Post Office Blue. An original edition

Yet another of the oldest TinyBuildings: the "blue" post office. Poor, pitiful thing is mildewed and rather unlovely. It is also a 'bastardized' TinyBuilding in that it is made from two packaging materials.

The sides are from the cardboard cover of machine-dispensed stamps. The top is from one of the Atlanta blue-printing companies: AAA Blueprinting. Probably an extra business card included in a roll of prints delivered to James' office.

I can almost smell the developing fluid. This was way before the gigantic 'xerox' machines that are used now...or, for that matter, the direct-from-the Cad machine plots...That fluid was a sweet-acidic taste on the back of your tongue. Goodness knows what it was doing to our brains.

At the time, it signified progress on a project: if you had a roll of prints, you were finally ready to deliver them to a client. Finally, after many days and nights of thinking and drawing and erasing and drawing and thinking....

I like the little 'blue' roof section- a little hat for the building; and, you can tell James composed this TinyBuilding so that the old-fashioned mailbox fit on one side of the structure, exactly. Then he must have sorted through the detritus on his very messy drawing board to find the AAA card for the roof. I'll bet he smiled to himself when he stuck the 'blue' on top...a little cap, and a reference to the USPS colorings.

c. 1976

Pink Castle. An original edition

This is another of James' vintage TinyBuildings. It must be over thirty years old. Looks pretty good, still...a little threadbare, but, so do you....

I think this tower is made from leftover architectural model-building board. The pink-ish color may have been meant to be brick or stucco. i don't know if James was testing a design for a client's house or just gluing scraps together. I also don't care; I just love this TinyBuilding for itself....that jaunty glued-on brown door is so assertive, I laugh out loud!

I wonder what the roof paper came from. Maybe its an insert paper from a candy box- like Godiva...those wax-coated sheets they lay on top of the candies to protect them from the box top. Hmmmm? something like that...a flicker of memory is trying to come forward...Hmmm?


c. 1976

Cardboard. An original edition

Well, this must be the tinybuilding from the wrong-side-of-the-tracks. It is completely unadorned, with no advertising, no detail, almost no color...but, lots of personality and charm. I have no idea when James made this one.. Early in the history of tinybuildings I would certainly guess--maybe 1977?

In any case it is very endearing. So humble, with low expectations, but a jaunty little roof, a *real* door and a little stuck-on door and a very basic window. Don't you just want to hug it?! It seems to have some water damage. I hate to think we were so irresponsible as to leave it out in the rain. Perhaps Santa spilled the milk from his snack on it.

The more I think about it the more this tinybuilding reminds me of James--humble, charming, not much advertising, somewhat short and stubby...and you just want a hug.

c. 1977

Venetian. San Francisco

Prosecco. One of Italy's best inventions. This tinybuilding is made from the hangtag off a bottle of prosecco, a sparkling wine similar to champagne...but, Italian. Frankly, I can't remember the name of the Prosecco...starts with an *M*...Monetto, I think. Yummy.

I think Jane introduced us all to prosecco many years ago...and we all drink it now, especially for special celebrations, meals and get togethers. Actually, it doesn't take much to make us open a bottle.


This tinybuilding is about 1 inch tall, and very mysterious and graphic. The black-and-white cardstock just begged to be made into a modern building...It works, doesn't it? That cardstock must have known what it was talking about.

c. 2001

Whitman's. An original edition

This is one of the very earliest tinybuildings, made by James a long, long time ago. Must have been in 1975 or so. No way of knowing, really.

This little structure is about 1-1/4 inches tall.

As I've mentioned, these tinybuildings were originally made as part of a Christmas *village* and for tree decorations. One of our family traditions was to put small boxes of Whitman's candy in the kids' stockings. So, that box would have been handy when James first hit on the idea of making miniature houses and stores and small-town buildings. This is exactly how the whole concept of the tinybuildings is supposed to work.

When I hold this one in my hand, I can conjure up many Christmases when we were all together, with piles of wrapping paper, kids in pjs so excited they couldn't sit still, cats hiding under the trash, too many presents for just two kids, special breakfasts of Dutch baby pancakes- joy all around.

I love that this one is worn and shows its age. Don't we all?!

I've tried to replicate these earliest Whitman buildings, but, sadly these candy boxes are now made of flimsy, slick, photo-printed paper....not at all a rewarding process.

So, this may be the very most favorite. I wish it were still in my collection; but I know it has a good, appreciative home where it lives now.

c. 1975

Frame Eleven. New York City and Zurich

This tinybuilding was made from a couple business cards for Darko Karas' motion graphics company in NYC. Darko is Jane's partner-in-crime-and-love.

I tried to do the card's graphics justice by placing and cutting the windows and doors in this tinybuilding at interesting locations and with unusual compositions-for windows, at least...I let the lines on the card dictate the positions and sizes of the cuts. Nice, huh?

c. 2006

Toblerone Swiss Chalet. New York City

This is another tinybuilding from Jane's SDOTY Party- the one with the Swiss theme- for party favors.

Cute little cabin in a snow-filled valley, waiting for the skiers to return for rosti and schuemli pfluemli. They can sit on the front deck and put their feet up on the railing....Then maybe some chocolate for dessert....

I love this little cabin...Makes me very happy to look at it.

c. 2005

de Young Museum. San Francisco

The de Young Museum, in Golden Gate Park, is a nice surprise amongst the slightly musty traditional buildings and shady walkways. This is my attempt to interpret the structure of the building-recalling the peek-a-boo quality of the facade and the airplane wing effect of the roof. Of course, the tinybuilding is made from one of the nicely designed, over-sized business cards from the Museum. The tinybuilding is about 1-1/2 inches square.

c. 2006