Ada Vicars, 13412 Montclaire Drive, Omaha, NE 68144


For further information about Nebraska State Day 2017, please contact:

• Edna Bonney: embonney@abbnebraska.com or (402) 426-4624
• Lois Andres: jlalea1@cox.net or (402) 894-4824

You can also leave a comment here, and I will direct your questions to the proper people. Please let us know if you're interested in being a vendor (must be a registrant). It's always fun to be able to shop for your project immediately!

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On behalf of my fellow OCBMG members, I'd like to thank all of our fantastic State Day committee members for planning this special event. You do a great job, and I know this project will be as wonderful as always! THANK YOU!

Nebraska State Day 2016: Cozy Nook Event

On September 18, 2016, the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniature Guild hosted the 23nd Annual Nebraska State Day. This year, the project was "Cozy Nook." We had 32 participants (plus committee members) from 7 states: Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, and Wisconsin. We also had two international guests this year from Canada and England. We know that it's a long journey for many of our participants, and we're so happy you took the time to come mini with us. Once again, our Nebraska State Day Committee really knocked it out of the park. Let's dive in to see the goodies!

As always, the committee members had everything perfectly sorted and arranged in individual fruit boxes. Below, you can see a strawberry box with the kit that was waiting for us at our tables. These kinds of boxes are fantastic for travel or transportation of delicate minis or builds. (TIP: Check with your local grocery store to see if they have any fruit shipping containers that they don't need or to see if they can start setting some aside for you):

The committee members used their fantastic imaginations to craft sample nooks for our guests to see. It's so helpful to be able to go look at the completed kits if you ever get stuck. (TIP: Take a LOT of photos of samples at mini shows or events so you can go back and look at the details later. How does the window go together?? Oh yes, I have a close-up picture! HOORAY!!):

One of our participants brought us a HAPPY NEBRASKA STATE DAY banner that we were proud to add to the display table:

More examples to admire:

It's always so fun to participate in a good raffle:

OCBMG would like to thank everyone who donated these wonderful miniatures to the raffle -- and offer congratulations to every lucky winner:

The room was buzzing with activity:

It was fun to walk around the room to see what everyone was making:

The committee members were always ready to help out. Here you can see Lois Andres demonstrating how to put together the peaked window area:

This year we had three vendors who provided many fun goodies to fill up the nooks. From right to left, we had Harlan Schleuter from Miniature World and Ron Chase from D-Tales Miniatures:

Marie Bound also had a table with a wide array of miniatures:

The committee provided a continental breakfast at the beginning of the day and a delicious pizza and salad lunch midway through. In the afternoon, we received snacks and drinks. Meanwhile, everyone was dutifully working on our kits:

The souvenir gift from the committee was a vegetable set made by Pat Richmond of Twin Heart. Included: celery, carrot, green onion, cabbage, tomato, green pepper, potato, and garlic. Pat's vegetables are incredibly realistic. You can even slice the cabbage open to see the mini leaves throughout the core. We also received a marble-topped bistro table set and a cardinal made by Barbara Meyer of mini-gems. All of Barbara's birds are always such a treat! We're so proud to have talented, miniature artisans there with us in spirit on our special day:

Each participant received a totebag with miniatures from OCBMG and Shoe Box Bunch members (We're so grateful to our sister group for contributing). Here are some examples of totebag gifts, including a window box and wall shelf to add to the nook:

More totebag items:

And even more totebag items:

Each year, we have an optional 21 Gift Exchange. You can make 21 gifts to exchange, and you'll get 20 items back. Here are some examples of exchange gifts:

More exchange gifts:

And even more exchange gifts:

So fun to see hand-crocheted minis up close:

Because of the way the exchange works, not everyone receives the same items, but at least 20 people received individualized stained glass window hangings from Sharon Hammell (IGMA) of Vancouver BC, Canada:

As we were walking out the door, a committee member handed us surprise brown paper bags filled with a bunch of minis and kits. WHEE!! Lots to work with here:

OCBMG would like to recognize and thank the Nebraska State Day Committee: Lois Andres, Edna Bonney, Del Faris, Georgia Gregg, Kathy Hall, Syd Hulla, Harlan Schleuter, and Ada Vicars. Thank you so much for your hard work, dedication, and generous spirits!!!! And extra special thanks to Ron Chase for donating so many of the raffle gifts this year!!

Want to know what we're going to make next year? We proudly present the Nebraska State Day 2017 project "Grandma's Attic":

Stay tuned to see more photos and get more information about Nebraska State Day 2017. I'll be sharing the details soon!! Remember, you don't have to be a NAME member or a member of our groups to participate -- everyone is welcome.

Thank you to everyone who came to mini with us!  

And a HUGE thank you again to the Faith Presbyterian Church for hosting our event! We'll see you next year!