Vignette. Pronounced /vinˈyet/- It is a visual illustration or scene.

It tells a story. Such a funny little word. One I have rarely used until recently and one not commonly used by anyone these days. Until…..Until We were quarantined with the rest of the world and forced to stay home and that was the very thing that opened up a whole new world for me.

I have always been obsessed with anything miniature as long as I can remember. I can remember going to the Camera Shop in Longview Texas as a child. In the back of the store they had a huge dollhouse fully furnished.  It was a modern house with a family inside. It was open with a piece of plexiglass covering it so you could get up close and see inside.  I spent hours viewing every room. The tiny hairbrush and comb on the dresser, little, tiny glasses of lemonade on the table and wee towels folded in the bathroom. I spent hours mesmerized.  I would always get to pick a treasure from the miniature selection they sold and since that day I have collected little bitty things.

As a lover of all things Mini I stumbled upon this amazing stoneware made by a lady named Nora Fleming www.norafleming.com. Each of her pieces had a hole drilled and in this hole there were interchangeable “minis” as she called them. One plate many occasions was her MO! I ordered a simple container called the Cutie Container and a mini to go in it from @Tammies Touch in Lake Jackson, Texas. When I got this piece I was hooked. I needed more minis and more things to put them in.

My search led me to a Facebook group called Original Nora Fleming Friends https://www.facebook.com/groups/1518157475141597 and the rest is history. I found other people there that loved creating fun displays, or “vignettes” that captured their mood, celebrations and happy occasions. These displays exuded joy and celebration and because we were all at home everyone was doing it!  While becoming part of this community I began to hear the requests of members for minis that Nora Fleming didn’t make. “I wish she made a Taco, I wish she made something for pet lovers and thus Miniacs by Carrie was born. https://www.facebook.com/groups/472992800456058

I had dabbled in clay and making miniatures. I found some artist grade porcelain air dry clay and fashioned a taco. I added a simple wooden stem that fit these bases and posted it in the group to see if there was any interest. In 4 days I had over 100 taco orders. The requests kept coming and I kept making them. The best thing though was the friends that I have made and the joy I found I could bring.

Now with over 1400 “members” or friends I would rather call them, I have a full part time gig making tiny things upon request for people all over this great country. I have been blessed and still get excited when the clay is in my hands. 1 ½ years later and over 2000 minis made I can’t wait to keep spreading the joy, making something special for their “vignettes” and bringing their requests to life.

Because…..How many minis is too many?