The Weird And The Wonderful

There are lots of fascinating things to see around the country but THIS is one of the most weird, yet wonderful ones I've taken in.  I caught wind of this in one of Nick Russell's blogs.  When he said he could walk around here for hours, he was right.

This is the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures.  Who knew there even WAS such a thing.  Hidden in northwestern Tucson is this building full of miniature handmade creations.  Founded by Patricia and Walter Arnell, it was a way to showcase her vast collection of antique miniatures.  It opened in 2009.

I've seen a few dollhouses in my time, but believe me, you've never seen anything as intricate as these.  Since Halloween is coming soon, there was an entire room of cute scenes depicting everything you would expect Halloween to be.  You might want to click on the image to see it better.  All of these were taken through glass to keep little hands at bay, not to mention most of the people in the scenes are only 2-3 inches tall.

Here's the pharmacy where you can buy werewolf hair, eye of newt and all that good stuff.  The attention to detail is amazing.

As I walked around, I discovered there are hundreds of people who make these scenes as hobbyists.  You can too if you've a mind.  This is a picture frame with three witches made from cheesecloth and a few dried flowers.  

There is an entire room dedicated to Christmas, even underneath your feet!!!  It's a kids paradise.  

By the way, the same rules apply here as at the botanical gardens.  No climbing on the tree!!  You can look between the roots to find little mouse houses though.  It helps if you are only three feet tall for this attraction.  In fact, if you are short, this one's for you.  I found myself kneeling down on several occasions to see better.

Here's the Three Little Bears, with the broken chair below and the family discovering Goldilocks.  Almost every display has lights inside.  I've no idea how they work but they are so realistic it's crazy.

Many of the displays are simply houses with rooms full of furniture.  This Wine Cellar is actually built in a wine box.  

The Chocolate Shop was fascinating with lots of miniature cakes, pies and candy to behold.  

Towards the end you will find castles and amazing displays of furniture, chandeliers (all lit up) and even tapestries on the walls.  Tiny tables are set with real silver goblets and glasses, made by someone with small hands and lots of patience.  Teeny tiny pieces of art all on display.  I mean really, how do you make a candle the size of a toothpick?

Along one wall there are even mechanical displays.  Just push a button and it will begin to play music and move all about.  At $8 for seniors, it was worth it to view these amazing pieces of art that have taken hundreds of hours to make.  You can also stay out of the heat for a couple of hours.  

Interested in doing this yourself?  They have starter kits in the small gift shop and I imagine you can find ANYTHING miniature on the internet.  Although there was nothing going on this day, if you look them up first, you will find a list of daily presentations by the artists themselves on how to get started.  

Personally, I never thought of this as art until now.  It was pretty fascinating.

So I'm down to packing.  The Chance family has returned and I'm off kitty duty.  It's time to start concentrating on the Indio Rally Ice Cream Social.  Do I sound excited?  Yeah, well, I'm working on it!!!