Toblerone Ski Lodge. Switzerland

Speaking of Switzerland, this rather crass construction is one-of-many made for Jane's 'Shortest-Day-of -the-Year Party a couple years ago. The party theme was 'Swiss', with raclette as the main course. Jane asked me to make party favors for the guests - a challenge to make a dozen quickly.

Christina asked her Mom to send Swiss packaging so I could have authentic materials to work with. However, I was forced to buy a couple of Toblerone chocolate bars, just to be sure I had enough cardstock. You know how it is - anything for your kids...

I'm planning to re-collect and photograph the favors...perhaps we can have a 'Longest-Day-of-the-Year' Party this summer, and have a reunion of people, food and tinybuildings. I'm ready...how about you, Jane?

This tinybuilding is one of the larger ones: about 1-1/2 inch cube. I researched online to find photos of swiss ski cabins/cottages, then copied their design, including the balconies, roof pitch, overhangs, window spacing....Got to be as accurate as possible at 1-1/2 inch and working with cardboard....

c. 2005

Log Cabin. Virginia

This is one of my very favorite tinybuildings. It is a replica of log cabin, in the woods near Falls Church, Virginia. The business card is from Blue Hill @ Stone Barn, a really special restaurant and organic farm in the Hudson Valley, north of Manhattan.

I have made several copies of the cabin, as gifts for various families with connection to it; hence the multiple 'collections' label.

I prefer for the buildings to represent whatever the business card is from, but the stripes on the back of the restaurant's card so perfectly mimicked the horizontal lines of the log cabin, I just couldn't resist.

The tinybuilding is 'to scale' with the original cabin, which is in an idyllic locale, resting in a small clearing in some woods- visibly removed from the neighborhood that surrounds it, but within an easy hike through the woods.

c. 2005