Craig Labenz discovered miniatures at a very young age, but it took a milestone birthday for him to reflect on his life and focus on his passion

BY JOAN MCKENZIE

Craig Labenz has had a lifelong passion for miniatures. When he was a 6-year-old boy his dear friend Lori received ‘The Sunshine Family Dolls’ as a present and he begged his parents to get him the same gift. Eventually they did just that.

One of the things that young Craig liked best about these was that the dolls, and their accessory toys, came with little booklets filled with miniature crafts projects that you could make!

There were directions to make furniture and accessories out of common things like bits of cardboard and string. ‘The Sunshine Family’ had an accessory pickup truck with an attached ‘Craft Shack’ on the back where the dolls could sell things that they made.

There was even a craft store with a miniature potter’s wheel and instructions on how to make clay pots. Craig and his mum would make miniature macramé plant hangers. He loved this activity because in ‘real life’, his mum is an accomplished seamstress and crafter who made full-size macramé pieces for sale.

When he was a little older, his grandparents made a doll’s house for themselves and then started making doll’s houses for their adult daughters. These were based on plans for a Swiss Chalet, but his grandfather, a farmer and a carpenter, customised them and added things like hand-hewn shingles. His grandmother, a farmer’s wife but also an artist, doll maker and china painter, helped with the exterior finishwork. Grandmother started subscribing to ‘Nutshell News’ and ‘Miniature Collector’ magazines, and whenever Craig and his family would go to visit them, he would spend hours reading through those periodicals.